twenty-four: we met in jail

One of the great things about being a law student is the exposure to all these different parts of the legal system you may never end up dealing with once you're out in practice. Earlier this year we had a chance to go judge shadowing and we also had a chance to do a tour of the Remand Centre. For those of you who don't know, this is supposed to be a temporary place to house the accused until he/she makes bail. In reality it has in its own way become a sub-par holding place of people who shouldn't be there such as the poor old guy with Alzheimer who pushed his wife while in a state of confusion.

Being on the inside was only slightly similar to how it is portrayed in the movies. Though I suppose the lock-down that happened while I was there was a much more dramatic experience than what I thought would happen on the tour. We were given a tour by a guard, and this one guy has boosted my views on guards and those in power in law enforcement. He dispelled the stereotype I had built up in my mind of the kinds of people who go into that line of work.

He told us he sees his job as only a small part of his life, and the key thing to remember is to treat everyone with respect. Working for him is not about getting an ego boost, or feeling a sense of superiority. Rather as he put it, he's seeing these people regularly for quite some period of time and respecting them is critical to keeping things in control. Respect does not mean being a push over, or trying to be someone's friend. Respect is just about treating someone how you would want to be treated, civilly and decently. Simple as that. It's also a good lesson really for any workplace, or any human encounter really.