I suggest that you read What To Expect If I Am Going To Prison (part 1) and What To Expect If I Am Going To Prison (part 2) if you haven’t already read them.

Once you have completed your stay at the Reception Center, you will be transported to your Parent Institution.

Your transportation to your Parent Institution will be handled (pretty much) like going to the Receiving Center. Once you get to your Parent Institution you’ll be processed in. There won’t be any delousing, but you’ll be strip-searched and all of your personal property will be gone through. They’ll look for any item that you aren’t allowed to have. The call it “contraband”. And just because it was allowed at one institution doesn’t mean that it’s allowed at another. Every institution has it’s own rules mandated by the Warden.

Once your property has been gone through, they will give you a bedding assignment and escort you to your Housing Unit. Once there, you’re on your own. Now you’ll have to learn who is alright and who isn’t.

You shouldn’t approach other inmates until you’ve spent some time observing them. If they offer you anything, don’t take it. Some seem nice to test you. If they think you’re soft, then you’re in trouble. It’s best to just remain quiet. If they aren’t sure if you’re soft or not, they won’t try you. They don’t want trouble, they want an easy mark. Some inmates chose to be part of a gang in order to survive, but gangs have their own drawbacks. Only YOU can decide what is right for you. Don’t let anyone decide that for you.

I will be publishing  some “Survival Skills” soon. Until then, just be careful of the inmates and the guards. There isn’t anyone with your best interests at heart except YOU!

You should approach every prison employee as a “Correctional Officer” regardless of their actual job. It does not matter whether they are the warden, a counselor, a guard, a nurse, or a kitchen worker; they’re first responsible is for the care, custody, safety and accountability of the inmates. They also all have the authority to give and enforce orders,  take disciplinary action against the inmates, and put you in the hole. Don’t mistake this fact for anything else. Just because they may, on occasion, let their guard down and seem nice, they will not hesitate to make your life miserable if they are inclined to. It might be wise to not become too friendly. This isn’t just to avoid the guard’s possible retaliation, but also to avoid being labeled as a snitch. You don’t have to actually snitch to be labeled as one. All you need is for some inmate to say you are, or that they think you are. Being a snitch can get you stabbed.

Some guards get the “GOD” complex. They are mean and hateful of the inmates. One reason why is explained like this: The Chief Executive Officer of a Corporation can spend years in college and then more years climbing the corporate ladder, often making personal sacrifices along the way, just to have authority over a group of people. A Correctional Officer can have the same authority with a high school diploma and a short application. New officers are often afraid that they will give an order and the inmates will not comply and embarrass them. They are surprised at how easy it is to give orders and watch them being carried out without question. This can be intoxicating. This situation creates monsters in the case of certain types of personalities. They begin to use their authority to relieve their stress and to get back for every bad thing that has ever happened to them. They begin to use their power in a retaliatory manor. Usually, time can cure this problem, or some action by the inmates or the administration can bring the individual back to earth, but some officers can spend years in this mode. These types of officers are the least desirable from the administrations viewpoint, as they realize that enough trouble will come along naturally, without someone provoking it. New officers are sometimes eager to earn their “battle ribbons”. They hear the veteran officers talking about fights and disturbances, so they provoke an inmate every chance they get. Inmates should recognize this behavior and should try to avoid these individuals. They should do what they are told , but try to get it done and get away from these guards. An inmate can only lose when they challenge such officers, besides, the guard wants you to retaliate so they can do something to you. They are just trying to provoke you. You’re actually doing what they want you to do. Don’t play into it. You can’t win.

If you have to approach an Officer for whatever reason, choose wisely which ones you approach. Just like dealing with inmates, you need to spend a little time observing them. There are some inmates that you want to avoid and some guards that you want to avoid. Pay attention and you’ll know which is which. You have to remember, you’re in prison now. You need to keep your wits about you at all times or you aren’t going to survive. I don’t want to scare you, but bad things happen to good people. Don’t think for a second that somebody won’t hurt you. The world is full of people that say, “I never thought it would happen to me”. So just pay attention and be wise in your decisions, ok?

Soon I’ll try to give you some more to go on. Till then

Take Care…

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