Have you ever been to prison? how did you stop the boredom?

Question

My son (21yrs) has been sentenced to 4 months in prison ,
I am about to write him a letter and wondered if any one had any amusing ways of beating the boredom

(no lectures please, he's done the crime and now he's doing his time)

twatwaffle The more the merrier

Answer 1

I'm not in prison at the moment, but pretty much everyone in my family has served time, and my brother has just come out.

Depending on the prison he's in, he might have some good resources at his fingertips. A lot of prisons have completely gotten rid of the internet because the fraudsters on the inside were just WAY too smart for the security systems they put on them, but some still have them. Others will have great libraries - there are normally some pretty mad and far-out books, and I even know a woman who runs a book-club in a prison that's *really* popular. Obviously I don't know your son to make reccomendations, but if I were you i'd tell him to check it out.

A lot of prisons also have great education programmes. Even if you've got a degree it's fun to learn, so see if he'd like to get involved in that. There's normally something for everyone and prison really is one of those places where if you keep your nose clean, life is a lot easier - doing a few classes will get him much better treatment from the staff. Sounds unfair, but that's just the way it is - if they see an in-mate doing something towards their education, it makes it look like they're trying to reform their ways, and coppers tend to like that.

If he's into fitness or wants to sort out his physical health, he's in the #1 place - you've got a lot of time on your hands, and depending on how secure it is (considering he's only serving 4 months i'm guessing he didn't do anything *too* serious) they may even let you use the fitness equiptment and tracks outside of the prescribed time limits. Otherwise, sit-ups, press-ups etc are great to pass the time and can be done in a small cell.

Tell him to talk to guys in the prison - make friends, it'll make a world of difference, and tell him to make a *massive* effort to get along with his cell mate, if he has one - but again, tell him not to do anything against the rules, not for anyone - keep his nose clean, it's important.

Don't snitch in prison, and if you have snitched, don't tell anyone about it - this isn't entertainment advice, but it could save his life. Also, if he's in for fraud, watch out - for some reason, it's kind of become prison lingo for pedophile. I don't know how this started, and personally I find it a pain in the butt because I nearly got put away for fraud and I swear I was almost at the point of pooing myself, because for some reason, that's the lingo. If you say you're in for fraud, people assume you've been put away for kiddy fiddling and don't want to own up - also, if someone gets put away for kiddy fiddling, deffinately don't own up. I hate those people as much as the rest of the world, but what happens to a guy in jail if he's gone down for that don't deserve to happen to no-one.

Send him lots and lots of stamps, paper and biro's, along with a list of the addresses of his friends and family, which he probably won't know off the top of his head. Writing letters to people can pass a lot of time, and it's great to get to talk to someone who you might not get to see for 4 months. A lot of prisons also have phone cards - check with his jail and find out, and if it does, send him a couple - talking can kill home sickness in a second, and can use up time.

Writing stories is a good one, too. It sounds lame, but stories, poetry, drawing pictures etc are great ways to cheer yourself up, especially if you've got a knack for comedy writing or amusing drawings which will pick you up whenever you're feeling down.

The main thing people get up to in prison is thinking, and often that's not such a bad thing - one of the best places to find yourself is in prison, because you've got nothing but time to kill. I've seen people who've gone into jail as naughty kids and come out as educated grown-ups, and gone on to get decent jobs. My brother who was in recently for assault with a weapon came out with a whole bunch of qualifications and went into a £37,000 a year job, so it's not necessarily the worst thing in the world.

Most importantly of all, visit him, keep him company, send him letters as often as you can, at least once a week if possible. The biggest problem with going into jail isn't the stigma or the isolation or the time away from your family - it's the people you're stuck with. Prison is a place full of criminals who've done a lot worse than would get them a 4-month sentance, and it's teeming with people who are just waiting to tell the next kid through the door that all their hopes are lost, or to try to get them to join a gang when they leave, or to teach them things about crime or take away their desire to reform. It's not the silence of a prison that weighs most heavily on the soul, it's the words that are spoken within it - a couple hundred guys on the edge of giving up hope. He's gonna need you now more than ever, so don't let him be left alone with those people - make sure his friends write to him, and that his family - you - visit often. It's the best thing you can do for him.

