Prison life can be lonely for inmates.
As of February 2008, one in 100 adults were incarcerated in jail or prison, according to the Washington Post. Most Americans know that prison time drags on endlessly, but prison life has often been glamorized by hip hop artists like 50 Cent, DMX and T.I. who have made millions rapping about their time behind bars. Prisons typically classify inmates into at least three groups of maximum, medium and minimum security. Prisons determine these classifications based on the type of crime the offender committed, the inmate's criminal history and the offender's behavior while in custody.
Instructions
1. Intake prisoners. Prisoners are strip searched to ensure they are not smuggling contraband into the facility. Their personal possessions are confiscated and held until their release. The facility also reviews the inmate's personal, legal, social and medical history and conducts examinations. The prison provides orientation, and inmates can set up commissary accounts.
2. Classify inmates. Prisons determine classification through age, crime, length of sentence and criminal history. Classification adjustments are made every six to 12 months to move inmates up or down according to inmate behavior.
3. Restrict prisoners. Prisons restrict every aspect of an inmate's life, which includes food choices, the use of phones and computers, what to wear, contact with friends and family members and even when to eat and sleep. Color-coded uniforms such as orange for a charge of murder or green for aggravated assault identify inmates' crimes. In many facilities, inmates wear slippers to avoid suicide attempts by prisoners attempting to hang themselves using shoe laces. Some prisons allow conjugal visits and cable TV viewing.
4. Search cells and inmate mail. While a prison cannot specifically censor outgoing inmate mail, officials closely monitor incoming mail to avert the threat of escapes and to confiscate contraband.
5. Set up commissary accounts. Prisons closely monitor protocol for receiving and spending money; however, inmates may set up their own system for financial arrangements. Commissary items vary from facility to facility but usually include personal toiletries and snack items. Indigent prisoners receive minimal assistance; veterans, in certain cases, may continue to receive benefits. Some prisons pay inmates for working, and they can spend their money at the commissary. Legally, prisons do not have to pay inmates who work.
6. Stay healthy and rehabilitate. The stress of prison life causes individuals to react differently, both mentally and physically. The prison provides health care to inmates, outside services are not usually permitted. Most prisons offer substance abuse treatment; qualification standards vary. Some prisons order educational services. Chaplains give spiritual comfort and guidance.
7. Know your rights. In addition to legal rights regarding sentencing, prisoners may marry at some institutions. Furloughs may be granted in some cases, such as for a death in your immediate family or the birth of a child.
8. Discipline prisoners. Inmate subculture plays an important role in prison violence. Inmates will lose privileges like TV, visitation and recreation time. Additional prison disciplinary procedures include inmate segregation, changes in classification and additional time in custody.
9. Release prisoners, either at the end of their sentence or with community supervision known as parole. Parole boards review cases periodically to determine the inmate's appropriateness for release. Adjusting to life outside of prison offers particular challenges for those who have served a lengthy sentence. Prisons offer transition services from halfway housing after release to counseling and companies willing to hire convicted felons.
Tags: Some prisons, closely monitor, commissary accounts, criminal history, inmate mail, prison provides
