Leaving the jail

You will eventually leave ICJ for one of these reasons:

• You've completed your sentence.  Or, at sentencing, the judge reduces your sentence to time already served in jail.
• You go to trial and you are found innocent, or charges against you are dropped.
• You've posted bail, or you are released on your own recognizance (ROR) awaiting trial or a hearing.
• You've been found guilty of a felony, and you will be transferred to prison.
• You've got a charge in another county, and you'll be transferred to that county.
• You died. (Fortunately, a very small percent of inmates leave jail dead.)
• The governor pardons you.  (This is even less likely than dying in jail; most gubernatorial pardons involve prison inmates serving hard time for a long time.)

If you leave to be transferred to another facility, your life probably won't be changing much. You may have to adapt to different rules and procedures. And of course you'll meet a new set of inmates.

If you've completed your sentence or otherwise are released, you will be cast free just yards from Cedar Street. They may let you out during the wee hours of the morning. In fact they love to do this; it seems to be a standard practice.   (A lot of inmates think that the ICJ gets state money for another full day if you leave at 12:01 a.m., but I'm told that's not true.) Still,  if you leave early, they don't have the cost of feeding you, and it frees your bed for the next incoming inmate

The guard will have you carry your mattress, pillow, and linens back to the storage area. If you've accumulated a lot of personal belongings, you'll schlep along with those, too. Let's hope you made a large order from the Commissary, so you'll have a large plastic bag to carry your belongings.

Whatever cash you came in with was converted into your inmate account. The jail will issue you a check for the balance left in your account, reflecting any deposits by your friends and family, and any expenditures, such as purchases from the Commissary.

Since you're likely to be set free during early morning hours, the check is probably useless at this time. What a concept: on entry they convert your cash into your account, and on exit they give you a check. (Hint to ICJ: why not issue a debit card with the remaining balance, like welfare does?) Mason State Bank is right across the street, combined with a Biggby's Coffee, so you could try their ATM.

Eventually a guard will direct you back to the "dress out" area. The trustees on duty will fetch your street clothes, still in the bag where you placed them the day you arrived at ICJ. You'll turn in your uniform and get back into your street clothes. It's a funny feeling at this point; you begin to feel a sense of liberty. If you entered the jail on a warm day but you're leaving in winter, ask the guard if he can get you a used coat to wear.

Next, at the wire cage, they'll make you sign some papers. They will also present you with a bill, which may be $1200 for 30 days in jail. State law allows the jail to charge you a daily fee to pay for your stay at the Mason Hilton.  Let's see... 1200 divided by 30 = $40 -- not bad for a Hilton.

Now you can use the free land line phone to call for a ride -- if you've got friend or family who might be willing to pick you up.  Unlike the phones you pay for in your dorm, this phone can call cell phones -- which is a neccessity for reaching a lot of people.

Then they'll buzz you out through the security door to the garage where you first entered. You will feel very odd sensations: the rush of freedom, and the dread of what's ahead.

Hopefully you've got a ride. If not, hopefully you turned off your cell phone when you checked in, and can call someone to pick you up. Or, a CATA bus route stops at the nearby Meijer -- which is a hike from the jail. Otherwise, start walking towards where you want to go -- if you have somewhere to go.

Good luck!