Vern Bates, a shift manager, said eight juveniles who have made threats to schools have been admitted in recent weeks. Inmates who seem suicidal or belligerent are placed in one of two holding cells. Others are assigned to individual cells, each with a vinyl mattress, metal sink and a toilet. There are no pillows, no curling irons, no makeup and minimal television. MTV is out, Bates said.
Newcomers eat alone in their cells.
Within 48 hours of arrival, the new inmate is seen by the jail nurse, usually Colleen Gutmann. By then, the child has tasted life without freedom and is more than a little afraid. The interview with the nurse often is the first opportunity to unload some heavy emotions, she said. They sit here and cry and cry, and say, 'It was a joke. Gutmann isn't without sympathy for her patients.