Survive Prison Questions — Ask The Inmate

The counselor is your best point of contact at the facility, and calling and asking to speak with them directly is the right first step. That said, there is no guarantee that anything you share with facility staff stays completely confidential from your fiancé. Correctional facilities are not bound by the same confidentiality standards as therapists or attorneys. Staff communicate with each other about inmates and the people connected to them, and depending on what you share and how it gets...

It happens more than it should, and the motivation is almost always the same: someone facing their own charges decided that pointing a finger at a family member was worth it if it reduced their time. The system creates that incentive on purpose, and some people take it without a second thought about who they are burying in the process. There is no crime more contemptible inside than bearing false witness against someone who trusted you. Anyone who has done real-time...

Chillicothe Correctional Center is a relatively modern facility housing around 1,300 women. Like all state prisons, the basics are minimal. Meals are institutional, sleeping quarters are sparse, and the schedule is tightly controlled. The hardest part of incarceration for most people is not the physical conditions but the boredom, the relentless sameness of days that blur into one another. What sets Chillicothe apart from harder facilities is its programming. The institution offers a meaningful range of recreational, educational, and vocational options....

Four months?? That is nothing. You are scared because of the unknown, but this is going to be like "four months of adult camp", not prison. Most if not all inmates are not looking for trouble, they just want to go home too. Do not tell anyone you are only there for four months, short-timers can be targets because some inmate might be jealous you're leaving so soon. Make sure you have some money for commissary, it makes life bearable....

USP stands for United States Penitentiary. By definition, it is for maximum security inmates which means that all movement is controlled by the guards for set periods of time. There are one or two man cells. There are not near as many personal freedoms as you would find in the lower custody facilities. But, even in these strict, hard conditions the inmates seem to figure out the hierarchy of things and it truns into a little village where everyone just...

You miss the freedom to do most any everyday chore. Starting with the morning wake-up, they turn the lights on at 6am. There is a set time to each, set time to shower, set time to have recreation... it's like you are a kindergarten child being led through the day completely supervised. You miss having sex, being able to talk to your loved ones whenever you want, you miss their life as you only hear about it. Also, taking a shower...

The clothing question depends entirely on the specific facility. Every institution has its own rules about personal clothing. Some places issue uniforms from the start and your clothes get bagged and stored until release. Others allow inmates to keep certain personal clothing items like plain underwear or basic jeans that family can send in later. There is no universal answer until you know where you are going to do your time. Once your facility is confirmed, you can call directly...