G'luck hon,
Emma
xXx

Edited to add: If he smokes, send him cigarettes, lots and lots of cigarettes! They work in three ways: they kill boredom, they are used on the inside as currency and pretty much everyone in jail smokes, so he won't feel left out

Answer 2

Boredom.. Well they usually have chores to do! when those chores are done i would suggest your son takes some qualifications, seeks god anything too keep him away from getting into trouble and doubling his time! Prison is a time for him to reflect on what he has done and allow him the time to know what he has given up! Its not a time for board games or silly games. I would suggest your son asks for counselling and some kind of study to help him pass the time. Gyms are also very good to go, maybe he can get the frustration out of his system by doing some useful body training.
we dont live in the dark ages no more! there are things he can do. Just make sure its the RIGHT things and not the very things that got him in there in the first place. good luck

Answer 3

Tough situation. But, you are not tired of life, you are tired of the way your life is at the moment. I would venture to say that everybody has been there at one time or another. And some people for a much longer period of time while faced with a lot worse . I could give you examples from my own life or from the news or something like that, but I imagine with a little bit of effort, you would be able to think of several people you know personally who are currently going through worse. You can blame God if you want to-- I know I certainly have many, many, many times in my own past. No wonder I tend to take a lot of comfort in the fact that even many of the best of the people who serve as our Biblical examples also did so at times in their lives-- Job, Moses, David, Jonah-- for example. I would also try to keep in mind that there is a season and a reason to everything, and that God now wants to give you some lesson in this situation as well. Maybe, He is working on your patience and endurance, if nothing else. You said you like writing. I sometimes try to write out my every single frustration in the form of a prayer when times are tough. Often that helps-- and 4:30 in the morning is usually a good, quiet time to do it. Best wishes for better days soon.

Answer 4

I've never been, but try sending some books. Write him a lot so he doesn't forget that you're waiting for him to get out. That'll give him something to look forward to. Find a pen-pall for him. If he's into working out I've seen some guys roll up their mattresses and do curls or squats or things like that. Or sleep. Sleep is always good and it passes the time, But his best option would be to read a lot of books. Maybe send him a book about how to start a better life when you're out of prison. I know they are out there.

Answer 5

My youngest brother got nailed by the US navy while flying in 8 tons of pot, was forced down by US navy fighter jets over the Florida Keys, got sentenced to 10 years in a Federal Prison.

No parole statues in a federal sentence, so he ended up doing the full ten years, probably would have been delighted to just get four months.

Passed his time by getting involved in academic studies, going to church, participating in active prison sports, reading a lot, writing letters to a couple of female pen pals I got for him, always made sure he had some cash in his account for health and confort items and some for candy, cookies and munchies.
Stood by him through his entire time in prison, provided him with lots of encouragement to stay clean when released. Paid for his legal team and his appeals.
Hired him upon his release, as a company driver for the van.
6 months later, after his release, sent him to a trade school to lean mechanics for vehicles, graduated top in his class, hired him to perform maintance on all company vehicles, working with 5 other mechanics.
Other than a minor scrape or two here and there, he has been clean and really trying to do the right thing. He has plans to get married in a couple of months to one of his female pen pals!
I also told him that if he ever pulls another shitty like the last one, he is on his own.

Thank you,

Answer 6

Well, I spent one night in a cell. It was mental torture even for that amount of time.
Perhaps if he plays the Alphabet Game. You pick a topic i.e., Fruit, and then list fruits starting with each letter of the alphabet. Apricot, Banana, Cherry, Date etc.

He just needs mental stimulation. Maybe taking up creative writing, or song-writing. A project of some sort.

Answer 7

my partner went to prison for 4yrs.a good way he used to pass the time is go to the gym.also the prison where he went had a playstation for each wing that they all had to share.there were radios,t.vs,alll sorts.but the most productive was education,where he got his 2 nvq's for catering and hygeine as he was a chef there.there are lots of programs about the effects of crime,drug and alcohol abuse aslo to help him if he has any of these issues.anyway good luck to your son,lets hope he finds the right path.x

Answer 8

I haven't been to prison, but 4 months doesn't seem too bad. Tell him to work out and read a lot of books.

Answer 9

When I was locked up I used to look forward to getting jokes in the mail from my friends.... they would pass around a list of jokes among the circle of friends, and all of them would write down something funny and then send it. It would help me keep a good outlook and remember that I wasn't going to be there forever....

Answer 10

Take advantage of the facilities that he probably won't get free on the outside like the gym, pool, nintendo games, dvd players, art equipment, lessons and lectures.

Answer 11

There is no way to beat the boredom only lots of visits from friends and family....