I am doing a report on prison and life some I need to interview and others I go to the facility. Can any one tell me how it felt to be in a prison and how you were treated and things you did and did not like?
2006-09-19 05:00:14 · 6 answers · asked by mary_ellen_2003 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
I've never even been arrested but I have several people I care for serving time in California prisons. If you'd like to e-mail me, I'll be happy to answer any questions I can, but here are a few things my friends have told me-The rules are different in every state and different security levels have different privileges.
At some prisons, you can only access the Commissary once or twice per month and can only spend $45, $90 or $180 dollars, depending on your privilege status.
There is no privacy, not even to use the bathroom. Most of the time the noise level is deafening- Several hundred people in a large, echoey, concrete and steel space- you know how everything seems louder in the gym or in the halls at school? It's a hundred times worse in prison.
There are a lot of people who think prison is like a summer camp and that inmates are living in relative luxury- it's just not true- You know how people say inmates get really good medical care for free? One of my friends had a small cavity in one tooth and the answer was to pull the tooth, he needs to see a doctor to renew a prescription for a chronic condition (no, it's not a drug with any recreational potential, it's Prilosec) but can't see the doc because he is not bleeding, and when he does get that script renewed, he'll be paying for it or rather either his mom or I will be doing so. The situation has gotten so bad with prison health care that a federal judge recently ordered the whole department into recievership.
He shares a 6 x 12 cell with one other man, and counts himself lucky that there are not 3 in that cell due to the amazingly overcrowded state of the facility, he gets to leave that cell about 4 hours a day, including shower, chow, dayroom and yard time... and THAT is when the facility is not on lockdown due to drastic understaffing, ...on lockdown, it really is in the cell, 24/7, food passed through the door, etc the only thing that keeps going is the mail Your mail is read, both letters you send and those you recieve, and sometimes it takes a month for a letter to get to you...(and by the way, I send him paper,envelopes and postage, unless it is a letter to one's attorney of record AND there is no money on one's books, the prison does not pay for letters)....the educational programs that are supposed to be so great are only available IF an inmate qualifies AND if there is a slot available in the class
The showers are hot and reasonably clean, but you can only use the shower once or twice a week. Inmates buy their own soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. unless they have no money at all, then the state will provide one bar of soap and one 10 oz bottle of shampoo each month.
The food is a joke, and is barely legal in quantity and quality... most inmates get VERY creative with the top ramen that is available at the commisary...
You get issued 2 shirts, two pair of pants, 5 pair of boxer shorts and 5 pairs of socks- most of the time, you have to wash them in your cell, usually in the toilet- that's one of the reasons that so many prisons have problems with sickness and infections. It is very hard for the inmates to keep themselves, their cells and their clothes clean.
As to recreational activities, You've probably heard that there are TVs in every cell and that they have satellite or cable... it's not true- There are televisions in the day room where what to watch is decided by vote...any TVs or radios in the cells were not provided by the state, either the inmate or someone like me purchased them and there's no cable or HBO or anything like that, although most facilities do have an "in house" channel for educational programs and occassional movies (rated PG or lower)
And not every inmate is allowed to have a TV or radio- it depends on their privilege status.
Another thing that depends on your privilege status is "Quarterly Packages" and "Special Purchases"... A quarterly package is how an inmate gets outside food, extra clothes, CDs and other treats- it has to be ordered through a vendor that has permission to ship packages to that prison and can only weigh about 30 pounds, including the box it comes in.
A special purchase would be something like a TV ,a radio, a fan, or a lamp.Some prisons allow certain inmates to have a microwave, or certain musical instruments... but there are strict limits on how much stuff an inmate can have in his cell, so if he has a TV and a fan, for example, he can't have any other special purchase items... I hope that helps a little, and please let me know if I can be of any more help.
2006-09-21 04:14:04 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i spent 20 months at bay correctional institution in north florida. 1998-1999. you are treated fine by the guards as long as you follow the rules, but if you act up they will make an example of you, sometimes using physical violence as punishment. if they leave bruises, they will lock you away in the box and take away your visitation until you are healed. if you have people on the outside sending money then prison can be somewhat comfortable, as there is a fully stocked commissary with all kinds of products and you can access it as many times in a day as you like. they sell everything from snack foods, to cigarettes, to hygiene supplies, to stationary. if you dont have loved ones to send money then it can be very hard as nothing is supplied for you by the department of corrections. you get a bar of soap and a towel. other inmates can be a problem since alot of them are very violent people, but if you keep to yourself and dont borrow or owe, you can avoid most problems. when you first get to prison someone will try you to see if you will be an easy target, so you must get this fight out of the way in order to avoid being a victim your entire time in prison. i could go on, but it is a long story.
2006-09-19 05:19:47 · answer #2 · answered by slippie 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes i was in prision in Indian jail for one week. intially i felt there life was very bad there. But the people who stay there for long time then jail become home for them. But other hand all animal want fredome so fredome is fredome.
2006-09-19 05:05:13 · answer #3 · answered by Arun M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i've never been in prison, but i can give u a very important piece of advice: don't drop the soap.
2006-09-19 05:08:38 · answer #4 · answered by lady sixx 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
life is hectic, worce than a pig
2006-09-19 05:04:32 · answer #5 · answered by tarun s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You really don`t want to know.
2006-09-19 05:06:21 · answer #6 · answered by Rich B 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