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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Subject: Survive prison
We do not have any first-hand accounts of this facility but it is a decent sized place and by the online description, there are a lot of correctional officers on duty. This means that they have a big budget which makes the treatment much better for inmates. There are no reports of heavy gang activity which rises the level of anxiety and bad behavior exponentially. But, let's face it, this is prison and he will have to behave himself and...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
Being locked up is pretty boring. One of the reasons inmateAID was founded was to give loved ones an organized and reliable way to help their inmate's time go by more smoothly. Reading is a great escape - we recommend sending lots of magazines, newspapers and books if you are able. Send them letters and photos to keep connected to the outside world.
Some cells have phones, some do not. TVs are located in the common areas in the general population...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
You can take the clothes in a bag and drop them off. Unfortunately, his needs are immediate and unless you approach the holding police with humility and respect, they will not give the clothes to him, they are not required to be nice, just to detain him and feed him.
Subject: Survive prison
We have had similar questions on Ask the Inmate and have responded very honestly. Some inmates in your spouse's situation will work out a deal to "use the commissary account" of another inmate. You place the money in the other inmate's account and they buy the items your spouse wants. The inmates charge a fee which is usually some percentage of the total money deposited to buy some things for themselves. This is a common inmate-to-inmate service that is against...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
Federal inmates must go through an Admissions and Orientation (A&O) before they are allowed to make calls or receive visitors. This usually occurs every Wednesday depending upon the amount of new incoming inmates. Inmates are screened by Unit Management and Health Services at the time of arrival and will also be screened by Psychology and Education Staff. Inmates are immediately provided with a copy of the institution's rules and regulations, which include information on inmate rights and responsibilities. For the...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
Most inamtes do their time without ever having to fear for their safety. Others seem to find conflict at every turn. A lot has to do with the type of person that inmate is, are they argumentative, are they mouthy and challenge everything people do? Obviously, the more that the inmate keeps to themselves and is not disrespectful to others, the more peace they will have. The guards in most instances are well trained and have empathy for the offenders...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
All the boot-camp prisons incorporate the core components of military basic training, with physical training and hard labor. Most target young offenders convicted of nonviolent crimes such as drug, burglary, or theft. Participation is limited to those who do not have an extensive past history of criminal activity. The major incentive for entering the boot camp is that the boot camp requires a shorter term than a traditional prison sentence.
On a typical day, the participants arise before dawn, rapidly dress,...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
The contact that you are engaging in now is great. The writing, the visits and the phone calls are showing him you care. He will be away a long time and this is going to get tougher on you as the time passes. We highly recommend sending magazine and newspaper subscriptions as the frequency of incoming mail is very soothing. If he likes to read, get him hooked on books. He can either read different genres with different authors OR...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
In the TDCJ, Byrd and Gurney are similar institutions. There are various potential reason why your son was moved within the first week. There might be a program at Gurney that was not available at Byrd. There might be an issue where another inmate is related in some way to your son's case and they have to keep them separated. We don't think there is anything to be overly concerned with regarding the quick move.
To get a transfer, the offender...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
You might try mailing a letter or postcard. The guards are normally not permitted to pass notes to inmates from the outside. All correspondence is supposed to be monitored and cataloged.
