By Inmate 220418

A raw look inside the walls of a jail roleplay experience. This is a retelling of 60 hours being locked up at Facility 22 (jailevents.com). This is a personal account of my first F22 experience, written mostly in real time with light edits for readability.

All interactions took place within a consensual, roleplay-driven environment, and many moments reflect in-character behavior and reactions.

Names and identifying details have been changed or omitted for privacy. This is my perspective of the experience, and others may have experienced things differently.

Thursday – Day 0

Holy Fuck, what did I get myself into? Walking into this experience was already an emotional rollercoaster. Having gone straight from work, catching a flight, then driving two hours, I never really had a moment to really prepare myself. I journal with what little light I have to get my emotions under control. This clearly isn’t for the weak…

The intake started quite calm. After parking my rental and texting my correspondent, I was instructed to go wait in the lobby. One other individual and I waited in the lobby of this seemingly unsuspecting building. Anyone driving by wouldn’t question what it was. This lobby is as barebones as possible, a dimly lit room with two random chairs, and a plant on the verge of death.

The sound of a SUV pulls up out front and immediately two guards come out and rush into the lobby. “Looks like we have two self-surrenders here,” said one of the guards with a thick mustache. I was instructed to put my hands up against the wall, one of the guards comes up behind me and pats me down. He’s really getting up there with me, the guard reads my Miranda rights and asks, “Do you wish to speak to us?” In a smart-ass tone I said, “I plead the fifth.” At first this felt like the start of some cheezy escape room, I’m then quickly snapped back into place by my hands being grabbed and locked into a pair of heavy duty cuffs behind my back. Shit this is real, and there was no real escape happening.

We’re both escorted into the back of an unmarked cruiser, the cold air hits me like a smack in the face, and I’m sent around to the driver’s side door and placed up against the hard plastic seat. After closing the door, everything goes quiet, I look around and realize this is more than likely the last time I’ll see the outside for the foreseeable future. What little belongings I was instructed to bring with me, is thrown into the back of the cruiser and we take off. It’s only a short drive before we arrive at the site, “open sally port” said the driver and the sight of a garage door opening up slowly seals my fate.

Upon parking, the garage door closes and I’m quickly escorted out of the cruiser. I’m forced up against a cold concrete wall while they perform yet another search on me and take everything out of my pockets. There goes my phone, wallet, keys, my watch, and my beanie I wore into the facility. I’m then taken inside, uncuffed, and instructed to leave my hands on top of my head, I’m then escorted into a single cell.

Walking in, they tell me to have a seat, upon realizing where I am, their idea of a seat is down on some concrete “bed” that’s about three inches off the ground. Looking around this dimly lit cell, I can see a metal toilet with the pager button, and a whistle. The cell door slams shut and the little window on the cell door is immediately covered up, I attempt to get a look outside but can’t make out anything. I then spot a camera in the corner of the room, fuck they’re watching me I think to myself. I hear “he’s secure in the drunk tank, bring the other one in.” Taking a second look, I can see why they call this the drunk tank. Nothing but concrete, and a dimly lit cell, not my ideal place. Not exactly where I’d want to wake up hungover after a rough night, I sit patiently continuing to stare around the room.

I can hear commotion outside my cell, and it sounds like they brought in the other inmate from the cruiser. Shortly after, the small window shows a glimmer of light and a new guard’s face appears to check on me, making sure I’m in his sight. I’m instructed to face the back wall and put my hands on the wall. I complied and could hear the sound of the cell door opening up behind me, I’m then grabbed and taken back out and my fellow inmate was then thrown into the cell.

I’m now standing on a pair of yellow shoe prints in the center of the room and told to take off my clothes, I hesitate as I slowly start removing my clothes. Every piece of clothing is collected and thrown into a bag, first my shoes, hoodie, shirt, pants, socks, and underwear. I’m now completely naked in front of at least four guards, but I’m sure there’s more watching me with the camera in the corner of the room positioned directly at me. The guards proceed to search every bit of me, my hair and beard are combed through, my arms are lifted up, I’m instructed to turn around, bend over and loudly cough, I’m forced to cough multiple times. I felt truly exposed and degraded, no sense of privacy, and no sympathy whatsoever.

