Prison Survival

Originally posted by Zhenyghi

-I remember some other advice, via "Red" from The Shawshank Redemption, "...if I were you, I'd grow eyes out of the back of my head.."

Red is right.

One of my brothers-in-law was a prison guard for some time (a year?) before I knew him. Word is he couldn't take the verbal assualts from the prisoners; they'd threaten him, his wife and kids once they got out, or would promise they knew someone on the outside that could get to him.

Prison is a difficult place to live and work in. You have to be Teflon. Threats like you have mentioned are commonplace and rarely carried out. The whole experience is one colossal mindf**k. If you can resist the head games you'll do fine.

Basic training or boot camp is a mild version of the prison experience. That may lend some perspective.

for years my CO friends have tried to get me on board. The only things that kept me away was the pay cut and the seniority. The sheer volume of employees pretty much translates into crappy shifts for years to come.

I can see how the verbal abuse can affect your well being. Creep is totally correct, you need to be thick skinned to take it. I have noticed that if you hesitate or show fear as a CO, the inmates go after it like sharks to blood. On the flip side though, if you take it too far and slap the inmates around too much, the love to sue. In our state there are cameras everywhere in the facility. That works as evidence both ways.

Okay, so let me understand....

Is it poosible to be in the hoosecow and not be "forced" into joining a gang? Isn't hanging with your own ethnicity in effect a gang? At least that's the impression that I get from the National Geographic shows..

reply to post by AlBeMet


Your A #wad....................sheesh

IMO a lot depends on the level of corruption in your local police force and justice system in terms of the chances you going to jail . While the New Zealand Police force and justice system is far from perfect I am far more likely to get set up by corrupt law enforcement officials should I travel to third world countries overseas . I don't feel sorry for the people who get caught smuggling illegal drugs in or out of foreign country's they are victims of there own stupidly .

I have given thought to what I would do if I ended up in wrongfully accused in some third world jail . The only thing that I have come up with is that I would want to get the hell out of there preferable without committing to many other crimes in the process . Its getting harder to disappear under the radar and it is possible that you might end up in some less then desirable places while you are seeking your freedom .

My cousin is a lifer in Angola State Prison in south Louisiana. I have been to visit him a few times, and he writes a lot of letters. For those who don't know, Angola is one of the worst prisons in the nation. Most of the guys there are lifers. My cousins advice to me was if you ever get sent to jail, act like you are crazy in the head. Talk to yourself, make weird noises and just act like you "aint all there". In the event someone still messes with you, instantly attack them wildly and loudly, screaming, biting, etc.etc. The reputation will get out that you aren't right in the head and they will leave you alone. Thats the method he uses, and he has survived 9 years so far with just a few minor scrapes. That's saying something, considering he is a 5'9", 175 lb white male.