21 Ex-Cons Share Something the Rest of Us Don't Know About Prison

Thanks to movies and shows, many of us have an idea of "the inside" that's either dramatized, or wholly incorrect.

Published 3 months ago in Wow

Prison is rough. Everyone knows that. But thanks to movies and shows, many of us have an idea of "the inside" that's either dramatized, or wholly incorrect.

But these former inmates are here to set the record straight by sharing secrets about being in prison that the rest of us might not know. It's a lot more difficult, and a lot more expensive than you might think.

1
The Noise
“How loud it is ALL THE TIME. And when it gets quiet, it's time to start paying attention to what's going on.”

2
Talent
“There are a lot of talented people in prison. Artists who can draw suggestive pictures are popular. There are genuinely nice, decent people in prison who just did stupid things.”

3
Medical Abuse
“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.”
4
Education
“There are good educational opportunities in prison if you use them. Some inmates even get limited access to laptops to do open university courses.”

5
Perks
“Lifers get more perks than temp prisoners. They have nothing to lose really, so it is important they are kept happy.”
6
TV
“Some prisons have Netflix or TV. No choice as to what gets put on, but it’s still nice. Some prisons even allow old XBox 360 or PlayStation 2 consoles.”
7
Reform
“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, and with less fear of prison or going back.”

8
Privacy
“You have to get used to having no privacy, using toilets in front of cell mates, and having officers watch you shower.”
9
Work
“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.”
10
Counseling
“Trusted prisoners often work as counselors and get training by The Samaritans. They save lives by helping prisoners cope, especially new prisoners.”

11
Daily Life
“Prison becomes normal very quickly. You get used to the restrictions and just get on with it.”
12
The Real Cost
Everything has a cost. Parole? You pay a parole fee. Ankle monitor, on your tab. Can't pay? Parole revoked, back to jail with no chance of re-parole.

The biggest scams are the halfway houses. They were about $1500 a month in my town, to share a dorm room with, well, another ex-con. Can't pay? Parole revoked, back to prison.

You have to do regular drug testing. It was like $128 a month for 2x a month drug testing. And my conviction wasn't drug related.

I did the math and I owed about $2200 per month in mandatory court expenses, that if I did not pay I would go back to jail. And remember that you're supposed to be paying all this on whatever job you can get as a felon.

But the best part was that the judge that sentenced both of us owned the halfway house. He was a partial owner. 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.”
13
Economy
“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. We used packs of fish mackerels as money. Three fish mackerels equaled one cigarette.”

14
PTSD
“I’ve never been in prison, but I would employ ex-prisoners at my Taco Bell, and heard absolute horror stories about Polk County Prison in Florida. Every single one of them had some sort of PTSD, if you moved too quickly by them or moved things around their head they’d get very jumpy and defensive very quickly. Polk county is 100% one of these places meant to keep you in the system. The Sheriff owns half the town's property at this point. 32 years or something in power.”
15
Peace
“Most of the time people actually get along very well. (Because starting a fight can get you killed real fast.)”
16
Gum
“It's illegal to smoke in prisons in my country, so they have nicotine gum. They're sold in "sleeves," and go for $5 a sleeve. That's inside currency. Transfers will cost you $90 for 10 sleeves. That's when they get someone on the outside to send money to your outside account, and you buy sleeves inside for them.”

17
Dogs
“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.”
18
Assault
“The assault issue, while not non-existent, is way less IRL than in the movies. I was in for two years, and it never happened once, in either prison. There's the odd tale told by lifers about "this guy 10 years ago," or "I knew a guy in a different jail", but it's not common.”
19
Cards
“Cards are king. Canasta and Big 2 were the games of choice in one prison. The other one had a Bridge table.”

20
Walk, Don't Run
“You can roll your eyes and walk away from almost any aggressive dude, but if you run, you're gonna get lit up. What you say can get you dabbed up in your cell.”
21
Patience is King
“The name of the game is patience. There's certain things you can put in requests to purchase, like discmans or a fan. Expect to wait three months. They'll order it in a few weeks, it'll arrive a week after, and it will sit in V&C for two months before they open it and give it to you. Harass them, they'll put it in property, and you can have it when you're released.”