Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette A jail guard pats down an inmate, searching for weapons or contraband, before the inmate enters the intake area of the Allegheny County Jail.

You were captured last night on an arrest warrant and now a sheriff's deputy is dropping you off at the Allegheny County Jail. He pulls into a drafty garage with metal gates at either end.

		Video: A look inside the jail Take a video tour of the Allegheny County Jail intake room guided by Maj. James Donis. What do you think? Please send your comments on this series, for possible posting on a Readers Forum page, to postscript@post-gazette.com. Be sure to include your full name and hometown.

You sit, handcuffed and shackled, in a sheriff's wagon, waiting to be processed by some tough-looking jail guards. With you in the van are several unhappy strangers who were also arrested last night in your neighborhood.

Your driver, a uniformed sheriff's deputy, leads you and another of the van's ragtag mix of occupants into a rank-smelling room with windows on either side. The pair of you are being watched by officials on both sides of the glass and surveilled from a camera above. The door slams shut.

The deputy uncuffs you. A jail guard puts you up against the wall. He pats you down, orders you to empty your pockets and tells you to take a seat in the body orifice detector, the BOSS chair. It beeps if you're wearing metal earrings or have metal teeth. That's not what these guys are looking for, they say. They want to know if you're hiding guns, bullets, knives or razor blades. And whether you are 19 or 95, they're going to meticulously search every part of you before they'll let you in the building.

You take a seat on a bench and an officer pulls on a fresh pair of latex gloves. He runs his fingers through your hair, looking for narcotics. He looks in your ears and inside your mouth. At his command, you remove your shoes and socks. You watch him turn your socks inside out and shake out your shoes.

Once you've passed the orifice check, a guard leads you over to a nurse with a clipboard. The nurse wants to know if you're having chest palpitations, bleeding profusely or have any other 911 emergencies that would make you inadmissible.

If not, then it's time for your mug shot and fingerprints. They want to see if you have unfinished business with law enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions. If you refuse to give your fingerprints, an officer tells you, you're gonna sit there until you do give them. He's in no rush.

If you're belligerent, excessively high or out of control, they'll strap you into a restraint chair. Once they put you in that chair, you can't move. The chair hasn't lost yet, the officer says.

Experience what it's like to get arrested, go to jail, face charges, and, finally, get your day in court by viewing the multimedia components of this report.