What is prison life like?

Question

any body knoe hows life in prison??

Answer 1

Prison is not a "stress free" enviroment and it's anything but luxurious-To anyone who says differently, I'd like to know What prison have you been visiting? I'd like to arrange for a cherished friend to be transferred there! The top notch medical/dental care I'm always hearing about would be nice!He 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 ordered the whole department into recievership.. not that it has improved anything.
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 ...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 (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, IF an inmate qualifies AND if there is a slot available in the class.....and surely you see the need to try to educate these people to improve the chances of their becoming productive citizens upon release?
The showers are hot and reasonably clean, but inmates buy their own soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.
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...assuming they have commisary privileges and enough money on their books to buy anything.
All this excercise equipment I'm always hearing about does not exist in the prison I visit- My friend does an aerobic routine in his cell each morning and spends about half his time in the yard running his usual 3 to 5 miles, but there's no equipment available...I'm not complaining about that, but I'd like to know where everybody got the idea that all inmates have gym access.
As to other recreational activities I hear about all the time, Television 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 like quarterly packages and phone calls (collect and incredibly costly) they are a privilige that is EARNED... Surely you can see the value of rewarding good behavior?


I could go on and on, but I really want to know what prison all these stereotypes of fun and games are based on, because it sure as hell is not in California!

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Every prison wing has a top dog inmate. The positions at a prison are the following: Governing Governor, Deputy Governing Governor, Wing Governor, Principle Offocer, Senior Officer, Officer (Basic), Newly Oppointed Prison Officer, Senior Medical Officer, Prison Chaplain.

Upon arrival you are confiscated of any sharp objects, drink and drugs. You are also advised to remove any expensive jewellery which will be returned upon your release. You are then strip-searched then they take your finger prints and photos/mug shots.

Rule 47/the block is the punishment block. Given the nature of your offence (like if u are a nonce) u will be offered segregation as it is also the vulnerable prisoners unit.

Jobs within the prison provide little money which can be spent in the prison canteen. The jobs vary from candles, **** parcels, the servery, the library and the prison officers office.

Each prisoner is also assigned their personal officer.

Officer - screw
Prisoner - inmate

Answer 4

It is horrible i dont know mich about the main block of the prison as on my first day in i got put into serragation unit for assaulting a gaurd i spent my whole time in prison in there i was let out of my cell for 1 hour a day this would be spent in a 1m by 1 m cage outside exersizing. After a while you start going insane so use razor blades to cut yourself you get these from other inmates by 'fishing' ( you tie a pei e of folded paper with an object in it to a long thin peice of string from your bedsheet you then slide it under the door untill the person receiving pulls it to say they have got it) so overall pretty sh*t

Answer 5

On the face of it yes but the fundamental idea is lack of freedom and that is exactly what prisons are still all about. I visit prison regularly ( thro my job) and its a terrible place, despite the TV's , gyms etc. Its the fact that you're locked in and can only do certain things at pre-determined times of the day with no autonomy. I think that they should be made to work, like the chain gangs in American prisons. Have prisoners clean graffiti, mow public lawns, plant flowers, dig dirt, sort out household waste at re-cycling plants. Not namby pamby farming, or keeping goats or studying for degrees that the rest of us have to pay for ourselves!

Answer 6

Prison can be a very difficult time for both the prisoner and the family they leave on the other side of the gates.
Calls can be extremely expensive up to 40p per minute to UK mobiles so staying in touch can be difficult! Get your friends or family members to sign up to a company such as www.prisonphone.co.uk that way your calls could be free (or at least be at the local rate of between 6p and 10p per minute) hopefully easing the pressure on your outside relationships.
Take care

Answer 7

Well its not fun. You are told what to do, when to do it and how to do it. If you dont follow an officers direction youll get written up (ticket) and youll lose the only things that you still have from the outside world, commisary (supermarket in prison), youll lose rec time.. which is you cant go into the yard and get some fresh air,, away from the nasty smell of a faciliity filled with alot of grown men who dont shower for weeks at a time. You lose a sense of yourself because you have no choice but to let officers search you... at any time, and dregrading strip frisk where officers have to look at ALL of you. And if you refuse, officers will hold you down and do what they need to do by force if need be.

Answer 8

I have a very close friend of mine in Jail and all of what this people are saying is a lie . I don't know why people talk without knowing. Nothing is free in jail there is no such thing as free medical care and food. Most of the food they served is spoil. They do work for almost nothing and they do have to watch their backs night and day because in most jails guards do not stop fights some even enjoy them. The same way some people enjoyed dogs fights the difference these are human beings. Then we talk about how other countries treat inmates geee just take a look at home and you'll be surprised.
I hope you never get to go to jail . There are many people in there who are innocent and nobody cares. Oh yes, nobody cares until it hits home.

Answer 9

I am probably late but I have been in and out of jail since I was 17 and it is kinda of a second home to me. I have been their so many times that the guards now me by name and it rarely takes me more then a day in booking. The longest I have ever spent in jail is 6 years because I am just a drugggy. And usually go for like 6-12 months at a time👎. The jail staff knows my hand cuff size by number
And now just how I like them so they tighten them several now me by name and keep up with me I have to say jail is nicer then my life on the outside because people care

Se

Answer 10

No bills, no job, no responsibilities. It's a bunch of dangerous little kids. They are always crying that they want something and when you tell them no, they throw a little temper tantrum and they threaten to kill you or hurt you whenever they get a chance. They beat each other up because one guy takes the wrong box of dominos. Prison life is nothing like what you see on TV. It is not a right of passage unless your trying to get street cred and make money off a rap album, which is what perpetuates the cycle of prison being a right of passage. Mostly it seems like inmates are people that had no father and were trouble makers. So the system becomes a sort of surrogate father for them. We feed them, we cloth them, we give medical treatment on an insurance system that is probably the best I've seen in the US. It is three dollar copay. A treatment you or I might pay $150 they get for three dollars. Oh and if you or I go to the emergency room thats gonna be at least $500. Not for them, if it's an emergency it's free. I'm sorry, I kinda went of on a tangent there. But life in prison is hardly a life. As I said before convicts are like over grown toddlers with dangerous tempers. They take all they can from society and give nothing back. And then when they've got all they can get they complain and say is that it?
Then they try to get more. Most should be executed. But alas, people seem to think these people need to be defended. What about their victims, nobody defended them. I know this isn't what you expected as an answer, but I work at a prison and I've seen a lot of good people get hurt and killed by inmates. So if you're thinking about going to prison, don't do something productive with your life and stay out of trouble.