“You don’t realize what you have until you lose it. I miss my Mom and my family. I miss feeling like I can go out whenever I want. Most of all, though, I want to open my own door instead of always having someone else open it for me.”

--Jacqueline, inmate at Southern Nevada Women’s Correctional Facility

Rat and cockroach infested floors. Decaying walls. Prisoners the size of Godzilla cracking their knuckles. Hands grasping through dirty bars attempting to grab me. These were the images that ran through my mind during the drive to the Southern Nevada Women’s Correctional Facility.

What I saw was unexpected. The halls weren’t gloomy, as they’d been depicted on television. Most of the prisoners looked like my friends at school. Some smiled and introduced themselves. They were friendly and upbeat and were more than willing to talk to us about their lives.

Most people have misconceptions about life in prison. Some picture it, as I had, as a miserable existence, and others envision life in prison as a walk in the park. Some believe everything is delightfully provided for the prisoner who’s sucking up the taxpayer’s hard-earned money.

Yet, like the rest of us, inmates have to pay for things they need– things like shampoo, toothpaste, soap, etc. These are the things Jacqueline has to provide for herself, whether by calling her family to ask for money or by working inside the prison to afford what she needs.

Jacqueline was incarcerated when she was only 16 and pregnant. She dropped out of school in seventh grade and never went on to high school. That’s when Jacqueline began to use drugs and joined a gang where she began to sell drugs. She explains that it was the only life she had known after being raised in a family as one of the only females, where the lifestyle of a gang member was a heavy influence.

Jacqueline spent a lot of time in juvenile facilities where she says she didn’t learn much to prevent her from being sent to prison. She would be let out of juvenile detentions only to go back to the same way of life.

In prison, she hears about the mistakes other prisoners (who committed harsher crimes and are in for longer sentences) have made, and listens to their stories to help keep her from doing the same things. It’s almost like Jacqueline has been given a second chance to change her life because if she doesn’t, she will definitely end up like them.

“I don’t feel like there were any programs out there to have helped prevent me from being in this situation. I’m thankful to be here where I can get my life straightened out. My Mom and baby come to visit me twice a week, and I’ve bonded with my Mother. I now listen to what she says and we talk openly about everything,” Jacqueline says.

At the Southern Nevada Women’s Correctional Facility, Jacqueline has the opportunity to enhance her future. Jacqueline was sent to a privately-operated prison with less than 500 inmates. She’s able to finish high school or get her GED and can even get a scholarship, or if she’s interested in a culinary arts program, she can take classes from a chef who comes from the community college. There’s also an Addiction Treatment unit and group therapy to help inmates deal with their issues.