Some few weeks ago, one of the guys who lives in the same building as me had gotten picked up by the police. He was downstairs with some friends, and while they were talking, a police van had pulled up, and everyone ran for their lives. Unfortunately, he had been the only one they caught and was taken to the police station.
He had spent the night there, and the next day when he finally got bailed out, he had returned home, and we didn't need to ask questions to know that he went through hell, and just in case any of us had any doubts, he had sat us down and told us what he experienced, and trust me when I say it was a lot for one night.
He had told us that when he first arrived at the station, the police had asked him to pay a ridiculous amount of money for bail, which is funny because bail is supposed to be free, especially when you haven't done anything wrong.
When they noticed he couldn't make bail that night, they had taken him into one of the cells, which he said was overpopulated. Actually, he said if the cell was initially built for ten people, they had about forty people in it that night, but that wasn't even the worst thing that happened that night because what followed next was brutal.
He said that after the president in the cell (apparently each cell has its own president, a win for democracy I guess) had asked him what he was in for, they had proceeded to beat him and another guy that has also been locked up that evening.
It turned out that was a tradition in the prison; every new inmate had to be beaten to welcome them in.
Luckily for him, his brother bailed him out the next day, and the first thing he did was go to the pharmacy, not only for the beating he received but also for the many mosquito bites he endured that night while sitting upright as he tried to sleep, because there wasn't enough space for all of them to lie down.
Hearing his experience gave me another million and one reasons why I never want to be arrested for any reason.
