Seniors from the Law/Public Safety program had the opportunity to travel to Gatesville, TX to tour the Crain (female) and Hughes (male) Prison Units. Students were able to see the daily operations of the prisons and interact with correctional professionals. They were able to compare the different security levels, design of the unit and type of offenders housed. We walked through the dormitory area of the Crain unit and the Administrative Segregation area of the Hughes Unit. The female offenders gave us a demonstration of “skills” they teach dogs in their Patriot Paws program. Once the dog graduates from the program, they are adopted out as service animals for disabled Veterans. Texas Department of Criminal Justice provides numerous job opportunities for students upon graduation.

Students had this to say,

“I asked if we could try the prison food and at the end of the tour, they took us to the cafeteria so we could.”

“I liked being able to walk thru and see what life is like in the prisons.”

“It was such a great experience and it was eye opening to me.”

“They were both different in the sense that women are more vocal when they see you in comparison to the guys who really only stare at you.”

“I like how in the female unit they train dogs for veterans, I thought that was really cool.”