Ask Me Questions About Prison

[Balloon guy 158]

Were there any opportunities to further your education?Ever read The Hot House?

[SCS 0]

Great post. AmScray has quickly become my favorite poster.

[AmScray 355]

I think this is probably one of the best threads ever on FCP.There are so many different approaches to prison, especially when it comes to the rehabilitation vs punishment and all the different methods. I would like to see a brief (or detailed if you feel so inclined) comment on each of these ideas:1. Prisoners are criminals, and should be made to work in order to pay for their keep in prison. They should be forced to do manual labour or some other productive work every day as if it were their job. This would benefit the community and society, prevent the view of prison as a 'free ride', and stop inmates from wasting their time in prison.

They already do have to "work". I got really lucky in that I have a knack for mechanical things and got a relatively easy job, but yes, 99.9% of all inmates "work" very hard. For the early part of my sentence, I was growing foods for institutional use. I have a feeling your prisons are very different over there, if inmates aren't working.

2. Criminals often turn to crime due to a disadvantaged background, and as such they need to learn during their time in prison, so that when they are released they will have a better chance at gainful employment, as well as a better understanding of the world. They should be forced to attend classes, or complete correspondence courses in order to obtain certificates of higher education, be it a High School Diploma, College Degree, or a specialised course.

(WARNING: LONG. CLIFFS NOTES: CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM BROKEN, CREATING LIFELONG CRIMINALS RATHER THAN CORRECTING POOR DECISION MAKING OR ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIORS. INSTITUTIONAL OPPOSITION TO OFFENDER REHABILITATION, ACTUALLY CODIFIED IN FEDERAL LAW.)At some point in the 1990's, congress eliminated Pell grants for inmates- because after all... THEY'RE FELONS! WHY IN GODS NAME SHOULD WE BE EDUCATING PRISONERS! CUZ'N THEY'RE PRISONERS AN' KUN-VICK-TED FELUNZ AN' EDUCATION IS BAD FOR THEM!To make it even worse, kids who are convicted of drug selling charges during their college years- even relatively minor ones- are made permanently ineligible for a whole host of Federal student aid after release (or, even if they've never served any time at all and just got probation). The original thinking was that getting rid of federal student loans for people convicted of selling drugs during their college years would help to eliminate drugs on campus. A collateral consequence of this most hideous and short-sighted policy (which has obviously has 0 practical effect other than to allow politicians in a few miserably sanctimonious "Bible" states like Kansas to add more hollow blabber to their "war on drugs" rhetoric) was that low income people convicted of drug charges, in addition to facing almost insurmountable employment charges, can never afford education either, even if they truly want to better their lives. In your country (Britain, I assume?), most convictions become "spent" after a period of time, where the offender eventually regains their basic civil rights if they keep their nose clean and their records are sealed as a matter of procedure. In this country, many states (and the Feds) have no expungement procedure whatsoever, meaning that a person is never allowed to get on with their life and remains unemployable forever if they happen to be born in the wrong state, or, convicted in Federal court. I've referred to the "philosophical change" in justice philosophy that occurred in the 1960's a couple times in this thread;In the 1950's, 60's and into the 1970's, the US saw a dramatic increase in crime (particularly in urban areas) for numerous reasons. Certain industries were in decline, the economy was wildly fluctuating, drug use became far more pervasive, social norms were shifting, etc. Prior to this, the general incarceration emphasis was "corrections". Prisons had machine shops, wood shops, trades teachers- if you found yourself in prison, the idea was to return you to society a better, repaired man (there were some grave exceptions to this- some old prisons in the South were positively horrendous places, but for most everywhere else, the emphasis was on "corrections" along side of the punishments that are attendant with losing your freedom and being locked up with a bunch of bad guys)It's a topic that many theses have been written about, so safe to say, I can't tackle it all in this post... Fast forward a few decades; a few decades of public disgust with rising crime, a few decades of "get tough" politicians promising to make prisons worse places for the sake of punishment, a few decades of ratcheting up the consequences for minor offenses, a few decades of lowering the bar for what constitutes a felony and here we are; a nation that incarcerates more people per-capita than any other country. A nation that doesn't give a second thought or moments pause to totally ruining a mans life over a mistake that used to be a $50 fine. A country that takes a kid who made a stupid decision at 19 and holds it over to when he's 40's, telling him that as a result of his decision two decades earlier- prior to his brain being fully formed- he cannot obtain good employment... We've fucked up criminal justice so, so bad. We let the worst amongst us dictate criminal justice philosophy by appealing to our base emotions and fears, rather than allowing the brightest amongst us to figure out the best possible solution. Like I said, I am 100% pro death penalty. I am 100% for INCREASED penalties for certain crimes... but those cases represent the real outliers on the spectrum of prisons and prisoners. To give you a visual example of what I'm talking about...At present, over 1% of our entire population is in jail. Repeat- We're a nation of over 300,000,000 people, with a full 1% of them incarcerated. For the past few decades, we could ignore the massive failings of the incarceration system, since people who had served time in prison were still such distant anomalies that no one had to give them much thought, since their voices were few and they were Scarlett lettered anyway. We're rapidly approaching the point where we have to reform this. There's a lot of speculation why we don't- prison industry is a hundreds-of-billions business that supports many poor communities, has peripheral positive impact on industry, etc. That, and there's always those morally right retards who insist that disadvantages for ox-offenders are simply "consequences of their own actions and you should've thought of that before yuo sold that pot!1!1!!1one!!"____Replying to the others...

