Mt2r,

What is your initial reaction when you hear liberal types talking about how prisons are too brutal for the prisoners? Also when conservative types talk about how prisons are not strict enough on their inmates? Just some of your initial reactions when you run into these types of attitudes if this makes sense at all.

In 1995 Texas prisons began serving soy burgers instead of real beef. Probably made the switch because it's cheaper and studies have shown that consumption of soy raises estrogen levels which likely make one more docile.

both sides are right....... and wrong

there are too many drug and drunk driving guys in prisons

however, there are some really bad people who deserve a barbaric lifestyle and lots of caging.

States should have many levels of prisons (beyond max-mid-min). Illinois does a decent job with things like supermax, but the problem is prisons are now an industry. There is no incentive to kick out guys who don't belong other than budgetary shortfalls.

I am pro-death penalty now and I wasn't before. Some guys are just more harm than they are worth.


As far as too brutal, these aren't chain gangs or anything. I was in quite an old school prison and it seemed better than one could imagine given the crimes most people had committed.

There just needs to be more work on alternatives for people expected to rejoin society again. The thieves, drug addicts, drug sellers, etc need a plan better than warehousing. The murders, rapists, etc should just be caged.

just my rambling two cents

that's a cool factoid

Do you carry around a lot of biterness for the ordeal? Do you view it as a mistake you made or just bad luck and a crappy system?

Did you share cells or was it one to a cell?

What precautions could you take to avoid rape?

Did anyone warn you about protecting yourself from rape & assault or about not sharing personal details with others? (I suppose the question is - was there any sort of induction program for first-timers?)

Could your family give you other things beside $50 per month?


This is a very interesting post. Thanks for sharing and for answering these questions.

you must be lucky as my NHL picks have been pretty poor this year

Thanks for the story, very interesting. One of the guys I work with did 7 years straight out of high school for armed robbery and shooting the guy. It's always interesting hearing stories of the real life doing time. I did 2 days a couple years ago for DUI and don't know how you could take that long of a sentence.

Does having done time make you more law-abiding now? i.e. don't want to go back?

Has having been to prison affect your gambling? Or was it more of a result of the difficulty finding a job? How long is the look-back time? My coworker was able to get an internship with Chase recently and his didn't show up.

What would you do differently if you could go back? - with regards to your time spent.

depends upon the day.... a bit of everything

I am still quite upset that I received such a punishment for what I perceived was a light crime. There were much more effective ways to deal with me, but I was a resume builder for a state's attorney.

Bitter, but I don't dwell on it. Whenever the parole boards asks me about it, I tell them that I honestly thought the punishment was unfair and a bit draconian (then again, what convict doesn't think that about their punishment). It's a sunk cost at this point, though. Dwelling on it doesn't change things.

I definitely made a mistake and was not living life in a way approved of by my peers. I don't regret my drug use, but I do regret how big it had become. I like to think that most people, given my specific case, wouldn't have been so harsh. A few years probation would've changed my behavior just as much as prison. Instead, my mind got totally crushed for 8 or so months. I still don't feel I've regained some of the confidence I had. However, I do have quite a perspective on things.

Today and before the arrest, I've been a pro-legalization warrior. However, because I know the risks inherent in drug use and chose to use them doesn't mean I can disregard the rules society passes. What gives me the right to be superior? I'd like to see a more 'enlightened' drug policy, but it still doesn't change the fact that I knowingly was breaking the law.

I will say that I thought the drug I was using would have similar punishments as marijuana. That turned out to be a very bad assumption.

Wow thanks for sharing.

1) Were there any things from your past that you pretty much had to lie about to other prisoners like your upbringing, being a college student, potitical views, etc?

2) Your were never raped, but were you ever told by another prisoner it was going to happen?

shared when I was with general pop

stay away from potential rapists
seriously, there was this lifer at Joliet who everyone called Lola. He could bench well over 400 lbs. Seriously, a man named Lola is a man to stay away from. When it comes to your cellmate, or in your cell, there is just too much supervision from the COs (correctional officers) for it to happen unwillingly.

yep...everyone is warned about not sharing personal information. I made up a story that I was from Gettysburg, PN in oreder to share when that stuff came up. Other informal rules get passed down. For example, don't take the Little Debbie "Honey Bun" snack if it's left on your matress.

letters and some softcover books

seriously, letters from the outside are so huge and just lift spirits so much. Those friends who chose to write to me are forever gold in my book even if I haven't hugn out with them or seen them since.

ty

Great Report.

