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Anonymous #1
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mentally dealing w/jail
#18958027 - 10/10/13 05:38 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Im heading to jail pretty soon. For 30-70 days depending..I'm trying not to agonize over it but I think about it constantly. The jail is totally full. I'll be in a large pod with 12-15 other inmates. Any tips on passing time, should i interact or keep to myself? Have attitude or be submissive? How can I make this as easy as possible and stay positive?
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Anonymous #2
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:ihavenothingtoadd:
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Anonymous #3
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I wouldn't go in with any pre-conceived plan. Just take it as it comes, day by day. Situation by situation.
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Anonymous #4
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I just read this book: What every BODY is saying. http://www.amazon.com/What-Every-BODY-Saying-Speed-Reading/dp/0061438294/
Was interesting, it's all about body language, he mentioned prison in a couple of parts:
Quote:
As one prison inmate once told me, “In here, it’s all about posture, how we stand, how we look. We can’t look weak, not for one moment.”
and this
Quote:
Eyebrow squints can have several different meanings. In order to differentiate among these, you need to assess the degree of the eyebrow movement and the context in which it takes place. For instance, we sometimes lower our eyebrows and squint when being aggressive or confrontational. Likewise, we lower the eyebrows in the face of real or imagined danger or threats. We also do this when we are annoyed, feel displeasure, or are angry. If, however, we drop the eyebrows too low, as may be seen in a very defeated child, it is a universal sign of weakness and insecurity. It is a behavior of obsequiousness, fawning, or submissiveness—consistent with kowtowing or cowering—and may be capitalized upon by social predators, such as psychopaths. In studies, prisoners have reported that when new inmates arrive at jail, they look for this troubled, lowered-eyebrow behavior in the newcomers to reveal which ones are weak and insecure. In your social and business interactions, you can watch for these eyebrow movements to probe for weakness or strength in others.
Good luck bro
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Anonymous #5
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Jail isn't that bad... I wouldn't worry too much about the other inmates, just be yourself. You will find that everybody in there is just like you... Trying too pass the time. Things will go by super slow at first, like unbelievably slow, but after you build a routine the days will go by much faster.
First thing that I would do would be to ask around for what programs you can attend, some may even knock a few days off your sentence depending what state you live in.
Next would be too figure out who people are in your cell, like who doesn't give a fuck and wants too be mister tuff guy, and stay away from those people because when a bunch of dudes are locked in a room together for a long time Shit happens, and you don't want too catch another case or get more time because you got into it with someone who is fucking retarded.
This isn't prison people have Shit too lose, they aren't going too be shanking you for your socks. Plus you won't be in maximum unless you fight and I don't know you case status but you may be put in minimum.
Best of luck
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Anonymous #6
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The nail that sticks out, gets hammered.
Just keep mostly to yourself. Don't go in running your mouth acting like billy bad ass and no one is likely to mess with you. A little respect goes a long way, so be respectful to everyone.
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Anonymous #1
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Quote:
Anonymous #4 said: I just read this book: What every BODY is saying. http://www.amazon.com/What-Every-BODY-Saying-Speed-Reading/dp/0061438294/
Was interesting, it's all about body language, he mentioned prison in a couple of parts:
Quote:
As one prison inmate once told me, “In here, it’s all about posture, how we stand, how we look. We can’t look weak, not for one moment.”
and this
Quote:
Eyebrow squints can have several different meanings. In order to differentiate among these, you need to assess the degree of the eyebrow movement and the context in which it takes place. For instance, we sometimes lower our eyebrows and squint when being aggressive or confrontational. Likewise, we lower the eyebrows in the face of real or imagined danger or threats. We also do this when we are annoyed, feel displeasure, or are angry. If, however, we drop the eyebrows too low, as may be seen in a very defeated child, it is a universal sign of weakness and insecurity. It is a behavior of obsequiousness, fawning, or submissiveness—consistent with kowtowing or cowering—and may be capitalized upon by social predators, such as psychopaths. In studies, prisoners have reported that when new inmates arrive at jail, they look for this troubled, lowered-eyebrow behavior in the newcomers to reveal which ones are weak and insecure. In your social and business interactions, you can watch for these eyebrow movements to probe for weakness or strength in others.
Good luck bro 
hmmm... thats really interesting. i'll keep that in mind definitely
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Anonymous #7
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Just be chill & don't act like your a tough guy because there will be that one guy who will call you out on it to see how tough you really are. Jail isn't that bad - like was said above people have things to lose there. Most are awaiting sentencing so they don't wanna cop another charge and do more time. Look after your things because they will get stolen if you don't. The jail I was in was one pod with over 100 guys in it. I didn't talk to very many people and just kept to myself. I was a skinny 120 pound 19 year old who'd never been into a fight and I did fine. just pass the time the best way you know how. also wear your shoes in the shower because that's where people masturbate.
