Halloweentime Families: WCI, FCI and NBCI

As the clock neared six in the evening, the room was filling up with little ghosts and goblins, princesses and witches. Accompanied by their parents, the children came in for the annual Halloween party for families of Western Correctional Institution (WCI), North Branch Correctional Institution (NBCI) and Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) employees. Every year the staff of each correctional facility comes with their children to celebrate Halloween and Christmas. This year roughly 100 children came with their parents to the FCI training building near Mexico Farms on Thursday, October 27^th 2011, to decorate pumpkins, have pizza, and have family pictures taken. With a parent in the system, I had the privilege of volunteering and assumed the role as photographer for nearly half of the family portraits. The scene for the photographs was complete with a scarecrow, pumpkins and hay bales, which the families sat on/around in order to pose for their picture.

Moving around the large room, there were spider webs hanging from the hallway and colorful tablecloths covering each table. All the children wanted their face to be painted, a task that Renee Emerick and Amber Beckman were in charge of. About the face-painting process, Renee Emerick said that it was “very, very busy, everybody wanted at least both cheeks painted, and some of them started on foreheads and hands and arms, and some kids probably had 10 on their bodies before they left.” The children formed small, but consistent lines on either side of them, and had a print-out of choices. Around 6:45 the pizza arrived, and a large line appeared in front of the serving window. There were buckets of candy in several places, which kids quickly found and depleted.

As the event came to a close, families left carrying their newly-decorated pumpkins and Halloween consumables. Everyone started to clean up and many hands did, indeed, make light work. When asked about the success of the night, NBCI’s warden, Bobby Shearin, said that, “It was an outstanding event for the kids to have a wonderful time—with the people supporting us, we love it.” Trying to put him ‘on the spot’ I was motioned toward the Assistant Warden of WCI, Frank Bishop. When asked if the event had accomplished what they intended, Bishop said that, “I think it has grown largely over the last three years. I just hope that next year we can have that many more. I think it’s a great thing for the staff and the children.” Chief of Security of the maximum security facility, NBCI, said that, “It was a good get-together. It really was a good turnout.” Obviously satisfied with the way the night progressed, the three facilities will likely be meeting at the end of next October for another children’s Halloween party. In the coming weeks, they will begin to prepare for their family Christmas party.