CITY COLLECTION: R IS FOR RAHWAY

R IS FOR RAHWAY. This City is probably best known for the State Prison that has the Rahway zip code. Over my lifetime the prison had made the news on many occasions.

The well know "Scared Straight" program was founded in this facility. Inmates serving life terms created it "to help" juveniles get on the right track. Television made this program a heroic success. The criminal justice folk loved it and made it a sentencing tool. Schools sent kids for a visit on a regular basis. My feelings, as to its value, is neutral.

Maybe the experience being inside a tough prison was beneficial to some kids. I just don't know how one can say a day with the inmates is what did the trick keeping these kids "straight."

I saw the benefit to inmates getting special privileges to be part of the show. Good for them, but was that the real motive to help the kids?

Over the years Rahway and the prison became synonymous. With a little help from the politicos that was fixed. The institution officially changed its name to East Jersey State Prison. As a result the world is supposed to forget the community name where this institution is located. From what I know everyone still says Rahway, but in truth that was only the mailing address. The prison is actually in Woodbridge, NJ.

The City of Rahway dates back to the 1600's. Today it has a population in the area of 25,000. It has a major interest to me as a collector because of its location. It sits on some major roads and lines up with cities like Linden, Elizabeth, and Newark.

Of course this City has a fine "PD" and having a couple of their older badges in my collection makes me quite pleased.

As the pictures reveal one, Special Police #90, is a real antique. I believe it goes back to late 1800's to early 1900's. It is in excellent condition, and a great item to have in my collection.

The second badge is mid 1900's and shows the rank of "Captain". The remaining letters read Rahway Police, NJ. The letters are reverse blue on gold. The condition is also excellent.

When I look at them my mind travels back in time to many visits "inside" the prison, including a fifteen minute experience in a isolation cell. It was not expected, but a friend, on the inside, thought I'd enjoy the experience. It did make a memory, and Collecting Memories is a major part of this hobby.