After I’m thoroughly searched, I’m then handed a towel and a small clear bag full of personal care supplies, I’m then directed to go into the shower to the right of the holding cell where the other inmate is waiting. I’m told I get two presses of the button, and to be quick with my shower. I mentally prepare for the water to be a shock, I keep in my grunt of how cold the water is, a shock hits my body and thankfully the guards don’t notice. Turning around I see at least six guards now in the room, with a good number of them watching through a thin piece of clear plastic.

The water eventually warms up but it’s nowhere near my preferred temperature, and even if I complain, not like these fuckers would care. The water eventually cuts off and I grab the towel and dry off as best as I can. After stepping out still wet, I’m handed my new uniform, a pair of prison slides, bright orange socks, brown boxers, a white undershirt, and a pair of green and white striped scrubs with the letter F22 on the back of the shirt. I made the unfortunate mistake of attempting to put the slides on without any socks and I’m heavily scrutinized for that by multiple guards. Every little mistake ends up being a bigger deal from this point going forward. I even got made fun of for looking for the tag to make sure I don’t put on the scrubs backwards.

After getting fully dressed, I’m cuffed in the front and escorted past a gate controlled by a mysterious force. We’re now in another small office in which I’m placed in front of a grey door and told to look at the camera, I’m told to smile as the guard behind the counter takes my mug shot. I grin and give a stern look as to not give a reaction to the comments being made around me.

After my mug shot, I’m then led to a bench where I’m cuffed to the bench, the guard behind the counter is now asking about my info. I’m giving my name, date of birth, height, weight, and my crime. I came in with a backstory of running a NFT scam, in the background there’s multiple guards shouting and I have to repeat several things multiple times. I eventually started yelling my answer and was told to watch my tone.

Inmate 220418 is my new identity, I’m no longer me, I’m no longer a person, but just a number to these guards, my badge is finally printed, and one guard jokingly attaches the badge to my septum. All the guards laugh at it, I hear “look at the pig” followed by more laughs. I keep my composure as they laugh at the comment said by the other guard.

Once the laughter wrapped up, I’m released from the bench and told to hold my arms out, my bedding, personal hygiene and a few items that were approved to be in the jail were placed on top of my cuffed arms. I’m then led out of this small office and I’m directed past three locked doors where I see my new home. Cell 22 is my new home. I’m inmate 220418 in cell 22…

That’s all I am to these guards, just a number in a block. I poorly set my stuff down on the unmade bed and I’m told to walk back to the front of the cell where I’m instructed to place my hands on top after they take the cuffs off me. I then turn around and walk to the back of the cell as instructed by the guard and told not to move until I hear the sound of the cell door locking.

This cell is quite small, I could touch both walls if I stood in the center. A light behind a glass panel is my only source of light from the back of the cell, with a steel toilet with a sink attached to the top. To the left is my bunk, thankfully I’m the only one in this cell, but I couldn’t imagine being paired with another inmate and being forced to live with another bunk mate in such tight quarters. I’m instructed to make my bed as bed time was only a few minutes away.

I quickly make my bed and brush my teeth knowing that I don’t have much time left. Without warning, the lights go dark and only a small light is illuminated, there is practically no light in my cell. Just enough that I could see my orange slides on the ground and could make out the shape of the toilet, but other than that I was in darkness, it was clear it was time for bed.

The twin size bed mattress has absolutely nothing to it, I pressed my hand against the mattress and could feel the steel of the bottom of the bunk resist me. I knew it was going to be a rough night. I climb into bed and attempt to get some sleep, any sort of adjustment, your mattress makes enough noise that the rest of your block could hear. I doze in and out of sleep, I wake up in the middle of the night to a shadow staring at me, I wasn’t sure who it was, but I felt like someone was watching me.

To be continued …

Metal would like to thank the author, Inmate 220418, for this true story, and welcome him to the Prison Library.