This place has its own social hierarchy, its own caste system, Thompson said. She has the upper bunk in the corner away from the bathroom. That's where the cocaine mules are kept, the dozen or so women who have some money, or know where to get enough to pay a lawyer or buy some favors. That section is called Petion-Ville, named after the city in the hills that is home to Haiti's monied elite. The beds closest to the bathroom, where the stench is strongest, are in Cite Soleil, named after one of this city's slums.
Distractions are limited to the women combing each other's hair.
The state provides literacy classes and brings a seamstress to teach the women to sew. The women are just as interested in the English lessons Thompson provides. In return, they're teaching her Creole. Two other buildings, along with an administrative office, a room where the guards change clothes and a small clinic with four beds ring the courtyard. A smaller room was supposed to be reserved for underage girls, but adults have been mixed in because of the space crunch.