[grocery_mony 8]

How many smokes does it take to buy a bj?

[AmScray 355]

Ive always felt that I could break out of prison if they ever caught me for something I ever got thrown in for a bum rap. How many escape plans did you make and were any feasible?

Zero escape plans. My actual time served was less than 2 years- an escape charge added an immediate five years, plus loss of all gain time, etc. You will find that this is the biggest bludgeon most institutions have- that you will eventually get caught and eventually get five more years added (plus, drastically move up security classification). It just doesn't make sense for people serving lower sentences. For example, numerous Federal Prison Camps don't even have fences- just "yellow lines" painted around them that if you cross, you get years added to your sentence. Most people in there just want to go home... The ones who want to break out usually don't remain in lower custody levels very long.The worst thing about prison is if you have a loved one who gets sick/dies while you're in. My home state allows for leaves in cases of death or terminal illness of a immediate family member, where your family has to pay overtime hours for an armed guard to escort you- in shackles and an orange jumper- to the funeral/hospital in a prison van (which you also have to pay for), then you get 2 hours visit, then back to the institution. Many states don't even have that. We had a few guys do it and it was always extremely ugly when they got back, since displays of emotion in there aren't such a good thing.

Could you please comment on the food.What was typically served for breakfast lunch and dinner?

Lots of fruits and veggies we grew, "government bulk" foods, PB&J, instant mashed potatoes- it wasn't "good", but it wasn't subhuman or horrible. It was adequate. Plus, you had canteen where you could buy snacks.

Any particular story/memory of your first day? of your last day?What did you gamble on?

First day was nerve racking, but not the total fearbox that most people say they experience on their first time in. I've always been pretty solid with "rolling with the punches" and since I already had a lot of life experience with bad neighborhoods/generally lower caliber people, it was something I knew I could deal with.If you're Mr. Mikey Middleclass, totally different ballgame. It will be extremely stressful. Last day was uneventful. When you're in doing time, you just want to do it and go home. You don't want to be there, you form no attachment to anything- I got about as much satisfaction leaving prison as I do when taking a dump. Brief, relieving, then immediately leaves your stream of consciousness. To others, it's a life altering experience. To me, it was just another brief chapter in my life. We played lots of cards, made stupid prop bets and gambled on sports. I had my uncle get sports lines from the outside and relay them to me on visits. I would then retool the lines and make action that was hugely slanted to my advantage, but there were always plenty of takers. I only gambled with white guys I knew I could trust and wouldn't stab me in the neck when my back was turned to avoid paying a debt. You bet with stamps, canteen items, "pledges" of canteen credits from the persons account. For example, Bob might take the Seahawks + 14.5 at even money and bet $5 canteen. When he lost, you would then place a canteen order and he would fill it. You had to keep track of all the lines and wagers in your mind, as any written documents pertaining to bookmaking would result in immediate transfer and security reclassification. I'm by no means an expert book maker, but this was just flat out shooting fish in a barrel. After a while, I had to tell my family to stop putting money in my account, as I had so many canteen credits with other people that I didn't need it.

