Chapter 57

There are very high concrete walls.

Barbed wire.

Snipers in every corner that could be glimpsed. Access doors that only opened when closed, always behind an officer. The jail was not a welcoming place. It didn’t have to be. To be able to enter is not like entering a regular institution.

A prisoner, as soon as he arrives, must go through some procedures that, at times, are nothing more than preparation for the constant humiliation to which we will be exposed. I think, no, I’m sure the worst part is when, once inside, they force you to strip completely naked and hose you down. The water is scalding hot, although I would later find out that depending on the day, it is either freezing or very hot, and you feel like all the skin is consumed and will fall off. As if I were an animal, they sprinkle me with talcum powder and automatically throw my new uniform and shoes at me. They don’t care if you catch it or not. Whether it gets wet or not is your problem. That’s when, i