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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as few as possible... but sometimes you have to protect yourself and let nature take it's course
Read morecall the institution and start with the unit team secretary, then the counselor, and then the case manager. One of them will give you a status report on your inmate
Read moreyes, just about everyday i think about it and regret the lost time and the people I hurt
Read morethere are no words to describe that first time getting locked up in the holding cell, then the transfer to the county jail, then the transfer to the federal prison... unnerving is an understatement
Read moreit depends on the severity. most inmates have some form of mental illness or they would have made better choices. if the inmate exhibits an inability to co-exist with the other inmates because of it, they will move to isolate and protect them from any potential harm
Read moreDepending on your bid, you're going to have to search for the "cure for boredom" as it fits you. Reading was my thing, it's partly why this website exists. You have to get yourself into a routine. And not get yourself jammed up in any inmate nonsense. You will make friends and exist partly because of that comradery. But, do NOT and never share tales of your crime, your sentence, any co-defendant with anyone while locked up. "Anything you say
Read moreIt's impossible if you are close to the ones you love. For me, it felt like I died but I had to watch them go on living without me. It was sad...
Read moreYes it is... anything that helps them feel connected to the outside while inside is a great morale-lifter.
Read morePrison is hell. This sounds like group punishment which happens all the time. There is literally nothing you (or your inmate) can do but endure the time and focus on being better when they are released (because you surely don't want to go back)
Read moreEvery facility is different, we would advise calling the chaplain to get the current acceptable rules for rosary or religious chains
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