A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 18

In contrast to the events of the last several days, the waiting for transport to the prison was a welcome relief. Things greatly slowed down except for the few minutes she had to say goodbye to her parents and the visit with Luke Brady. It was odd talking to her parents with her hands locked behind her. It was also odd that she was now sharing a cell for the first time with other women. Four of them all waiting for transport to the same place. Still, it was nice to know a lot of the uncertainty was over. All that was left to do was wait.

The next day started at 5 am when they brought in a bagged breakfast. Inside was a bologna sandwich, a small apple, and a milk carton. The guards said they would change into a different transport uniform and leave in about two hours. It would only be a two-hour drive to the prison, so they were told to use the bathroom before they left since they would only stop when they arrived.

Sure enough, after about an hour and a half, a couple of officers arrived, called each woman out one at a time, changed them into their new uniform, and returned them to the cell shackled hand and foot. Sidney was the third called, and the whole process was repeated for her. After a brief search, she was changed and shackled, then returned to the cell she shared with the others. When the last girl returned, they were told they were leaving in about ten minutes.

The wait was far less, and soon, the women were taken in a single line to a waiting van with caged interior doors. The first two were seated to the left while Sidney and the lady behind her were seated to the right, separated from the first two by a solid metal divider. Neither knew what to say to the other, so they rode in almost complete silence except for the occasional small comment when the van hit a bump or turned too fast. The lady next to her looked to be in her mid-forties, and from some of her comments, this was not the first time she had taken this ride. Sidney had been told by Brady not ever to ask why someone was in jail and, likewise, don't offer to tell anyone why she was there.

True enough, about two hours after they left, the van pulled through the gates of Helen Palmer Prison for Women. She could not see well through the van's windows as to why the guards did not immediately open the doors and let them out. "They check the bottom of the van for bombs and shit," said the woman beside Sidney. Satisfied, the van doors opened, and the women were ordered to follow the sidewalk to what must have been an intake building. The door buzzed, and they were told to go inside. All four were placed in a large caged cell that reminded Sidney of a backyard fence, except this fence went to the ceiling.

They were locked in there for over an hour before the guards came for the new inmates. Each was called one at a time in alphabetical order. When her name was called, Sidney was led from the holding area. They led her to a small room and removed her shackles. "Place everything you're wearing in this bag," she was ordered by a female guard who looked and acted like she would rather be anywhere but here. After she undressed, she went through the same type of invasive searches as in the police station. "Get used to this inmate 'cause if you sneeze wrong, we search you."

Once she dressed, Sidney was taken to another waiting and holding area. Another hour passed as the four new arrivals sat and waited. "Alright, ladies, on your feet. Follow that yellow line and wait for your name to be called at the end. After more waiting, her name was called, and she was taken to a station with a nurse who asked her several personal questions and performed a few routine medical procedures like taking her blood pressure. After that, she was put back in a holding area again.

It must have been evening because a different set of guards arrived. "OK, ladies, follow me." The women did as ordered and arrived at a desk with a camera. "You were supposed to have done this by now, but I guess we'll do this now instead. When I call your name, come forward." Again, Sidney waited her turn. She stood before the camera and was issued an identity card with her picture. "This way." The guard took her to a shower room and told her to undress again. "Here's your soap and shampoo. Scrub yourself down and dry off. You got five minutes."