Did you play poker before prison? Learn in prison, etc?

It's when I started to take it seriously and actually think about how to win. When I got out, I started to take it 'seriously-seriously'. I always liked cards and actually learned how to play draw at a rather freakishly young age from my grandpa- I remember my mom calling me to tell me that "poker was on TV" when they first broadcast Scotty Nguyen's ME win. I watched older WSOP's before that as a kid, but getting locked up was definitely the first time I realized that my wits and somewhat refined understanding of human nature, behavior and tendencies could potentially be profitable.

Do you think that if you came from a famous or wealthy background that you could have "got off" with the charges? Or, if you could have afforded the best lawyer would that have made a difference? Was there anything that you or your lawyer could have done better in the legal proceedings that would have / could have given you less of a sentence.Was the time you served standard for the crime you did? Or, do most people with similar crimes do more or less time?

No, I wouldn't have gotten off no matter how much money I had. There was no question who did it and no question what was done. I'd say that I probably served much less time than other people in for similar offenses, but there are reasons for that. Mainly, that I had mitigating factors on the "front end" as far as the offense itself, but also, because people who tend to get locked up for violent offenses are usually violent types with criminal records and 'feral' type lives. I was a college student with an extensive community service background, no criminal record, etc. The severity of my offense mandated that prison had to be used as punishment, but had circumstances in my life been different, I may have gone away for a long time.

Okay, maybe I wasn't clear in my question but when could you jerk off?

At night, after lights out, when you hear your cellie start snoring.

[AmScray 355]

How many smokes does it take to buy a bj?

As few as one. Not my thing, but if it's yours, there's plenty of it available.

[grocery_mony 8]

As few as one. Not my thing, but if it's yours, there's plenty of it available.

So if I smoke 2 packs a day I gotta suck 40 dicks

[serge 904]

How much did you get paid to work? I assume they paid you in credits? For example how long did you have to "earn" a chocolate bar?

[Asimo 1]

How has this affected your credit? Is it difficult to buy a house or car because your need to tell them you've committed a felony?

[James D 0]

So if I smoke 2 packs a day I gotta suck 40 dicks

Or maybe just 1... 40 times.

[AmScray 355]

How much did you get paid to work? I assume they paid you in credits? For example how long did you have to "earn" a chocolate bar?

.10 an hour. Canteen prices were slightly higher than what you might find in a convenience store. Way more than Wal Mart, less than what you pay at a sports stadium.

How has this affected your credit? Is it difficult to buy a house or car because your need to tell them you've committed a felony?

It hasn't had any impact on my credit whatsoever. Criminal record isn't a factor in credit worthiness. I was relatively free from debt when I went in and what little I had was serviced by my family while I was away. There isn't a box on a mortgage application that says "Check Here If You've Ever Been Committed Of a Felony" (at least not with any of the lenders I've worked with). I don't pay interest on depreciating assets, so I don't buy new cars... But if for some freakish reason I decided to buy one, it isn't like the "Check Here For Felon Status" box is on vehicle credit applications, either. There are, of course, ancillary consequences. For example, if you get locked up with lots of debt and can't pay it, your credit will be trashed. Employability can be next to impossible for a lot of people post-release, so there, they will have income requirement issues, but no, your criminal record doesn't show up on you credit report.

