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
Having done federal time myself, the honest answer is that federal is generally better, but the comparison is more nuanced than most people realize.
First, on your question about the population being international, that is not accurate as a general rule. Federal prisons house American citizens convicted of federal crimes alongside some non-citizens, but the population is not predominantly foreign nationals. Federal crimes include non-violent drug trafficking, white collar offenses, RICO charges, human trafficking, child endangerment, terrorism, and any criminal activity...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
This depends on their custody level and the security level at the facility they are incarcerated in.
Minimum security, there are no cells, you live in a barracks setting where there are 100 people in one large room and you are only there to sleep and count times.
Low security, there are 2-3 man cells. They are given recreation time outside their cells for more than 10 hours a day.
Medium security, there are 1-2 man cells. They are given recreation time outside...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
Federal prison camp is the lowest security level in the system, and that distinction matters in real and practical ways. There are no cells, no bars, and no perimeter fencing to speak of. Inmates live in barracks-style dormitories with rows of bunk beds separated by lockers. It is institutional and uncomfortable, but it is a fundamentally different environment from what most people picture when they hear the word prison.
Every inmate at a camp has a job. The work is not...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
If you can survive prison, you will be changed forever. The direction of that change is completely up to the person. There must be a willingness on their part to make the necessary changes in their habits, their thinking, and what they really want in life. It's an uphill battle for sure, but victory is attainable.
Subject: Survive prison
life
Subject: Survive prison
no, they must abide by whatever rules are where they are being held. federal prisoners are in county jail mainly because they are testifying in some case in that jurisdiction.
Subject: Survive prison
your son has more to worry about than turning on the guy that got him the drugs...
Subject: Survive prison
sometimes, turning yourself in is the only way to survive. it is extreme, as it is a form of the SHU or solitary confinement but "administrative" and not "disciplinary" segregation.
Subject: Survive prison
It usually takes up to a week before the inmates may use the phone and have visitation. If they have money on their books they can go to commissary provided it is their day of the week.
