In the lobby, Sunday morning visitation

Person 1, seated and waiting: What happened to all the rest of the benches in here?

Person 2, who sat down next to him: I don’t know.

P1: There used to be two or three more long benches.

P2: Now there’s no place for more people to sit down. You got to stand.Any more people come in here and they got to stand.

P1: And they want you here early (the sign says to arrive 30 minutes before a scheduled visit, which lasts only 20 minutes).

P2: Yeah, so people be standing longer.

P1: And then they got this mess going on outside, and no explanation for it. (Orange fencing extends around the front of the jail. There is a contractor’s name on it, but no explanation of the project)

P2: Oh, this fence? Yeah, what’s that all about?

P1: Beats me. And the officer at the desk didn’t know, either. And he didn’t know how long it would be up.

P2: (Shakes head)

…

Three woman speaking.

P1: That woman at the desk is trying to say I can’t bring my (my young child) up because she’s not on my visitors for today. So she won’t be able to see her dad.

P2: Oh, that one.  She told another woman she couldn’t bring her newborn baby up because the baby wasn’t on the visitation list. The baby had just been born!

P1: Yeah, and then she’s pointing at a sign and saying ‘it’s right on there.’ Well, that’s nice, but nobody else has ever said this, or enforced this rule. I mean, there’s signs all over this damn place (the largest sign has visitation rules posted from 2004—are they up to date?). We don’t even know which ones apply anymore.

P3: One doesn’t say anything kids. Another doesn’t say anything. Another one says only if she’s in a bad mood. And this one follows every rule there ever was.

P1: They don’t follow they own shitty rules. And then they do. And what are we supposed to do? Leave our kid here in the lobby?

P3: Post it on facebook. Just put it up on facebook. Shit’s gotta change.