Seeing the Light

Perhaps it was the hellfire surroundings of the old Roanoke, Va., jail, but for some time now, at the rate of six or eight a year, prisoners there have been seeing "the light" and asking to be baptized. Prison officials were not averse to such rehabilitation. They obligingly took the converts from prison to a nearby church, where the rites were performed.

The trips, however, presented something of a security risk. So when he designed a brand-new $6 million jail for Roanoke, Architect John Marfleet included a baptistry. "We conferred many, many times with the councilmen and the jail study committee to see what religious purposes should be incorporated," says Marfleet, who believes that contemporary jails should try to anticipate every human need.

Sheriff Alvin Hudson agrees with Marfleet that the baptistry is a good idea and points out that "it's not a fancy one." There is no carved marble, just stainless steel, but the baptistry is large enough to accommodate total-immersion christenings, and it cost the taxpayers a mere $1,200. Says Hudson: "Nobody has complained. Some think it's funny, though."

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