Going to prison is an extremely difficult situation for those facing it. While many inmates do eventually learn to survive in their environment it is difficult to adjust. All prisons run a daily routine including meal times, work times, schooling, counseling, physical recreation, and free time. Inmates learn this schedule very quickly.

Being segregated from the outside world is a huge adjustment. The inmates aren’t the only ones who suffer. Their families also are left without them financially and emotionally. While there are visitations set up in most prison facilities, the days and times are limited.

Inmates have to comply with requirements of their sentence while in prison. This varies by inmate, but there are basic classes and schooling each must attend. Those without a high school education are required to complete their GED. If an inmate was sentenced for sex crimes or crimes of violence, they will have to complete classes to help rehabilitate them in those areas.

Prisons are not meant to be fun. They are meant to a place for individuals to serve their debt to society, to get assistance with their issues that led to the crime, and learn valuable coping skills and education to be able to be a successfully member of society again upon their release.

For the safety of other inmates and the guards, prisons go to great lengths to ensure security. There is often very few staff compared to the number of inmates. It is important to watch for suspicious activity to prevent riots and escape attempts. Prisoners have to wear jumpsuits of a particular color so they are easily spotted. All prisons have high fences with razor sharp wires to prevent escapes. They also have security doors and camera everywhere with a master control area. This area is where the employees watch all the surveillance cameras in the prison. Many prisons also have guard towers and guards who walk the perimeter of the facility throughout the day and night.

The number of prisons in the United States today is growing at an unbelievable rate. Private prisons are being built everywhere, as an investment and profitable business. Sadly, more money is put into prisons being built than into intervention programs to prevent individuals from ending up going to a correctional facility.

The goal is to give them the opportunity to serve their time while instilling values and marketable skills for them to use once they return to society. Prior to their release, inmates are trained in how to effectively search for jobs matching their skills. This intense training begins about 18 months prior to their release. Budgeting classes, social interaction classes, mock interviews, how to plan meals, everything the inmate is going to be faced with upon release. It helps reduce the stress and anxiety they feel when they are back in society. Newer classes include resume writing and job retention skills.

Federal prisons strictly stick to requirements about notifying witnesses and victims about an inmate’s status. They are made aware of escapes, parole hearings, furloughs, death, and release dates. This was established in 1982 with the Victims and Witnesses Protection Act. The laws were further enforced with the implement of Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement in 1994.

Each inmate is interviewed and screened as they enter the Federal prison system. They also receive a medical, mental, and dental evaluation. The goal is to deal with issues from the start of the sentence. This includes substance abuse as well. The rate of returning to prison is very high. It is at 46% for inmates released from Federal Prisons who commit a new crime and return to a facility within a 3 year period. The focus has shifted to providing better interventions and rehabilitation in the system to reduce the number of people returning to the system.

People sent to prison are there for a wide range of reasons from theft, embezzlement, child abuse, neglect, drinking and driving, to rape, kidnapping, and murder. Prisons are classified in levels based on the violence of the inmates. There are minimum security, minimum-maximum security, medium security, and maximum security prisons. The higher the security, the higher the risk of violence to the other inmates and the guards in that facility.

For many, going to prison is a lesson in survival. You are trying to find your place in the hierarchy of the inmates. New inmates are easy targets, and they are tested. They may be beaten or raped upon entering the prison system. The inmate must also balance the requirements set by the court and their counselor, watch out for other inmates, and stay out of trouble with the guards. In addition, they are likely trying to keep their home life and connection to society going from where they are.

Prison life consists of a standard daily routine. Inmates are all woke up at the same time and must be in bed at the same time each night for lock down. They are feed meals at the same time everyday. The prison routine is very structured to allow everyone to adjust to having such a rigorus schedule. Some inmates work while others attend classes and counseling. Visitations and recreational time are also scheduled events.

One area inmates have some control over in prison is their faith. They can freely exercise their faith of choice. Services are generally non-denominational, with a religious facilitator available for individual guidance.

Adjusting to life as an inmate is difficult. There is the isolation from society as well as the separation from family. Most facilities are not the safest place to be. While guards attempt to watch all activity, the do not have enough staff to watch everything that takes place. Prison facilities have different security levels. An individual may find themselves in a facility with minimum security and lower level criminals who have committed non-violent crimes. They may also fin themselves in a very high security prison with violent inmates who are doing life sentences for murders or rapes.

Regardless, survival skills have to be there, both to deal with the effects mentally and to deal with the physical endurances of the other inmates. Those who don’t stand up for themselves can fall victim to beatings, theft, and rape.

Prison life is very routine and scheduled. An inmate learns quickly when to get up, when to eat, when to have free time, when to attend classes, and when to go to bed. The idea is to give the inmate enough free time to relax, but not enough to create trouble. Give them enough learning information to use upon release, but not enough to overwhelm them.

Society often thinks prison life it too easy with too many privileges. However, take away those privileges of TV and recreation, and prisoners are not motivated to work towards anything. This leads to riots and chaos inside the facilities. Life inside prison is often not the luxury that is sometimes portrayed on TV. It is a daily struggle for survival and a constant reminder of the freedoms that individual has lost.

You need to be careful with such endeavors. Do not reveal too much information about yourself including where you life. While some inmates might just want friendship, you need to remember that they are in prison for a reason. You should research the information regarding their sentence before you make such a choice. Inmates have been known to scam people out of their entire life savings while behind bars. Some people only become pen pals with those on death row as a way of offering them support, but knowing that they will never be released from the facility.

Many marriages take place after a man and women begin writing to each other, even though one of them is behind bars. While this may sound strange to most of us, many people who find themselves in this situation state they got married because they have found their soul mate, someone who truly understands them. Prisons monitor all mail that comes into the facility, however they do not read mail that is sent out. Therefore, if you receive any kind of correspondence from an inmate that is not acceptable you need to report it immediately.

Parents should carefully inspect all mail for their children as well. It is very easy for young people to be influenced, and they may become pen pals with inmates without your knowledge. Most prison facilities have the prison information carefully stamped on the envelopes, but not always. It is best to be prepared as well as discuss the dangers that such correspondence opens up for them.