LogFAQs > #973528757

Solid_Sonic posted...

From what I've studied it would be a hell of a lot easier if it didn't involve anyone else. The thing that makes hard time hard seems to be a need to clique up if you don't want to be a target of things like jailhouse robbery. And once you're in you're expected to put in work so any attempt at keeping one's nose clean and doing smooth time is undermined simply for not wanting to be harassed and victimized.

The real problem seems to be the prison staff do so little to help those who have no interest in prison politics and just want a clean run through their sentence. Boxing everyone together regardless of their motives towards their incarceration just causes issues (some cons just want to live the life, they're incorrigibleor "institutionalized" in prison parlanceand when too many of them are living the life in one place it suffocates those who don't want to become that). Some prisons do actually commit to rehabilitation but the opportunities are not afforded to everyone and if you can't participate then it's like you're on your own and that just leads back to having to fall back to whatever belonging you can find to survive.

We COs don't have the time. The case managers should be doing more but I can't control what they do. All I can do as a CO is make them used to having to follow rules.

We are encouraged btw to not look into what a inmate did to get in prison as it may affect how we treat them. I'm not like that though so I do sometimes look. Often time the most heinous criminals are the most well behaved. I'm talking like murder rape and child molesters.

The prison system does need some work. What we do i feel is fine for lifers but we are failing those who do have a shot at having a real life again.