14 Former Inmates Share Their Stories About Life Behind Bars
Most of us have never and will never spend time behind prison bars. But that means all that we really know about these living conditions is what we're fed on TV and movies.
Published 1 year ago in Wow
Most of us have never and will never spend time behind prison bars. But that means all that we really know about these living conditions is what we're fed on TV and movies.
Well thanks to AskReddit, we've found 15 stories that prove prison isn't exactly like what Hollywood loves spoon-feeding us on the regular. From prisoners getting a full education to female inmates treating tampons and pads as currency, we've compiled first-hand accounts of what life behind bars is truly like.
2
I work in a mixed med/max, one of the inmates told me the worst for him is the absolute lack of mental stimulation. Even with jobs they work 3 to 4 hours a day depending on where they are but those jobs are boring. I'd like to see them offer more ways to learn usable skills when released. -inquisitiveeyebc
3
There’s opportunities to actually do things to better yourself, but you have to create those opportunities for yourself. I tutored GED classes and worked in education teaching basic computer classes, I did an apprenticeship for dental assisting, and I helped people get in shape (was a personal trainer on the streets). I also finished my associates in there.
I took out as many low interest student loans to go back to school to complete my degree. Those loans helped me not suffer while getting back on my feet. All I had to do was work full time and go to school. -Budget_Connection_325
It's different than what you'd normally see on T.V. because you'll mostly see the worst examples of what a prison can be, and because the guards and administration want to make themselves look as good as possible for the cameras. I made a lot of friends in prison and I am still close with a lot of them. I even gained a brother who I still talk to and see on a regular basis. -I_Am_The_Only_Groot
6
It’s actually pretty crazy the micro economies that exist behind bars, along with the ways people pass time. From barbers to trainers and tattoo artists and personal chefs, people without “income” or someone putting money on their account regularly definitely find their ways to earn an income. -Ok_Faithlessness5367
7
In most cases the COs are scarier than the inmates. People forget that they can basically do whatever they want to you as long as you live - even in the rare case where they go too far, lock an inmate in a shower and scald him with hot water or something, they just barely face consequences.
At my prison if you got out of line, a couple of the COs would punish you by bringing a K-9 police dog into your cell to relieve itself on your face... -pocrik98
They also didn’t give any sort of orientation so when you’d have to get out of bed for a headcount, another inmate had to tell me to get up. I also didn’t know other protocols. There was a carton of milk in the toilet. I figured someone just threw it away, so I peed in the toilet and flushed.
Couple hours later, one guy walked up to me and said “did you pee on the milk?!” Turns out he was just keeping it in there so it would stay cold. -squaredistrict221312
My obsession became tearing loose threads from my blanket every night. Chewing them and hoping to make the biggest ball of loose threads possible. One day they checked our mouths and I lost that big ball of refuse; it was heartbreaking to lose the only purpose I had in the entire world. -grond-grond-grond
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