With all that in mind we were shocked by our reception at this facility. Not only were the guards and administrators cordial, they were downright friendly. They seemed to be glad that we were there. We were escorted into the facility by what appeared to be the head of the prison guards. He was smiling and welcoming us in a friendly manner. I must admit I felt a bit nervous, even suspicious. Why was he escorting us in? And why was he acting so strangely or at least what we had come to experience as out of character? Well, there was not much to do except smile back and profusely thank him for allowing us to come in. The man led us up some stairs and into a room which had been converted from a prison cell into some sort of arts and crafts room. Arts and crafts in a Slovak prison? What’s going on here? When we entered into the room there were several people assembled awaiting our arrival. Again, to our surprise, the director of the entire facility was on hand as well as the guard leadership team. They offered us tea or coffee and clearly wanted to have some sort of conversation as they invited us to sit down.