Putnam County Correctional Facility

Living Area

Livin the Life


We headed out to Putnam County Correctional Facility in Carmel. Again, we got picked up from the school in his patrol car and were mistaken for being arrested. We got there and had to surrender our belongings immediately to a little locker. We were let in a very slowly routined way under supervision. We went back into this little pod type office where a couple people were with huge monitors in front of them and lines of papers, identification cards on a small carousel, and this board with pegs in them. It was very overwhelming and crowded, and I was easily distracted looking at everything while he tried explaining the intricate door system. Everything was operated in a very strategic organized manner, one gate opens at a time, and closes behind, then the next one opens, etc... We then went into the visiting room. One long thin table with a bench on either side wrapped around the room. The convicts enter one side and there are no barriers. The officer giving us the tour explained how the room will get so loud and no matter how severe the crime, you only have a very small amount of allotted time for an adult to visit you. He also explained how the most common method of smuggling drugs and other materials is through babies. We then went over to the central booking area where there is a door that opens out to the patrol cars and a small caged area where they bring in the criminals and pat them down. Then they proceed with booking, pictures, a metal detecting chair, a metal detecting machine that makes you roll your face over it because many people try smuggling in razor blades by making pockets in their mouths. Fingerprinting, taking everything and bagging what they have, possible strip searches with reason, and then small holding cells. The officer told us a story, laughing, about the time he "beat up a cripple." Apparently some guy in a wheel chair kept refusing to take his clothes off and change into the paper-esque garments they provide, and finally when he said he would, he threw them onto the officer's head and tried to attack him, prompting the officer to take measures to restrain him, etc. You can tell the officers in there are a little... strange? Seems like they need to get out more, because the job may be getting to them. We learned about how you get basic necessities, but you have to pay for certain things, and for instance, a teenager that did something stupid, their parents won't bring them anything so they learn their lesson and they are stuck with paper underwear. We walked around and down to the area where they hold the very dangerous people, under constant supervision, if they threaten suicide or deemed dangerous/ a hazard to themselves. Single cells in a bigger room where a guard will sit and sometimes they are allowed to sit in as well. We saw the exercise areas for these types of criminals. A very small space but legally enough room to have the exercise that the prisoners are given rights to. A basketball hoop and a basketball. The officer explained that the most dangerous guy they've had in a long time was currently playing basketball, the one we were staring at. He had written a note saying he was going to kill anyone, inmate, or officer that got near him and many other threats. We had to walk through the area where the sexual offenders and very severe inmates were placed. I quickly realized that it was not flattering to be leered at like that. The officers tried to almost hide myself and the other girl with us but that didn't really help the case. We then went up to the main area where they held the majority of the inmates. Separated into two different sections, we stood in the main office in between them, one was for better behaved and the other was more strict and had less freedom. They couldn't see us but we could watch them. The whole thing was very creepy but fascinating. One guy was taking laps around the second floor hallway where the cells stayed locked. We also witnessed an inmate get fully naked and begin to shower. Many jokes were made. I was amazed to see a television with cable, a pool table, gym equipment, a small library, cards, and other amenities free to use for the inmates. It bothered me that they got in there for breaking the law and some of them probably have more access to things they didn't have/ couldn't afford before. Doesn't make sense to me. They have a lot more freedom then I was expecting/ believe they should have. The officers were talking and laughing about how shady things do happen. With an officer on duty at a raised desk on the main floor, prisoners will create diversions to distract the officers while another inmate will attack and rape another inmate in one of the cells or wherever they can. The officers then will know after by the bruises and sometimes even make fun of them! All prison inmates have very small cells, with a toilet next to the bed, with the table to eat their food on next to that. No privacy whatsoever. Apparently this facility is one of the nicest and cleanest ones, which is hard to believe because I felt like I needed a shower afterwards. 

Hudson Valley Transportation Management Center:

With Officer Libretti, and three other classmates doing the same sort of project, we went on our first trip to the Hudson Valley Transportation Management Center. We got picked up in his cop car, put in the back, and very quickly after our mid-morning departure there were rumors flying that we got arrested and different scenarios were hitting twitter. We found it funny and even asked Officer Libretti to go along with it and maybe even put our heads down when we were being "put into" his police vehicle. We were on our way to Hawthorne to get a guided tour of the center. I had never heard of such a place before nor has it really ever crossed my mind that there was so much man power put into making sure transportation ran smoothly and the other services they offer. 

