About 15 years or so ago, I was driving down Baja with a girlfriend, and we stopped in Mulegé, an isolated town on the Cortez coast, halfway down the peninsula, that is the site of an old disused prison, open for tours now. The prisoners, we were told, used to be allowed to wander the town, during the day, since the place was so far removed, by desert, from the rest of civilization, no one could be expected to escape and survive.
One of a local community of RV-dwelling seasonal inhabitants told us we could visit the still active state pen, a few miles north, where the prisoners make nice handcrafts to sell. We drove up. The guards seemed a bit puzzled by our arrival, but granted us entry. We were led down a fenced-in walkway to a fenced-in enclosure in the middle of the prison courtyard, while an announcement went out over the loudspeaker. Then, dozens of inmates ran out from the surrounding building and clustered around the fence in front of us, shouting for our attention, and waving little tchotchkes they’d carved from abalone shells.
There was not much on display that either of us wanted, and it sure didn’t feel good having apparently surprised them like this, and then not making any purchases. We bought a couple nicely polished shells that weren’t especially embellished. My girlfriend had a bit of conversation with one inmate who spoke English, and learned some about what had gotten him in there. And then, to the disappointment of many incarcerated diligent shell carvers, we retreated.
Mulegé is a fine place to while away some lazy days. I’m not sure I’d recommend the nearby state pen, but that was my experience. Do with it what you will!
Related: I’m not sure if it’s been Boing’d before (prob’ly has), but there’s a really good podcast about life in San Quentin, Ear Hustle, for which the co-host just had his sentence commuted by the governor! Happiest holiday podcast conclusion ever!
