Former Inmates Are Sharing Things About Prison That Most People Don’t Know, And I’m Shocked I Didn’t Know Any Of This
Being that many of us only get sensationalized and sometimes inaccurate depictions of prison life from movies and TV, it's hard to know what life is actually like for the millions of people incarcerated worldwide.
So, when I came across this Reddit thread that asked, "Ex-prisoners of Reddit, what is something about prison that a lot of people don't know?" I was humbled to be corrected on the things I thought I knew about prison life and learn many new facts I did not know.
Here's what everyone shared:
1."A lot of people don't realize how much trading goes on inside. It's not just cigarettes. Everything has value, from ramen noodles to stamps. The barter system is huge, and sometimes it feels like an economy all on its own."
2."Don't ask, don't tell. The guy running around talking about how he's in for 'a body' is a liar. He's definitely a deflecting sex offender. The guys who are in [for murders] are lifers and don't need to tell you why they're in."
3."How loud it is ALL THE TIME. Damn near deafening."
4."How creative everyone is. People invent the craziest shit to do mundane things that we take for granted."
"First thing that comes to mind is TV stands made of toilet paper and tattoo guns made of dismantled CD players and guitar strings."
5."I can only speak for Australian prisons, but the food can be incredible if you're lucky and if they let the prisoners cook. Seriously, the best crumbed chicken I've ever had was in prison in the mid-90s. So crisp and full of flavor. 25 years, and I've never had anything that has come close to how nice it was. Wish I knew who cooked it so I could visit their restaurant, lol."
6."I'm in the US. If you don't have money or someone is sending you money, and you don't have a hustle, you are going to be hungry. The food is ass, and will not fill you up. In my state, you only get two meals on weekends."
"Having a hustle is a good idea in general. Some folks write letters, make art, or sell items they stole from whatever job they have (e.g., clean/brand new clothes, bleach for washing said clothes in the sink so they don't get mixed in with the ones with shit stains and stuff, any sort of items used to make a tattoo machine are highly valuable, food from the kitchen smuggled back). Any job where you have access to certain things and aren't scared to steal can net you some good pull and money."
7."It's a lot more relaxed than people would guess; common knowledge of prison has come from media that dramatizes the conflicts and violence. There is conflict and violence, but unless one places themselves in a position to be targeted, it's unlikely they will be."
8."As others have said, it's mostly boring as shit. The constant tension can get to you, but you find a groove and a routine, maybe a couple of people to kick it with, and just do your thing. Read. Work out. I read an insane amount of books in two years. Well over a hundred. Got in good shape. And got a few certificates."
9."The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is almost self-sufficient. They make almost everything they use: food, clothing, all that."
10."Here in Wisconsin, there's a volunteer organization that trains guide dogs. All guide dogs in this program are housed at a prison and trained by an inmate for a portion of every dog's puppy raising process."
11."You've heard of for-profit prisons, but it starts well before and ends well after prison. Everything has a cost: parole (you pay a parole fee), community service (you pay a community service fee), court costs, and you owe the state for part of the cost of you being in jail. Restitution (paying back the people hurt by your crime). Ankle monitor, that's on your tab. Can't pay? Parole revoked, back to jail with no chance of re-parole, or you must serve your full sentence because you violated conditions of your parole."
"And remember that you're supposed to be paying all this on whatever job you can get as a felon. Do you know how many jobs, like Wendy's or even Kroger, tell you to GTFO when you answer that you have a felony conviction? If you have a substance-related conviction (and sometimes, even if you don't... e.g., me), you have to do regular drug testing. You're paying for that, of course."
(Cont'd) "I did the math, and I owed about $2200/month in mandatory court expenses that, if I did not pay, I would go back to jail. That was something like 200 hours of work a month before taxes and not even considering food. And I had a fairly good job, especially for a convicted felon. The system is absolutely, 100% designed to send you back to prison. There is simply no way a normal ex-con can get out of the 'cycle' on their own."
12."From my husband: From the color of the uniform to the color of the walls, every detail of a prison was thought about and placed to keep your mind numb and institutionalized."
13."You meet a lot of people in there that you really wish you didn't meet."
14."Cell phones are extremely easy to get, and contrary to popular belief, it's not just corrections officers bringing them in. That's actually less common than you think. Not many people want to risk their jobs and benefits for their families for a bit of money. And inmates don't want to risk being thrown in the hole for trying to proposition an officer. They also don't want to be seen talking privately to an officer and looking like a snitch. There are other ways contraband can get in."
(Cont'd) "Drones dropping contraband into the yard is common nowadays. There's also the old walking up and throwing it over the fence. My prison let inmates drive cars for certain jobs, sometimes even off prison property. We also had windows that opened and could be taken completely off by unscrewing some bolts."
"Every night after the count, a group of inmates would go out the window and grab alcohol, cigarettes, cell phones, and a big one, which was food. It was usually dropped in a huge duffle bag in the woods behind the prison. Some of them got picked up by their wives/girlfriends and hung out for a few hours. I know someone who got their girl pregnant while doing that. When corrections officers noticed she was pregnant during a visit, he was put in the hole and investigated. Not sure what happened after that. Eventually, someone snitched, and four of them got caught."
15."If you're on the spectrum, it's gonna be hella overstimulating. The fluorescent lighting, the celly that won't shut fuck up, the texture of the scrubs you gotta wear."
"God, I feel that so hard. There were times I was close to having a meltdown, and tears were welling in my eyes. Nothing got to me like dudes in prison seeing me like that. I stood up for myself on day one, and no one really messed with me, but I couldn't explain that I was on the verge of tears because everything was so loud, and there were so many people absolutely everywhere."
16."I did some months in county jail, and toothpaste is the go-to treatment for almost any skin issue."
"Toothpaste is also a good adhesive. The number of times I've escorted prisoners to fix up smashed-up cells, and there is toothpaste being scrubbed off all the walls because they've used it to stick up photos and whatever else. No wonder they go through it like there's no tomorrow."
And lastly, a longer list from a former inmate in Ireland:
17."There are a lot of talented people in prison. Artists who can draw sexual pictures are popular. There are genuinely nice, decent people in prison who just did stupid things. Prison is damn noisy. 24/7. You get used to having no privacy/using toilets in front of cellmates, or having officers see you shower. Many inmates abuse the medical system to get strong painkillers like Lyrica or other drugs, which can give a high if taken in larger doses."
"There are good education opportunities in prison if you avail of them. Some inmates even get limited access to laptops for open university courses. Lifers get more perks than temp prisoners. They have nothing to lose, really, so they are happy. Some prisons have Netflix, etc. (no choice as to what they put on, but still). Others even allow old Xbox 360 or PlayStation 2 consoles. Trusted prisoners often work as counselors and get training by The Samaritans. They save lives by helping prisoners cope, especially new prisoners."
(Cont'd) "Prison becomes normal very quickly. You get used to the restrictions and just get on with it. You only reform if you really want it. Being in prison itself doesn't make it happen. Prison, honestly, isn't a good solution. For every person that comes out better, ten come out worse, with no fear and better criminal knowledge/connections. Going back to work after getting out from a long sentence is hard. You get used to being lazy and surviving on little money. You kinda reject societal norms once that society has punished you so severely by taking years of your life."
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