The Front View

The Command Center With Several Monitors Displaying Traffic Cameras and Emergency Calls

On our tour we got to see the main room with everyone working on their computers, watching their monitors as well as the many screens on the wall to make decisions about traffic as well as report the traffic information to the general public. Behind this, still able to see the wall of monitors, but in a closed off room is where several people are working to take emergency 911 calls and use this system that confused me to dispatch an ambulance/ police, and transfer calls. Using both computer monitors, they click what call to answer, check locations, report it based on severity where it will appear on one of the monitors on the big screen. While we were there there was a kidnapping at a school nearby so it was on the top of the list on the monitor. 

We continued our tour and went underground to where the governor would go and there was a podium in the front and desks upon desks lined up with a plate stating who they were/ representing. This is where they have emergency center meetings and addressing. During the hurricane that is where many organizations from the fire department, to the school board of education would meet to make executive decisions. 

The center collects and reports real time traffic information, is the main link between transportation agencies, public safety agencies, media entities and the traveling public. It is also a 911 call center, State Police dispatch and HELP truck operations center, and also the command center for incident response to conditions that impact traffic flow in Westchester County and the Hudson Valley. It is the "surveillance" in a way of 7 counties just north of New York City. And since 9/11 it is now equipped with additional space for emergency operation centers. 

Interesting Fact:

Many serial killers have experienced some sort of brain trauma, one of the areas is called the limbic brain. The limbic brain is the part of the brain associated with emotion and motivation. When the limbic brain is damaged, the individual loses control over primary emotions such as fear and rage. The predatory gaze of the psychopath, according to Meloy, lacks emotions, and is as cold as a reptile's blank stare. Reptiles are missing the limbic part of their brain, where memories, emotions, socializing, and parental instincts reside. In other words, serial killers are aptly described as "cold-blooded," just like their scaly reptilian brethren.

Researching

Something that has always struck a chord with me is why serial killers become the way they are? There are plenty of people who experience awful things, suffer a bad childhood, or have trauma but turn out fine. Why do some then decide to take it upon themselves to inflict pain on others and become brutal killers? After researching I have found some answers, however, no one will really ever know. For example, there was a comparison made between the notorious "Acid Bath Murderer," John Haigh and Joel Peter Wilkin, a famous artist. They both witnessed a gruesome death, a bombing and a car accident. In both instances, a person was decapitated and the head rolled over to their feet. Why did one become a sadistic killer and the other a famous, accomplished artist? Wilkin's art is known to be disturbing and graphic, however, as far as anyone is aware, he is no killer. Makes me think that everyone needs some kind of release for their anger, frustration, trauma, and coping mechanisms are of utmost importance. Wilkin's found release in his art, even if it was graphic, but it was a healthy release for what he experienced, and was able to translate the occurrence over to his work, which became famous because of its fascinating nature. Haigh must have just cracked, but really, there is no excuse for his killings.






Other factors that researchers believe are related to growing a serial killer are adoption due to the feelings of rejection, witnessing violence, such as the incident with Haigh and Wilkin, peer rejection, or being isolated from others around you growing up being antisocial and excluded. Also, I found interesting was juvenile detention facilities are what a few serial killers said turned them into what they are. Mostly in older generations when reform schools incorporated medieval tactics in their attempts to reform delinquents. It is said that in the 20th century many of the acts witnessed and endured by the prisoners in the facilities paralleled those of the ones they later inflicted on others in their killings. Carl Panzram stated about his time in juvenile detention: "From the treatment I received while there and the lessons I learned from it, I had fully decided when I left there just how I would live my life. I made up my mind that I would rob, burn, destroy and kill every where I went and everybody I could as long as I lived. Thats the way I was reformed ... "

"The Triad" are symptoms that are the main red flags that there might be something going on and a potential killer in the future. Animal cruelty, since killing and torturing animals is known as practice for humans if the habits aren't broken. Pyromania is a common step between setting fires and killing people since serial killers see people as objects, the destruction of property feeds the same perverse need to destroy another person. Finally, bed wetting. A shocking over 60% of multiple murderers wet their beds past adolescence, although many won't divulge in this information.








