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.
Subject: Survive prison
There is literally nothing you can do. If he truly fears for his life, he needs to report to the captain or lieutenant and ask to be placed in protective custody (PC). This is not a great option, but it is better than being someplace where you fear for your life.
Subject: Survive prison
You can support your inmate in a limited number of ways. You can visit, receive calls from him, you can send him money for commissary, you can send him magazine and puzzle subscriptions, and you can send him mail with holiday pictures that will keep him connected to the family unit until he's released.
Subject: Survive prison
Yes, the jails have "winter wear" for the cold months. This includes a jacket and some form of longjohn undergarments. Also, inmates may buy supplimental clothing at the commissary.
Subject: Survive prison
They are not supposed to. However, it is a not so secret fact that smartphones get smuggled into prison every day. The prisons are trying to crack down, but the guards are usually the transporter so it's not likely to end anytime soon. We also know of services that inmates can pay to post their thoughts, etc for them.
Subject: Survive prison
No, they are not allowed access to the internet but that doesnt mean they dont have access.Many inmates get smuggled smartphones into their facility. For a concervation camp, the security is minimal and it is very possible that could aquire access if they have someone help them (like a guard or visitor)
Subject: Survive prison
ST/SP is also referred to as protective custody (PC). This is a type of imprisonment to protect a person from harm, either from outside sources or other prisoners. Sometimes it is the administration that decides, other times the inmate asks for protection. This is isolation or solitary confinement, not necessarily a "punishment" but a safety concern and it's for their protection.
Jail and prison officials must know of the signs and characteristics of inmates that may need protective custody. Inmates such as first time...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
Inmates are supplied with the essentials which include bedding and one blanket. This is not a hotel, this is a prison. They cannot call housekeeping and get another pillow or blanket. The only way is to barter for one with another inmate - there is always an inmate in every facility that is very plugged in and somehow has access to all kinds of contraband (for a fee). This scenario is a real possibility.
My first week in federal prison, I was forced to...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
It is like the movie "Goundhog Day". Every day is the same, there is nothing to distinguish one from another. It is boring and lonely, BUT you have to figure out a way to get into some sort of routine. For me, i am a creature of habit, i got myself into a routine that included working out, running, reading, playing poker (that was great for the evenings). I did 66 months in federal, so i made it out the other side.
...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
You stayed ONE night and are writing about the conditions?!? Many state prisons in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Arizona have no A/C. Evidently, the founding fathers forgot to include air conditioning for inmates in prison when they wrote the Constitution. Man up brother, stay out of the "heat".
Subject: Survive prison
Trustees are treated the very best by the prison staff. They get little benefits that go along way sometimes when you have so little to begin with.
