Hillsborough County Jail

Sentencing

Interview with Aaron

JM: How long was your sentencing for?
Aaron: I was never sentenced. I spent thirty days waiting for my pre-trial sentencing date and was released the next morning because I was on hold for Pinellas County jail so I was instead transferred to the other jail to await sentencing there,

JM: Did you spend time in a holding cell after your sentencing? If so, what was that like?
Aaron: I was never sentenced but I was put into a trustee pod the whole time I was there except for the first night. It was very lax and easy time to do since we had an outside area we could go out to for most of the day and exercise, play basketball, or lay out under the sun. We were in lockdown for four to five hours a day in very small cells but I had a roommate so it felt even smaller. The T.V. was good on the weekends because we got the major local channels which meant we could watch football and baseball games. During the week all we got were a few Public Access channels so I took time reading many books that were available to us in the pod or playing cards or checkers. Many people were not very smart or had trouble understanding English so I helped out those that asked me for help. This made time pass by more quickly and made me part of an alliance of inmates that made me feel safe and needed. I actually, at times, enjoyed being at this jail because of the little bits of freedom I was given in a trustee pod. These were less violent members of ORJ and some guys were good for meaningful conversations. It is better to be free but compared to Pinellas jail, ORJ is far and above the better of the two.