Ghost Adventures – Central Prison Unit in Sugarland Texas – S07E01

Is it the start of a new season or just picking up where the other left off? These days, it’s getting a little difficult to tell. But anyway, it’s a new episode and the guys are down in Sugarland, Texas visiting a recently closed prison facility.

As a complete aside, many years ago, back in my youth, I lived just outside of Sugarland. Texas, is indeed a different kind of place. They definitely believes in "bigger is better" and they believe is dishing out corporal punishment. It may be different now, but during my high school years there was no need to send you to the principals office for goofing around in class. Teachers had every right to deal with you as they saw fit. "The paddle" was the standard part of the learning process, so it’s easy to imagine that the prison system down there is no joke.

Zak, Nick and Aaron show up on the scene a mere 6 months after the prison has been closed. The details over the prison closing are a little sketchy, but it doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with poor treatment, overcrowding, violence or abuse. From the little news snippet, it sounds like the crime rate was going down and the budget for the prison was cut. It may be the first prison to close, but closing because of a dropping crime rate is a hell of a thing!

The nature and timing of the closing also means there is almost no access to information, witnesses, guards, inmates or anything of the like. There is a colossal amount of maybe associated with this place. They don’t have any evidence to support their investigation, nor do they even know what they might be looking for, but let’s just put that aside for the moment. What were they able to uncover about the place? Perhaps a blind investigation is better than preconceived notions about a place.

During the early years, prison labor was used instead of slave labor to harvest sugar cane. I have no doubt the work was horrible and the treatment poor. Then again, this is prison… But I digress. Zak did manage to find someone able to give his story and his son was incarcerated there. He said it was the worst prison he’d been in and he’d been in jail for 10 years including maximum security. Sadly, no details are given so we don’t know if this is because of the other inmates or the guards.

As the investigation starts Zak feels a cold spot and begins to measure EMF. It goes from a flat 0 up to nearly 4. At this time, and for some time after, Nick has a bizarre reaction. It looks like be becomes confused, disoriented, sick and despondent. He all but gives up on the investigation and has Billy take his place. Nick doesn’t become violent, but he’s clearly not himself. Zak says that an orb circled Nick and bounced off his head. While Zak is talking there is a supposed shadow figure that walks right behind him.

There could be something to this, but for the love of God, can we ditch the !@#$ing sound effects? That has become so grating and so irritating!

Is there someone walking behind Zak? Is it going after Nick? Did it cause the problems? Or do we just have the usual shadow play from the lights?

They bring out the Spirit Box and get "in there" and "he’s hurt". Is this referring to a prisoner or to Nick? Is there more to this story?

The team breaks away from the main hall where they’ve been for the whole investigation with Aaron heading down to the shower area. He hears a lot of banging and gets the word "Goodbye" on the Ovlius and a shaking of the camera. The banging on the pipes would be nothing new in a place like that, and I hate that damn Ovlius thing, but what about the shake? Unforeseen animal, or unforeseen force?

Right at the end, Zak is trying to sell the idea that what he’s seeing on the thermal imager is a window into a portal. He says the swirling colors and undulating movement are people and we’re getting a glimpse into their world. Zak, what in the hell are you talking about? Maybe some of this stuff doesn’t translate over, but it sounded like Zak was just making crap up. I saw blobs on the thermal, but nothing that looked like a "void". Egads man, come back to earth!

I know Nick had some issues with this investigation, but when all is said and done this whole thing left me scratching my head. They’re investigation a recently closed prison for basically no good reason, or at least not for any story that anyone has offered. They go to visit "Old Sparky" the notorious electric chair that has killed over 300 men, and no exactly on the first try either, but don’t grab any real evidence there. They get a couple of cold spots and some readings that hit 3.7. Overall, I can’t see why they’re claiming this is some paranormal hotspot. Sure, Nick had some sort of episode, but are we saying this is some sort of possession or that a evil spirit grafted itself onto him? Additionally, the guys barely moved from one spot. They made camp in that main area and only Aaron actually went somewhere else. From my cozy spot on the couch, this investigation went no where.

I would love to see them go back again, but it doesn’t look like that will happen. Not only is the prison closing, but the city is wasting no time in tearing the place down. It will probably be reduced to rubble within months. I’m sure a Texas prison is no picnic, nor should it be, but this place doesn’t stand out as a paranormal location. Not every place has to haunted, I’m fine with that, and even expect it, but let’s not make something out to be more than it is.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Paranormal Lockdown – Shrewsbury Prison – S02E02
• Ghost Adventures – Missouri State Prison – S08E04
• Ghost Adventures – Linda Vista Hospital
• Ghost Adventures – Dead Men Walking – S07E08
• Ghost Adventures – Wyoming Frontier Prison – S07E18
• Ghost Stalkers – Holmesburg Prison – S01E04
• Ghost Adventures – Nevada State Prison – S12E10
• Ghost Adventures – Crazy Town – S07E13
• Ghost Adventures – Return to Linda Vista Hospital – S06E05
• Ghost Adventures – Hellhole Prison – S12E07