[Sam Donaldson 0]

How did your friends and family react to this? Were they supportive, unsupportive, pissed off, etc?

[AmScray 355]

How did your friends and family react to this? Were they supportive, unsupportive, pissed off, etc?

It was very hard on family, but they were supportive.I've always been very selective about social relationships and haven't ever engaged in too many friendships, but the ones I had/have were all solid and stood by me. Your mileage may vary- lots of people lost all their friends and alienated their families over stupid shit like drug offenses.

[James D 0]

Descrive your very worst day/night inside... did you ever cry?

[AmScray 355]

Descrive your very worst day/night inside... did you ever cry?

Never cried.Honestly, my time was pretty uneventful. Had one brief scrap at AM chow but not severe enough to alter my control status or send me to "the hole". There were some tense moments when groups of inmates were scheming against each other and you had to be extra on guard, but there wasn't any one particular moment or event that really stands out as being "worst". Some people did have pretty bad experiences, I didn't. I'm a very big guy and didn't go out of my way to **** with anyone, so that definitely helped. People were occasionally prone to testing you, but the first few times you quell it, it goes away. In a way, it's a lot like junior high school.

[speedz99 145]

What was the most fucked up thing you saw while you were there?Did you pretend to be christian?

[strategy 4]

I've got a lot of respect for ya, scram. whoever you are.

[AmScray 355]

What was the most fucked up thing you saw while you were there?Did you pretend to be christian?

There were plenty of bad things that went on... Lots of schadenfreude type stuff. The other thing wasn't an issue. My last name is only identifiable to people who have a rather keen knowledge of name etymologies, which ya know... isn't exactly the sort of person you're dealing with in there. I look more Italian/Puerto Rican'ish than like an ethnic Jew, so it isn't like I was identifiable that way either.When you in-process, you do have to declare your religion, I checked "none". The only time it was ever acknowledged was by a minister who put the pieces together and tried to convert me from my heathen ways and lead me to Heebus. I had no real interest in any of that stuff, but I never did look down on the "normal guys" who leaned on faith or religion while they were in there. I did have a pretty large degree of disgust for the people who used it go get out of work or for the Chesters who took up with the ministry.One thing about Child Molesters- 100%, they will find Jesus while they're in. It's a combination of factors; their own status as being the most hated people on earth, presumably their own self loathing, the fact that active religious people were generally left to themselves... They would all walk around with their bibles and have sex offender "prayer gatherings" that were just totally fucking absurd.

[gfdsa146 0]

Did you keep any of your clothing on from outside when you first came in? or did you have to change into the orange jumpsuit right away?If you were allowed to keep your clothing/effects with you going into prison, did you deliberatly throw them away so you didn't have to embarrasingly give it to Jerome who "likes those shoes"?One more thing, on your old Scram account, you had an avatar of some white guy with a REALLY nasty inflated, ****ed up forehead. Who was that?

[chrozzo 19]

damn....id fold like a 72 offsuit if i ever landed in prison

[bdc30 0]

At night, after lights out, when you hear your cellie start snoring.

How many nights were you both up past 2am each waiting for the other to fall asleep??

[GWCGWC 83]

How much jail time did you serve before you went to the can? Do you think your holding time in jail contributed to tempering your nerves for your first day in prison?How much worse was jail than prison?Why am I so fascinated by prison shows on MSNBC or National Geo?When has being a big guy deterred anyone from fucking with them? Big meaning tall and thick (6'3" 220), not big as in gelatinous blob(5'10" 260). I've found the opposite to be true. Big guys get tested and are singled out by want to be bad asses trying to prove themselves in bars and pool halls everyday. If I understood your OP, you claimed to not know if you'd do anything differently if given the chance to go back in time and not do the deed that landed you inside. Is this an honest assertion or does it come from the futility of regretting decisions that can't be changed?What is your preferred term for prison?

[AmScray 355]

Did you keep any of your clothing on from outside when you first came in? or did you have to change into the orange jumpsuit right away?If you were allowed to keep your clothing/effects with you going into prison, did you deliberatly throw them away so you didn't have to embarrasingly give it to Jerome who "likes those shoes"?

