Sentient Tornado
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State prison varies from Federal Prison in several ways. I say this because I know more about Club Fed than State.
In most State prisons (they vary from State to State), he will first go through receiving, which, as with regional jails, can take hours. There he will have taken from him any items they deem unallowable in their prison, which is almost everything other than his body, any eyeglasses, a limited number of photographs of his family, and a chain with a religious symbol on it, such as a cross. (Some State prisons may not even allow that necklace--check beforehand) He may be in a holding cell for possibly the entire day, at worst. He will likely be moved to the general population after he has been processed (correctional officers are known for their slowness with paperwork--no offense to any C.O.s out there reading this). Usually they take you to the showers before you go to general population--at least in most Federal prisons. State is probably the same. After the showers, he should get his towel(s), an extra change of prison clothes, and his basic toiletries, such as a cheap, generic toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, soap, etc. These items can always be requested by either asking a C.O. or filling out a request form--depends on the prison he's going to.
State prisons are typically how you see generic prisons depicted on TV or in movies--individual cells with anywhere from 2 to 4 beds. He will expect to be situated in a cell that is already occupied by at least one other inmate. Most State prisons have a certain number of "counts" during the day, where they have all inmates go back to their cells and the gates close them in (called "lockdown"). Once locked down, the inmates are counted by several C.O.s, and sometimes recounted. This process can take up to 20 to 30 minutes each time, and is done anywhere from 5 to 6 times a day.
There is a lockdown at night anywhere between 9:00pm and 11:00pm for most State prisons. Most inmates would not consider this "bedtime" by any means, and neither do they have to go to sleep. They are usually expected to keep it quiet, and disobeying C.O. orders has consequences, such as getting written up with a warning, getting a "shot" (the equivilent of a citation or traffic ticket), or worse--being sent to the "hole", which is usually a small, uncomfortable cell for solitary confinement.
In most State prisons, unlike in Federal prison, the inmates are allowed to have a limited variety of things they can buy outside, such as their own sneakers, a small TV and radio, etc. As I've heard widely varying stories about the sundry items allowed in State, I cannot speak on this with any certainty. In Fed, you're pretty much limited to a 12" oscillating fan (in some prisons), a walkman radio and headphones, a small thermos, a very limited selection of shoes, etc.
Speaking of sundry items, he will be buying all his snacks, and name-brand toiletries (versus the generic toiletries given to him for free from the prison at request) at the commissary. This is essentially the "prison store", where inmates can purchase Snickers bars, Cup-o'-Noodles, an extra T-shirt or wife-beater shirt to work out in, a deck of cards, etc. In Fed, there is never cash money in the prisons, so money is handled through each inmate's account. You can add to the account by sending US Postal money orders to him via mail. I believe State works much the same way--although I have heard tales of State prisons allowing cash money in the inmate population. Fed disallows it, to prevent gambling, although prisoners still gamble using anything from cigarettes, cans of mackerel, or even push-ups. (If someone loses a card game to another inmate, they may ante-up by doing a previously agreed-upon number of push-ups in front of the winner, for the winner to gloat).
There is a "yard" or recreation yard in almost all prisons. If you've seen movies like The Shawshank Redemption, or The Longest Yard, you've seen a rec yard. There the inmates are allowed to work out, play basketball, touch football, or just get some fresh air and sun. I'd have to say this is the most looked-forward to time of the day in prison.
There is a lot more I could tell you, but I realize this answer is taking me a long time to finish and taking a lot of space here. If you want to write me, feel free to send me an email and I will answer any specific questions you might have.
Hope this helps!
PS~ The majority of the answers you'll see here are likely from people who have not been to prison, or even known anyone who've been. Be careful what you read and believe. And to the person who said "don't drop the soap", lol, that is such a myth perpetuated by TV shows like OZ and movies like Escape From Alcatraz. Yes, men do rape other men in prison. No, it doesn't happen often, as there are always a number of men who actually WANT to give up the butt. So if a straight guy gets raped by a 300 lb prisoner, it's because the receiver offended the giver in some grievous way to deserve the ultimate form of payback in prison, short of getting stabbed and killed. If your husband shows he's not willing to take anyone's crap from the first day he sets foot in prison, he'll be safe from most bullies. He doesn't need to act all pscyho, like Rorschach in The Watchmen--just play it cool, tough, respectful, and quiet. Loudmouths get their a$$ handed to them. And never, never snitch on another inmate. Regardless of how many Snickers bars they steal from your bunk, you should handle your own business. Calling on the C.O.s to intervene could be a very, very bad (and final) mistake. |
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