Sleeping in both detention centers and prisons is extremely difficult. Additionally, the long sleeping hours mean that if you can’t sleep, you end up overthinking things, which can be mentally exhausting.
Currently, I find myself waking up in the middle of the night due to the effects of strenuous physical labor during the day, so I’d like to share my experiences regarding the sleeping conditions during my detention.
Sleeping Hours
The sleeping hours are extremely long. Outside, even six hours of sleep was considered a lot, but in detention, you sleep from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Nine and a half hours of sleep is too much for an adult. You’re not allowed to get up, and it’s hard to sleep that long. While some young people in their twenties seemed to sleep well, once you’re over forty, you develop a habit of light and short sleep, making these long nights tough to endure.
If only they would allow a small reading light and some books, I wouldn’t need sleeping pills and could sleep soundly.
Before the 9 p.m. bedtime, there is a roll call. Speaking about the detention center, at the Shinjuku Police Station, there were about 60 detainees in 16 rooms. It seems like this is a relatively high number nationwide. After about ten minutes of roll call, the lights are dimmed, and a chorus of “Goodnight” or “I love you” continues for a while. This seems to be a way for newly bonded friends to affirm their camaraderie.
On the other hand, in solitary confinement in a prison, there is a simple inspection (roll call) before 9 p.m. The guards make rounds, checking about 50 rooms one by one. The prison is set up with rooms facing each other along a corridor about 100 meters long. From my room (room 10), it would take about 5 to 6 minutes for the guards to go down the corridor and return after completing their rounds. During the inspection, you have to stand still facing a small window that opens onto the corridor until the inspection is complete.
In prison, there are different restrictions depending on whether you’re waiting to be sent to a regular prison (“red transfer”) or if you’re due for release on probation. I was in the latter category, so even though it was technically against the rules, I was able to read a book before sleeping. Also, I would wake up about an hour before the official 6:30 a.m. wake-up time to read or study. However, if you’re in the former category, even if you wake up, you can’t read or do anything but lie still in bed.
Bedding
The bedding in both detention centers and prisons is quite poor. The futons are especially thin, making your back hurt. I missed a soft bed every day. With such thin futons, I had to turn over frequently due to back pain, often waking up in the middle of the night. When I woke up at night, I would end up lost in thought until morning.
It was mentally exhausting and difficult to sleep in the detention center. The mattress provided is very thin, only about 70 cm wide, and comes with two blankets. You fold one of the blankets to place it under the mattress to make it a bit softer. Even then, you can still feel the floor, and your back hurts, but it’s a significant improvement compared to having no extra blanket. With a width of just 70 cm, it’s impossible to turn over comfortably. The futon is only slightly wider than the width of your body, so I had to be very mindful of staying centered while turning over. In a five-person room, there’s about 50 cm of space between each person, so when you lie on your side, you’re very close to the next person’s face. You just have to get used to it.
Sleeping felt like a legitimate form of torture. However, there were some detainees who didn’t have a permanent home, so even being able to sleep on a futon made them incredibly happy. Some, missing teeth but smiling, would say, “I haven’t slept this well in a long time,” so they were probably used to sleeping outside.
Also, for foreigners or those over 180 cm tall, their ankles would stick out from the end of the futon. It seems they don’t provide proper bedding.
The bedding in detention centers, like the food, seems to vary significantly between Tokyo/Kanagawa and other prefectures. For example, in Yamanashi, detainees are provided with thick mattresses and comforters. I suppose it’s necessary due to the cold, but it made me realize how different the standards can be, even within the same detention system. You’d think Tokyo, of all places, would have the funds to provide better bedding.
In prison, the width of the futon was spacious, like a single bed. Though it was thin, it was still easier to turn over compared to the detention center, making it somewhat more tolerable.
This is the same type of room I was in!
In Horiemon’s Zero, he wrote about crying alone in solitary confinement in prison. He was probably sleeping on the same kind of futon in a similar room, enduring similarly restless nights.
Sleeping Pills
In detention, they called sleeping aids or similar medications “minzai” (sleeping pills). I was taking two tablets of Myslee and one tablet of Silen, as recommended by a psychiatrist.
I had never taken sleeping pills before, but during my time in detention, I found myself relying on them. Although I was worried about becoming dependent, without the ability to Google for information and unable to sleep, I made the decision without much thought.
The first time I took them, I felt drowsy within ten minutes, as if my vestibular system was paralyzed, and I quickly fell asleep. I slept deeply through the night, and the time passed so quickly that it felt like a great relief. It was wonderful not to have hours to overthink everything repeatedly. However, my snoring became quite loud, and I got some complaints from my roommates. I’ll never forget the sleep I had that first night on the medication. I hadn’t slept like that since I was a kid.
It’s been over three months since I stopped taking sleeping pills, but sometimes I feel tempted to take them again. I found out later, after doing some research, that the sleeping pills I had been taking were actually quite strong.
What is the strongest sleeping pill?
Among short-acting sleeping pills, there is a range of strengths. If we list them in order of strength, Silece > Rendormin > Depas ≒ Evanmil (Lormet) > Risymil. Among them, Silen is considered the strongest of all currently used sleeping pills.
An “expert” on medication among my cellmates once told me that Depas was the strongest… Turns out I was actually taking the strongest one, Silece.
Indeed, a detention officer once remarked, “You’re taking quite a strong sleeping pill.” I just followed the doctor’s prescription without giving it much thought.
Stay tuned for more on sleeping conditions next time.
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