Over all, many serial killers will always play the blame game and not take responsibility for how they turned out themselves. But, if this is the case then all the siblings should be serial killers, and there would most likely be a lot more serial killers due to the amount of cases of neglect, child abuse, and attacks in the world. 

Mentor Help

So after a while I finally found my mentor, one of the school psychologist. It was difficult to decide because I saw a lot of the kids in my class choose teachers they have had for years or have gotten to know over the years while growing up in Somers and attending the schools year after year. I even asked Mr. Murphy because I wasn't sure who else to go to but then after talking to him about what it was that I wanted to focus on for my Wise project he introduced me to what he thought would be the best fit for my mentor. The process of meeting Mr. Kennelly was just that, a process. We kept trying to meet each other but somehow we kept missing each other and our correspondences consisted of asking which way each of us went and walking away from a meeting spot just before one of us would get there. But we finally had our first meeting, which ended up including other teachers, guidance counselors and other faculty members I did not even know. It worked out, I really like my mentor and when we do have meetings we will talk about my Wise project, the fact that I have been slacking about writing my journal entries, and then discuss the stresses that I have been dealing with, between home, school and of course the college process. Having the school psychologist as my mentor proved to be more beneficial than having any other kind of mentor due to the fact that I could vent and he would help me with some things that were clouding my head at the time. Plus, it was another friendly face that I now have in the school that I didn't have before. I also learned a lot about how having a certain idea about what you want to do, studying psychology and then ending up in a different career path then you had intended but enjoying it. Just reminds me to keep my mind open to the future and other possible paths that my intended major may take me.

Contributing to My Interests in This Field

Last semester I was in Criminal and Juvenile Law with Mr. Packard. Originally, last year while attending Pelham Memorial Highschool I had already made my schedule for the senior year that was intended for Pelham which included Forensics and AP psychology as well as Criminal Justice. I was very excited for once for these classes that I ws finally getting a chance to take as a senior. Much to my surprise, after being granted the ability to be in all three of these demanding classes as a senior at Pelham, which is nearly unheard of, I was suddenly in Somers Highschool picking out whatever available courses that had any space and that could fit to make a schedule to allow me to graduate in a two weeks notice before school started. I was rather bitter you could say as for the first time I was really looking forward to a lot of my classes I was going to be taking due to it being so closely related to what I wanted to do in my future. It was really going to give me an insight into if this was really what I wanted to do or not. Fortunately, I lucked out with them being able to squeeze me into the criminal and juvenile law class last semester that Mr. Packard teaches. This class taught me more then what I had thought I would learn going into it. We touched on not only the different programs for children that are offenders, but also the death penalty, along with performing mock trials and the work that goes along with preparing for such a thing. I was surprised at myself for not losing interest once the gritty part of law enforcement was through and the lawyer aspect of the system was more focused on. I still loved it all.

What's Been Going On?

I have been missing in action from my Wise project and blog lately. I signed up for this class because I thought it would give me more of an insight on what my desired future career has in store for me and either make or break my plans. So far, it has only left me more intrigued and wanting to experience more tours or insight into the criminal justice field. I have been deciding on college lately as the decision date approached a lot quicker than I had thought it possibly could have. Suddenly in an instant I was being forced to decide before it was too late to send in my deposit. My intentions were to double major in psychology and criminal justice/criminology. Hoewever, due to financial circumstances I have decided to attend Binghamton University in the fall. Unfortunately, Binghamton does not offer a major in criminal justice. However, my compromise with my father was if I saved him money on tuition by attending a SUNY university that didn't have one of my intended majors then I wouldn't get any problems when it came time to study abroad. Part of my decision was based on this factor. The amount of opportunities I will have at my fingertips is exponentially greater due to making this economically wiser decision. There is a national student exchange program that allows students attending Binghamton to study at another University in the country for just about the same tuition as you would be paying at the SUNY school, but all over the country. I have already looked into possibly getting credits towards a degree in criminal justice while being in this program, and it is possible. Idealistically, there is the University of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Universities in Hawaii and other tropical locations that would be incredible to experience since who knows when the next time an opportunity like that would arise if it ever would again.