What's life really like in prison?

[Thankyou4calling]

It's easy to say that you will be played with in the shower by Mr. Big or that those inside for crimes against children are beaten senselessly on a regular basis.

But what's it really like?

The food, does it have a gym, can you watch TV when you like? Are drugs freely available?

I'm intrigued to know.

[Thankyou4calling]

GTIR said:

It's not about what the conditions are like.

The fact you are locked up and denied your freedom is what really gets to people.
However, it's human nature to adgust and become institusionalsed and it does become normal after a while.

I wouldn't take any notice of these sensationalist headlines from the redtops about "cushy time" and TV's. PS3's and the like. It kind of misses the point.

I accept what you are saying but I wanted to know about TVs etc. We all know inmates are deprived of their liberty but what's life like?

A poster above says someone he knows obtained a forklift licence in prison which is really surprising.

[Thankyou4calling]

Hilts said:

I know a guy who's been in 13 different prisons in 3 different countries including 9 in the USA. All for the same case.

He served a total of 4 and a half years.

Some aspects are better in America ie weather and yard time but in the UK things like the food and the gyms were much better.

You are Steve McQueen aren't you? In the cooler, that's how you know :-)

[Thankyou4calling]

HTP99 said:

It certainly is another world.

I was having a chat with the eldest a few days ago about a murder in our town; a guy was murdered because he was in a relationship with a girl who's ex had just got out of prison for drug offences, the ex just went looking for him and killed him; I just can't comprehend what goes through someones mind for them to do that; he will be back in prison now for a bloody long time, won't ever see his daughter and has screwed up his life again.

Interesting. have you a link to that, which town was it and when?

[Thankyou4calling]

shakotan said:

Also, 'roid rage' is generally a myth. It can certainly heighten the aggression of an already aggressive person, but if you're a passive person its not going to turn you into some homicidal maniac.

Roid rage is a newspaper headline.

Taking steroids won't affect your levels of tolerance at all.

The trouble is of course that many who take steroids are aggressive anyway, security people, lifters, sports people etc and they are then not only aggressive people but strong aggressive people.