You sound like you were good at keeping to yourself and not escalating problems. That to me would be the hardest part of a sentence. I enjoy a good fight and the fear of getting more time versus takin a beatin is a tough call I think.

What happened to guys that were eager to fight and didnt take any shyt? Would they need to worry about gang buds retaliating if you put a beatin on their bud or?

Lets say you beat Mister Cali up good. What happens then?

MyTurn,

Thanks for an enlightening read.

Do you think your assignment to Joliet was mostly based on your high test scores?

Would you have ended up in minimum security the whole time if you had scored average on purpose?

What positives, if any, did your sentence have on your life?

awesome post.

Is there any privacy in taking a dump or spanking the monkey?

politics and college don't come up, especially college. Most inmates are not exactly fans of education and/or those who had educational opportunities.
Yeah, I made up a whole story about being from Gettysburg, PN. I talked of being a 3rd shifter at a grocery store, which is something I had done before. It's the type of job that one would expect from someone with drug issues.

people always tell this to the new guy...not sure how much truth there was. A few older guys told me to stay away from a few specific guys. Who knows? I stayed away from everyone to be safe.

Very interesting post. I know it wasn't my fault and that it doesn't do you any good, but I'm sorry you went through that.

nope

spanking does go on under sheets/blankets

no sheet to block a dump....cannot obscure part of the cell...COs get pissed
that image in the OP kind of obscures the toilet which is right behind the bunk.

I'm curious - what's with the honey bun?

My coworker said that guys who were having sex in prison came into the system with the thought of sex with other men (not why they committed crimes, but that they were interested beforehand) and saw prison as an opportunity to experience it. In your experience, is this accurate?

Did you get any prison tats?

absolutely.
Remember the anti-drug commercials, where a teenager would have something like 'basketball' or 'my little brother' as their anti-drug. Well, 'prison' is my anti-drug. It really hurt to let down my family, girlfriend, close friends, etc. I never want to put them through that again. I have never held drugs since.
yeah...i don't mind the negatives, such as the people in a casino or the swings so much. It also makes me unlikely to trust people, which I think is a good thing if one spends lots of times in casinos.
that's a big part too

7 to 10 years is pretty standard, some go all the way back

hmmm....before prison, I would've never held more than a night or two's supply for myself on me no matter the discount for buying in bulk.
As far as time spent, I wish I would've volunteered to work even more hours and been happier to work shoveling [censored] rather than hang out with the population.

absolutely, a prison counselor told me as much and said I should be thankful for the favor. I explained to her the disfavor it really was.

quite likely...not as nice as the one I ended up in, but most likely would've gone to Vandalia--not too bad

It's like anything else, you can make the most of it or the worst of it. I value my time an awful lot now. I'll never spend too much at work. I value those close to me and those who stuck by me alot. It becomes apparent who is your friend and who isn't.

It also got me free of drugs. I like to think I had it under control given I got really good grades at a competitive university, worked 25+ hours/week, kept my girlfriend happy enough, and had a decent social life. However, I cannot be sure how long that would've kept up. I was doing alot of drugs (marijuana a few times a week, opium once or twice per month, shrooms once a week, acid every few months, ghb 4 times per week, dxm once a week, and the occassional other drug thrown in). I might not have come out so good in the long run.

I'm also very unaffected by downswings in life in general. I've felt something very close to rock bottom. A bad day at the tables seems pretty minor in comparison.

they met guys who were bigger, got months added to their sentences, and spent alot of time in isolation. If I were ever to go back, I would get into a fight right away to go into isolation and away from the [censored].

If you want to fight, you better be affiliated with someone. White dudes end up with the arian nation.
yep
I get shanked within the next two days.

ty

I have no idea how that came about. Probably because inmates had access through the commissary store to the snack cakes and the words honey and bun. Whatever, I didn't want to seem to curious to find out.

describes quite a large portion of them....'punks'
get sent to Big Muddy in Illinois.


nope, although I use my IDOC# as my screenname at a few sites.

one question...

why did they send you to the max security first, then after you got in a fight you went to the easy one? i dont understand the process.

When you decided to let him kick your ass(good call), did you curl up in a fetal position?