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Anonymous #8
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I spent almost a year in a county jail. It sucked but after I got used to the idea that I couldn't leave I settled in. I was 19 at the time. I ran into a few people I knew so that helped. You know when you will get out so that's good. Be cordial with people but don't get involved in any bullshit. It's just not worth it. If people give you money for commissary don't flaunt it and share with people once in a while. If anybody tries to fight you for whatever reason, you have to fight.
Good luck.
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Anonymous #9
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You're going to jail, not prison. They are two totally different things.
Very few people in jail are actually violent. Except for the odd domestic case. Even then they're violent towards their SO not you. Violent people are usually in prison.
People in jail aren't out to make your life hard. They still have a life.
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Anonymous #8
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That's a generalization and it really depends where you are. There's a lot of gangbangers and crackheads in jail that are institutionalized and just waiting to back to the penitentiary and they don't give a shit. Just saying, there's a lot of shit to deal with, but then I was facing real time and only spent a small amount of time in a dorm setting. Mostly I think it was because I was so young at the time and there's more drama at that age.
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Anonymous #10
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can you bring in any of your own books? if you can i'd bring a book on lucid dreaming. jail would be the perfect time to really get into dream work, ie, dream journal, and have some sweet lucid dreams. and being locked up it would feel so free to lucid dream. and bangin' chicks when lucid is awesome too! just my suggestion.
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Anonymous #11
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Quote:
Anonymous #1 said: Im heading to jail pretty soon. For 30-70 days depending..I'm trying not to agonize over it but I think about it constantly. The jail is totally full. I'll be in a large pod with 12-15 other inmates. Any tips on passing time, should i interact or keep to myself? Have attitude or be submissive? How can I make this as easy as possible and stay positive?
Think of yourself lucky 
You would be surprise at how many people wished they lived in a "gated community"
YOu don't have to work and all you get to do all days is watch tv and play cards
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Anonymous #7
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Quote:
Anonymous #9 said: You're going to jail, not prison. They are two totally different things.
Very few people in jail are actually violent. Except for the odd domestic case. Even then they're violent towards their SO not you. Violent people are usually in prison.
People in jail aren't out to make your life hard. They still have a life.
You do realize that jail is where everyone goes BEFORE they are sent to prison, right? They can be in there for anything. The county jail I was in has highest amount of felony arrests in my state, there were definitely some violent people in there.
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Anonymous #12
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Quote:
Anonymous #11 said:
Quote:
Anonymous #1 said: Im heading to jail pretty soon. For 30-70 days depending..I'm trying not to agonize over it but I think about it constantly. The jail is totally full. I'll be in a large pod with 12-15 other inmates. Any tips on passing time, should i interact or keep to myself? Have attitude or be submissive? How can I make this as easy as possible and stay positive?
Think of yourself lucky 
You would be surprise at how many people wished they lived in a "gated community"
YOu don't have to work and all you get to do all days is watch tv and play cards


Bunch of welfare queens, those prisoners are.
I second the guy who quoted his body language book. Keep your chin up OP, don't be afraid to look anybody in the eyes but don't hold contact for too long either, don't slouch your shoulders, and keep your hands out of your pockets (if they have those where you're at).
Don't look weak, don't look aggressive, and you will be fine. Enjoy those shitty bologna sandwiches, and learn texas holdem poker before you go in.
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Anonymous #13
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youll be fine
cant be worst than normal "society", where all land is private, water has a tag price and growing your own food/tobacco without a license is a crime
who is really in jail?
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Anonymous #12
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Quote:
Anonymous #13 said: youll be fine
cant be worst than normal "society", where all land is private, water has a tag price and growing your own food/tobacco without a license is a crime
who is really in jail?
That's the most retarded thing I've read on here today.
The people who are really in jail are the ones who don't get to pick what food they eat, much less have the option of applying for a license and growing their own, and who get woken up every morning on someone else's schedule. Don't like the concept of private land? Well you would love jail, no land is private at all there! Everyone shares it, and guess what? It. Fucking. Sucks. Water isn't free in jail either, I pay for it with my taxes. I'd say so do you, but your hippie idealism has probably landed you at home with mom and dad, unemployed.
