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| Officials: Pink Cell Is Calming |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/19/2005 |
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Jackson County Jail may have Iowa's most passive drunkards. That's because Sheriff Russ Kettmann has painted the jail's drunk tank pink - a color some believe has calming effects. The idea was inspired by former Iowa football coach Hayden Fry, who decades ago painted the visitors' locker room pink to give the Hawkeyes an edge. Except Kettmann added his own touch - the cell's ceiling is filled with stars and moons. "Hayden Fry said it would have a soothing and calming effect on the visiting team, so I figured this would soothe the prisoners," the sheriff said. "I really looked hard to find those half-moons to add to the decor." Kettmann had the cell decorated about five years ago when the other cells were being painted the traditional gun-metal gray. Fry's idea drew ire from some who claimed Kinnick Stadium's pink locker room promoted sexism and homophobia. Two members of the university's law school complained this year to the administration, which refused to abandon Fry's decorating strategy. Meanwhile, jail officials said people tossed into Jackson County's drunk tank have been agreeable to their surroundings. Jail administrator Mark Pape acknowledges that prisoners in other cells have told him the color is "ugly," but prisoners who have actually seen the cell from the inside have not complained. "I think the color could have an effect on them," he said. "They do calm down. But, of course, they are drunk and tend to either sleep or pass out." |
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