Violence is a reality of correctional environments that families worry about and that inmates must navigate carefully. Understanding the dynamics of violence inside, the protections that exist, and the practical strategies for staying safe is essential knowledge for anyone entering or already inside a correctional facility. This section covers what types of violence occur inside correctional facilities, how custody level affects exposure to violence, what PREA is and what protections it provides against sexual assault, what gang pressure looks like and how to resist it without creating new problems, when and how to request protective custody, and what families can do when they believe their loved one is in danger. The guidance here is direct and honest because the stakes are too high for anything less. See also our sections on Survive Prison, Prison Discipline, and Immigration Enforcement.
Subject: Prison violence
These are important questions about prison safety and accountability that deserve honest answers.
Separating violent offenders
Federal and state prison systems already use classification systems to separate inmates by security level, offense type, and risk assessment. Maximum security facilities house the most violent offenders separately from lower security populations. The PATTERN risk assessment tool in the federal system and similar tools in state systems are designed specifically to prevent high-risk inmates from being housed with low-risk populations.
However, complete separation by offense type...
Read moreSubject: Prison violence
depending on the fallout from the riot, they consider injuries and property damage to decide how long a lockdown will last. My best guess if it was a real riot, it will be months before any privileges are reinstated
Subject: Prison violence
Not well by other inmates, and likely in protective isolation by the administration.
Prison has its own moral hierarchy, and at the bottom of it sit people whose crimes targeted children and the vulnerable. Someone convicted of deliberately killing and injuring innocent people, including children at a community event would be marked from the moment their case became public. News travels fast inside, and other inmates would know exactly who they were dealing with.
The facility would almost certainly not place this...
Read moreSubject: Prison violence
Sometimes they happen just like on the outside, but that is definitely not the norm. Most inmates just want to do their time and go home.
Subject: Prison violence
This is a serious situation and standing up to the people threatening him is not a viable option given his physical condition. That kind of confrontation ends badly for someone who can barely walk, and the people doing the extorting know exactly what they are doing by targeting someone vulnerable.
The most immediate protective measure available to him is requesting protective custody. He can make that request directly to any staff member or officer, and the facility is obligated to take...
Read moreSubject: Prison violence
gang rape was hard to forget
Subject: Prison violence
He needs to get with his counselor or case manager and request a cell change. This carries some potential danger as the "gang members" will see that as a diss. The other option is to ask to be in Ad Sec (Administrative Segregation) which is essentially solitary confinement but no one would be able to get to him there.
Subject: Prison violence
Has he been sentenced and assigned to a federal prison or is he still in the county jail? County jail is actually worse than federal prison. If he is getting beaten up often, he needs to check himself into PC, protective custody. He will be in isolation, it is lonely and boring but no one will bother him there.
Subject: Prison violence
The main difference is the federal budget is $7 billion/year, the inmates are well fed and well cared for with a lot of programming options. In general, the guards are paid better and trained better. The state system is as different as the 50 states they are in. Some are okay and others are miserable - like no air conditioning in the hot southern summer. We would say with 100% surety that the federal penitentiaries are better for the inmate than...
Read moreSubject: Prison violence
Very silly question. I did 66 months and never even came within a hundred miles of someone raping me. In fact i dont think i heard of more than one in my whole bid, this was a cho-mo being held for all kinds of child porn charges. He got his teeth broken out and his mouth was violated.
