Survive Prison — Ask the Inmate
Surviving prison, mentally, physically, and with your record intact, requires a set of skills and strategies that nobody teaches you before you go in. The adjustment is enormous, and how you handle the first days and weeks sets the tone for everything that follows. This section covers the practical realities of daily life inside a correctional facility, how to navigate the social environment without becoming a target or a participant in activities that will extend your sentence, how to protect your mental health during a long sentence, what the research shows about maintaining family connections and why they matter for survival, how to use the time productively rather than letting it use you, and what the people who come out strongest have in common. The guidance here comes from someone who served 66 months in the federal system and built a business around helping the people left behind. Do the time. Do not let the time do you. See also our sections on Prison Violence, Prison Discipline, and Re-entry and Rehabilitation.
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Like the piece of s--- he is... misery every day
Read moreNo, but there are bad apples everywhere. Inmates need to mind their business so the dirty ones stay away...
Read moreNo time like the present. Help him make a four-year plan that will give him the tools to succeed when he's released. The job training in the facility is one physical skill set, but learning about other things through reading can and will change his life if he has the right attitude. What are his main interests? People tend to read stuff that interests them, I ended up reading a lot more that I ever would have on the outside.
Read moreOMG... 30 DAYS!! give her a blankie, mag subscriptions take longer than 30 days to start LOL
Read morethere is literally nothing you can do as an outsider. raising any turmoil over treatment will likely create more bad treatment, not less... Unless you know a congressman or senator that can raise this issue from their angle, nothing will improve.
Read moreyou know it's up to the inmate themself... some respond the second they get your letter, others might procrastinate which could happen for a number of reasons... be patient, it ain't easy being locked up
Read morethe short answer is "no". however, there is a very robust black market in dealing cigarettes between inmates. if your inmate wants to smoke they will find a way
Read morePrison is no joke. Taking it seriously and showing no emotion is the right attitude. With a 30-month sentence, she is most likely assigned to the camp which is a minimum-security federal prison. It's probably never going to reach the level of the stuff you'd see on Orange Is the New Black. My advice, use this time to work on herself; exercise, read, and write letters home. This is not the worse situation she could be in.
Read moreThey wait in line. There are limited shower heads and the allotted time for showers isn't all day, so they have to plan... and wait their turn
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