You were issued one pair of what they called "blues" when you got there, but you could buy sweatpants from the canteen. I definitely gave everything away when I left. It's standard protocol and unlike most people, I actually met a few people I liked in there. If they didn't need the stuff themselves, they could trade it, etc. I drained my canteen account (since it was only like $50 and $50 worth of canteen goods was a huge deal to them) and gave my buddies a ton of stuff. I had about $75 worth of canteen credits that people owed me from bets, but a few were from people who would probably be likely to say f-off to anyone who bought the debt but wasn't willing to enforce collection... I consolidated those debts by trading them with another debt holder in exchange for one $30 debt from an old man who was a lock to pay. I then told my debtors that I had sold their debts and who now owned them and informed the guy whose debt I now owned that I would be transferring ownership of that debt to a friend of mine and he was expected to pay. Keep in mind, handling debt on either end is precisely the sort of thing that gets people seriously ****ed up in there and it isn't advisable, but I was very careful with who I dealt with.

How many nights were you both up past 2am each waiting for the other to fall asleep??

Kind of a funny story about release. So, my girlfriend waited for me, god bless her heart. Needless to say, when I got out, I tore that shit up for a week straight. The FIRST thing you do when you get out, though, is sleep. It's the first time in a long time when you can really feel totally safe, not have to hear any hollering or conversations, not have to sleep on your side to avoid the light getting shone in your eyes every 1/2 hour... So as soon as I got home, I ate a big spaghetti dinner then immediately hit the sack and conked out. While I was sleeping, my family had the TV on in the living room when some black show came on where a bunch of blacks started hollering and shouting and it woke me up. For a split second, in a semi conscious daze, I didn't realize where I was and shouted "MAN, SHUT THE FUCK UP"... They all came running in to see what was wrong; once I explained the deal to them and they realized what happened, we all started dying laughing...

[AmScray 355]

How much jail time did you serve before you went to the can? Do you think your holding time in jail contributed to tempering your nerves for your first day in prison?How much worse was jail than prison?Why am I so fascinated by prison shows on MSNBC or National Geo?When has being a big guy deterred anyone from fucking with them? Big meaning tall and thick (6'3" 220), not big as in gelatinous blob(5'10" 260). I've found the opposite to be true. Big guys get tested and are singled out by want to be bad asses trying to prove themselves in bars and pool halls everyday. If I understood your OP, you claimed to not know if you'd do anything differently if given the chance to go back in time and not do the deed that landed you inside. Is this an honest assertion or does it come from the futility of regretting decisions that can't be changed?What is your preferred term for prison?

Very little jail time. I was out on bond, remanded into custody at sentencing, two nights in county then transported straight to the big house. It had no impact on tempering my nerves- life had already done that. Based on my limited experiences with the county can, prison is much, much better in that you're allowed to develop some semblance of a "life" whereas county lockups and holding tanks, you're just there to stare at the gray walls and eat 3 times a day. Being a big guy has a pretty decent deterrent quality if you don't take any shit. Yes, people will try you, but once you prove that you aren't going to tolerate anything, the jackals back off. If you're big but a pussy, you will have problems, but anyone who is a pussy will have problems in there regardless of size. Prison shows on TV usually depict very hard maximum security institutions full of lifers, violent career criminals, severe anti-socials, the worst mentally ill, etc. Like I've said, those places are different worlds. I honestly don't know if I'd do it again or not. Part of me says yes, part of me says no, but I'm sure in time this will eventually resolve into a finite answer. Right now, I'm leaning towards "yes", but let things change in my life where I need to get a job but can't, this might change. As far as the term I use for prison, I call it the joint. This is regional- guys in other places call it other things. Where I'm from, the Joint is most common.

[timwakefield 68]

No, I wouldn't have gotten off no matter how much money I had. There was no question who did it and no question what was done.

orly?