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Anonymous #14
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Quote:
Anonymous #10 said: can you bring in any of your own books? if you can i'd bring a book on lucid dreaming. jail would be the perfect time to really get into dream work, ie, dream journal, and have some sweet lucid dreams. and being locked up it would feel so free to lucid dream. and bangin' chicks when lucid is awesome too! just my suggestion.
Depends on the jail. Most will not let you bring ANYTHING in with you because of smuggling reasons. However, you might be able to get family members to buy you books and get them mailed to you DIRECTLY from Amazon. Like I said, check the jail's policy before you go.
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Anonymous #13
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As for something to read, you could get an e-eader for books perhaps? or a kindle?
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Anonymous #13
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An ipod or mp3 player with audiobooks is another option too.
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Anonymous #15
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an ipod ? sounds like something someone would take from you pretty much instantly. At least if it's a book, most people in there wouldn't be interested because they can't read..
OH DAMN! Is that a stereotype?! YAH.
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Anonymous #8
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When I was in jail back in '99 they had little cheapo walkman radios without a tape player that you could buy from the commissary. Do they let inmates have ipods now? How do you get music with no computer? And yeah, shit like that makes you a target for sure. Don't flaunt it. If I only had 70 days to do I would just read books and not settle in that much.
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Anonymous #16
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Every jail I've been to the only personal property inmates are aloud to have are magazines, books, and the shit off commissary.
Here's my lists of do's and don'ts for surviving county jail
Make a routine it makes the days go by faster. Mine was, sleep in as late as i can, walk laps till lunch, workout till dinner, play cards the rest of the night till lockdown then read till lights out.
Make friends. The experience will be much better if you can laugh it out with your fellow inmates. Pay attention to what the other inmates do to cope, they are trapped in the same experience as you and the ones doing the longest sentences tend to be some of the funnest guys to be in jail with.
Don't be submissive, it will make you a target. Don't hard time it, it will only make your stay worse. Don't think about getting out. Nobody wants to hear about how much jail sucks and how bad you want to get out. Never snitch a fellow inmate out and don't get too friendly with the guards. There are people looking forward to starting fights over anything, expect it.
Most jails segregate the violent offenders from the non violent, so if your a small mellow dude thats not facing serious charges and you don't give the guards a hard time while their booking you they will place you with the nonviolent guys,
If you don't like blacks or Mexicans or think your gonna have a problem with punk gangbangers let the guards know before they put you in your block. If you use racial slurs they will put you in a segregated block.
That's about all I can think of, good luck.
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Anonymous #17
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Flush the toilet after every turd, no one wants to smell your shit lingering. Try to eat as much as possible before turning yourself in so you can avoid jail food for a couple days, it is wretched. Have some sort of hustle like drawing cartoon characters on the letters and envelopes of other inmates, so u can trade for comissary (coffees, top ramen, candy, etc,) Read, play chess, cards, etc. To keep your mind occupied. Depending on where you are you may not want to mingle with folks outside your race, jail is weird about shit like that. Dont fuck with the guards they are sadistic power mad pieces of shit, try not to get on their bad side. Wear shower shoes
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Anonymous #17
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Time in jail is a lot easier when you know when you are going to get out, at least youre not at the mercy of the courts and stuck there for whole trial bs where nothing is certain and you are in limbo with life on pause...
Almost forgot the most important thing, patience grasshopper, patience.
Edited by Anonymous (10/14/13 07:46 PM)
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Anonymous #18
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No eye contact
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Anonymous #15
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Unless you really love him, and he treats you better than his other bitches.
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Anonymous #13
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Any update?
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Anonymous #14
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Quote:
Anonymous #13 said: As for something to read, you could get an e-eader for books perhaps? or a kindle?
No offense, but are you fucking retarded or just trolling? No jail in the US is going to let you bring in anything other than maybe a couple of personal (non-pornographic) photos let alone ANY kind of electronics for security reasons. They don't even let you bring in your own motherfucking tooth brush and you think they'll let you bring in a Kindle?
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Anonymous #19
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Never forget that the Shroomery is full of 14-16 year old DXM shamans that ventured out of Psych Experience into other forums.
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Anonymous #20
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Quote:
Anonymous #13 said: An ipod or mp3 player with audiobooks is another option too.
Haha, yeah and ask them if you can bring your flatscreen, laptop, and xbox too, hope they have a good wifi signal. What kind of dream world are you living in where inmates get to have such things? If he is lucky, he will be able to buy a radio off the canteen and I have heard of some prisons (idk about jail) letting you buy mp3 players, then you have to buy music from them.
His best bet is to have a couple of books sent to him. He will have to see if this is even possible. Some jails will allow books if you send them from a book store, other jails do not even have a canteen and you cannot have fuck all.
