Salt Lake County Jail

Leisure Time

Interview with Mickey, Nate and Anne


JM: What types of facilities were available to help pass the time?
Mickey: T.V., about 20 square foot concrete "outside" area, surrounded by walls with a steel grate covering the top about 25 feet up. There is a TV set in the corner of the pod, and some metal tables.
Nate: None.
Anne: Books, a concrete court every other day for 30 minutes. TV in one corner usually blaring some horrible horrible American Idol or Little House on the Prairie. A special treat would be the Simpsons which I could hear if I sat next to the door. Actually, I had a hard time concentrating. My book reading attention span was an impossible 15 minutes. I couldn't read an entire chapter with attention to save my life. I am a big reader, but not in jail. I wrote letters to my fiance and wrote a journal constantly. It was the only catharsis I felt I had.

JM: Did you have regular access to the entertainment or was competition fierce?
Mickey: It's sometimes hard to get into a game such as cards at the tables, or handball outside, and often hard to get a seat close enough to the TV to see/hear anything.
Nate: The only ent. was t.v., reading or playing cards.
Anne: The entertainment I enjoyed was created inside my head mostly so no.

JM: Did you have a hard time staying in shape while in jail?
Mickey: No
Nate: No. I didn't eat too much and I could do laps around the block or pushups in my cell.
Anne: Hahaha is this a joke? I have been a trainer and coach for 13 years. In fact, while I was in jail I forfeited a job interview I had scheduled. Two positions I was scheduled to interview were with the U.S. Olympic Snowboarding team as Speed Coach and Technical Coach. Each position was a travel job, earning approximately 48K/year. This was the first time I had gone out in a couple of years for a major coaching position. Aaah, I did not do pushups, situps, or any other exercise I could have done. I had no motivation to teach, talk about healthy lifestyle, or sports. I walked and paced in my cell constantly which resulted in a foot injury. I gained 12 lbs of fat in 28 days.

JM: How often did you get to go outside?
Mickey: 1-2X per day
Nate: Never.
Anne: Earlier I explained our split-pod schedule. If I was outside for 30 mins on a tuesday morning, the next time I would see the outside would be thursday night at the soonest.

JM: Did the jail offer church services? If so, what were they like and when were they held?
Mickey: Yes, the LDS church held services, I don't remember when, I would assume on Sunday/
Nate: I don't know.
Anne: Yes, only a certain few could go usually chosen by trustees. in the split pod, one classification would be out on a sunday so whoever was out, and in the chosen crowd could go.