I was 52 years old and going through that training, she says. I enjoyed it. I felt like it was necessary to do. But it really worked on this old noggin of mine. Trusted workers Jail employees aren t the only ones who keep the facility running.
Prisoners can apply to be trusties, who do a variety of jobs in and outside the jail.
Trusty Aretha McDowney starts her day early. She is up by about 5 a.m., eats breakfast, and leaves her cell to begin working. She helps deliver breakfast trays in the morning, and then turns to cleaning sweeping floors, polishing brass door knobs, dusting. I wanted to be a trusty to pass the time, she says. When you re a trusty, it can make you think sometimes that you re not even in jail.