Something else I would recommend is plugging a nice little care package. You can use that to trade other inmates, or better yet keep it to yourself and get high on the reg. Had a weekend warrior on my pod that brought in tobacco, weed and tattoo supplies. We ate fat every night and got high on occasion because of that guy.
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Anonymous #21
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I have a lot of possibly usefull information for this post - I have made an observation that 3/4 people posting on this thread have never spent a day in jail and are going off heresay.
*NUMBER ONE TIP*
Wear two, hell even three pairs of underware. Two pairs of very sturdy, dense cotton socks that arent prone to tearing. Two White T-Shirts, and also Long-Johns long underware.
Jails are kept cold primarily for one really good reason - to keep the spread of bacteria down. Make sure everything you're wearing besides your underware is flat-white no logos or anything, around here they will tell you take them off when you arrive for a clothing exchange.
As you enter the jail, you'll be kept in a tank wearing your clothes, asked questions, and than sent to a laundry area where you will be stripped naked, and observed, possibly even asked to bend over and show your rectal region while spreading your cheeks.
The clothes you wear will be put into a bag and you will be given a slip of confirmation for what you are wearing - IE. 1 Sportscoat - 1 Brown Belt - blah blah, but if your shirts have logos, are blue or brwn, you will not be able to wear them and you'll walk out of there with a your underware and a loose fitting uncomfortablly dry two piece county issue clothing on.
Bacteria thrives in warmer enviroments, so just as a hospital they are kept cold. In the beginning weeks you'll want to have these extra pairs, you'll probably be getting laundry service once a week at most, and even than people steal your undies, weird huh.
Each county jail is run by someone different, and has its own characteristics. Your stay in jail is often a direct reflection of your crime and past history.
Most jails in this country are over-populated, so the beginning two - seven days will be spent in a pre-housing situation, as to say that you will be spending your days on a floor, or a crowded gym on " boats " awaiting a bed somewhere else in the jail - if you are a female, this will be a little different. This time is also to observe if you have drugs, or smuggled in cigarettes, are making a fuss with other inmates, ect.
Depending on your crimes there are different types housing units, usually one or two floors housing between 25-100 inmates, two per unit - containting two beds, one sink/toilet, and a small area to stack your valuables - some may even contain a small locker to store your valuables.
Shower areas located one each floor - I'd say a good estimate would be one shower unit per 25 inmates.
In my county, there are tiered levels of security almost like a prison. Four tiers - gray ( average dui, drug charge, tax evasion... low level of aggression/violence ) Blue ( higher level crimes, violence, felonys ) Orange ( High Levels of Aggression, Home Invsaion, Rape, Felonious Assaults - Violent Crimes ) Orange/White Stripes - ( The highest level, manslaugheter, robbery, murder... things along those lines )
People in gray and sometimes blues will be housed in PODS ( the 25-100 man units I wrote about earlier )
Some Blues will also be put into what they call 10 Mans here - Small Housing units, three per tier, containing one shower, toilet - Eight beds and two boats ( beds on the floor ) A cable television located outside of the bars - and one picnic table in the middle of the room for board games cards.
When I went, I went under a higher level low aggresion crime, but due to the felony status of the crime, I was placed in a ten man with other blues. In 28 Days, I was only allowed to leave the cell once per week for laundry exchange ( a 20 meter walk down the hall and back.) Two times for a visit to my lawyer ( again 20 meter walk down the hall, five meter walk around the corner into a room. ) And one time for an hour to excersize, it was the first time I had seen the sun in just under a month.
Commisary is a gift, and can be taken away. Your friends and family will be allowed to put money onto your account, and normally once a week you can fill out an order form of extremely overpriced items like instant coffee, candy, liquid cheeses, potatochips, pepsi bottles, and things of the like.
Phone cards are expensive, and the pre-setup services abuse your inability to plan ahead, you can set up calling services prior to going to jail that will cost 2-10 cents per minute, rather than a baseline 8 dollars for a ten minute call they had where I was. Good thing to research.
Books and magazines can be ordered off amazon and other services can bemailed to the jail ( softcover only ) but cannot be mailed by family and must be ordered through these allowed organizations.
*NOTE* You'll want to buy the cofee for yourself, it acts as a really, really good digestive regulator.. In a place where everything jams your intestines, the coffee really helped me maintain regular bowell movements. Make sure you're not giving it to anyone, dont be a dick, but dont offer it to just anyone, because once you tell them no... some people will find that as disrespect and probably try and rob you/call you out.
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