can someone tell me where I can find info about prison conditions?

Question

-treatment of prisoners
-daily life
- prison rules
-how to get into prison
-dangers prisons and prisoners

individual prisons in our society..

I am doing a report and can not find any info

Answer 1

You need to narrow it down. State, federal and local have a lot of variances. Hundreds of books have been written about human rights issues alone. Yes, it is as bad as they say. People die there every day because of the lousy medical treatment, or the unavailability of a doctor. It's beyond anything you see on TV (forget Prison Break and the Jean-Claude movies. That's total bull).

Daily life? It's not life, it's existence, revolving around the routine of the clock. And quite frankly, it's changed in the last 20 years. Used to, the convicts had their own rules amongst themselves and abided by them. Now, the old timers are almost all gone, and the gangbangers would sell their mother's soul for an extra five minutes Good Time. The new guys are almost always rats, plea bargained against their friends and family, and are in now in prisons (federal) where people are promoted based on EEO, not qualifications. Throw in federal budget cuts, and you have hell on earth. There's no "honor among thieves" or respect.. Your cell mate would gladly set you up to do another ten years if he can shorten his own sentence.

Rules? Go to the Bureau of Prisons web site, and check out their 500+ pages of policy statement. Not that any of their employees are required to be familiar with it. My husband has been in the system 26 years and know their rules better than the staff.

How to get into Prison? I hope you mean as a visitor. Be prepared to be treated like trash by people on power kicks, because you are the family of an inmate, and therefore you are garbage also. The visitation rules are stated clearly in Policy, but can vary on the whims of the person working the desk.

And, because you may have just driven 700 miles to see an inmate, you don't want any hassles, and they can terminate your visit if they feel you're being "confrontational" at all (again, their opinion about you), you keep your mouth shut, because you want to visit. And quite frankly, there are very few people out there to help you, including legislators, because very few people care about inmates.

Demand to see the warden? Please! You are garbage. Never forget that. Do you think a Duty Officer will side with you against their own officers? I've pointed out Policy to them, regarding medication I was allowed to take in with me, and they still refused to let me take in my life-sustaining medication to the visit. I'd driven over 700 miles to see him, and spent a lot of money for that one lousy weekend, so I went in without it, and was sick for weeks afterward. I had to file an Official Complaint with the D.O.J. when I got home, then wait months for a resolution. They do not care. You are at their mercy. Some are professional, some are literate and have actually read their own Policy Statements, but one power-trip idiot can wreck a visiting weekend for 200 families.

Danger prisons and prisoners? There are levels of prison, like Super-Max, USP, High, Medium and Low, and then then Work Camps. Work camps are usually for long-time people on their final leg out, or snitches who ratted out everyone else for a shorter sentence. Same with Low.

I could go on and on, but your best bet is to narrow it down, like human rights or how mandatory minimums are filling up the prisons with "regular" people who may have made one simple mistake and wind up with a minimum of five years (for one joint).

This type of legislation is caused by politicians promising "good people" they will get tough on crime and enact new laws. The problem is, with these minimums, they take the power away from judges. A judge no longer has any leeway if the guy is a family man, with a great job,no priors, and gets caught smoking one little joint. In some states, he goes away to prison for five years, no appeals, no parole, no nothing. And prison is not a nice place for a regular family man.

Check out the November Coalition's web site, or browse the Tallahassee FL newspapers for articles about the FBI agent killed this past summer at a FCI. He was trying to arrest several male officers for extorting sex from female prisoners in exchange for cigarettes and other "favors." The local magistrate was already siding with the guards before the smoke had cleared.
Or, for a biker's story, go to www.FreeRoadblock.us.

I'll get off my soap box and shut up for now. :-)

Answer 2

There are books on how to deal with prison. The ins and outs. I know Martha Stewart read one before doing her stint. I think it's called "So you're going to Federal Prison". You can google prison books, or go to Amazon.com and search for books on prison. Good Luck.

Answer 3

What prison are you talking about/ Guantanamo or individual prisons in our society?

You could google the prison questions.

Answer 4

planning on going sometime soon?