# What is jail really like?



## titicaca2

What does the average day of jail consist of, moment by moment?
The bathroom situation, the shower situation, do you have to sleep with the light on? How often are you out of your cell? Can you really be abused by the other inmates as easily as the TV depicts?


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## Doooofus

Edit: Removed quote ~spork

Sounds like a serious question to me, and I would also like to hear some answers - I'm sure the depiction of jail on TV is subject to a fair bit of poetic license, though I don't doubt that it would be a horrible place to spend any amount of time.


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## getreal

I wonder whats worse.  Jail vs homelessness?


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## Pharcyde

do you mean jail or prison?  because I havent spent lotsa time in one and will someday end up in the other


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## ingannilo

I've been to jail three times, the longest was for 45 days.  It was in California, a very wealthy county.  It had the highest mean home prices in the US so I presume the jail was nicer than most.  Anyhow, regarding your specific questions:

<b>1) The bathroom:</b>
There is no bathroom.  There's a steel toilet and small steel sink in the cell.  You piss and shit in the same room you live in.  No privacy.  You WILL have a cell mate.  He will be in the cell.

<B>The Shower</b>:
From what I understand this varies.  Where I was, the jail is arranged into pods: big rooms, about 60 cells each.  There are four showers with clear doors in each pod; two on the top tier two on the bottom.  Wear your shoes (plastic sandals) unless you like disease.  You must shower during pod time (time out of the cell) destroying whatever element of privacy you may have hoped for.

<B>Sleeping with the light on:</b>
There were two levels of light in the cells.  The dimmer of the two was always on, the other could be turned on and off.  It gets easy to sleep after a few nights.

<B>Time Locked Up/Yard Time:</b>
There was no yard where I was.  Each pod is divided into two sections, the left and right side.  Every day one side gets time out of the cell to wonder the pod and the small trapezoidal "outdoor" area, about 100 yards square, concrete floor, chain link over the top with 30 foot high cement walls.   Every two weeks the sides alternate: one gets two hours out per day, the other only gets one.  Either 22 or 23 hour lockup.  No fun.

<B>Abuse:</b>Prison and jail are different stories.  A few 'friends' I made inside told me that in prison, for the most part nobody gets fucked that doesn't want to get fucked.  I'm sure there are exceptions.  Rape/abuse in jail is a lot less common than prison because the populations are usually smaller and the prisoners have more to loose because their sentences are generally much shorter than your average prison sentence.  It isn't as easy to start a fight as most people think.  People that tend to start shit are usually separated from the general population.  There is a lot of screaming at  night.  Random shit, abusive shit.

So that's the straight dirt on jail.  It is not as horrible as some think.  Here's an interesting truth: A lot of homeless guys where I was tried to get arrested in winter (constantly rainy/cold ) so they could have a warm bed and real food for a night.  Shelters were way overcrowded there.


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## TheLoveBandit

I think it really depends upon the offense, and therefore the facility for incarceration.  For example, the drunk tank overnight is way different than the county jail for a few months which is different from maximum security lockdown which is different from 'country club' minimum security.  So the question is too broad to be answered effectively (props to ingannilo for the reference material).


HOMELESS thru LD to SO (mods may kick to LOUNGE.....or not, I can't say).


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## papa

I was in jail,  county jail, when I was a young lad. I was apprehended with a small quantity of marijuana and was immediatly hauled down to the local lock up. I was there for about 40 days. County jail is a little rough because its full of all kinds of temporarily detained wack-o's. Prison, I've never been to prison, is different they say, because everybody there knows whats happening to them and they just want to serve their time and get out. There are a lot of sub cultures in prison. You'll quickly find out which one you belong in and you will do what you need  to in order to survive.


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## aoe2junkie

titicaca2 said:
			
		

> What does the average day of jail consist of, moment by moment?
> The bathroom situation, the shower situation, do you have to sleep with the light on? How often are you out of your cell? Can you really be abused by the other inmates as easily as the TV depicts?



short version
bathroom is in the common area of the cell: a simple metal toilet and a sink with hot and cold water and a super hot faucet on the side for making coffee, instant noodles etc. The shower may or may not have a curtain and the floor is going to be dirty so wear your sandles. You sleep with the lights off because the lights are turned off at 11 and on again at around 5 in the morning for roll call. You are out of your cell for meals or for medical or visits. I haven't seen any abuse but cell makes often joke about it to each other if they know each other well. 

my experience:

First day you are processed into the system. Depending on what time you arrive at county it will be until midnight that you are taken to your cell. During processing you are moved from holding cell to holding cell, usually separated by race. Since there is nothing to do, might as well take a nap or talk to your fellow inmates about why you're there. Each cell has a metal toilet and a sink...there isn't always toilet paper or soap. Every once in a while the deputy will come inside to take roll etc. and some like to insult you. Next is clothing exchange: you surrender all your personal belongings and strip down and are given prison issue jumpsuits and you get searched once again. Make sure to be arrested with some money, especially if you are going to be there for a while! You will need money in your books if you want to buy toiletries, snacks, drinks. You can request a welfare pack which includes toothbrush and soap and I believe a shaving razor but commissary happens once a week so if you don't have anything you are at the mercy of cell mates. 

I was in a 8 man cell and my cellmates were pretty chill. Because I am asian I was put into the Asian Tank. Most of the guys in my well were gang members and asians of different sort: vietnamese, chinese, korean and there were 2 latinos in my cell. I've seen some white people in our Tank as well. Everyone is respectful towards each other regardless of who they were in the outside world. Newcomers are usually given cleanup duty after introductions are made. You will also be told the rules of the cell and do and dont's. 

The worst part of jail is the boredom. There is usually a TV in the common area of the cell and a 8 seat table. Sometimes you lose TV privileges if you are in the common area without your full prison issue on. You can also read newspapers but save the paper! Toilet paper is valuable, don't waste that for wiping the table, use newspaper! Use newspaper to line the toilet seat as well. Don't get caught wasting toilet paper.


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## chicpoena

Shitty. The worst thing about jail is the food. Lack of privacy when going to the bathroom is a very close second. I was only there for 19 hours in a holding cell so I didn't get the 'whole experience' (thank god).


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## dankstersauce

Never been to prison.

County jail isn't too bad IMO.  I did about 4 weeks in county lockup.  The pod i was in had about 40 bunk beds on each side.  You get assigned a pod and a bunk.  Where i was the jail provided toilet paper, bars of soap, and tooth powder (it's like tooth paste except disgusting.)
You have times when the place in locked down and your supposed to stay near your bunk.  other times (during meals and "freetime") you could watch tv.  We'd get one newspaper a day for the 100+ inmates to share.  Mostly time would be spent playing cards, reading, watching tv and we'd get 1 hour a day in the gym.

The showers were nasty...but no one is getting raped.  There were 4 showers with see through curtains that you could use whenever we weren't on lockdown.  Fights would break out occasionally, when that happens just keep your wits about you and mind your own.  After fights there would be a quite a bit of racial tension.

If you keep your bunk clean and are mindful of other people you really have nothing to worry about.  IMO most of the people are tolerable and some will help you out.  When i first got there i made friends with a couple other junkies, and we'd play cards all day long, trade stories and help each other out if possible.  Overall its boring, frustrating and cramped.  Jail sucks because you'll see people coming and going all the time.  There are definately a bunch of wackos.  

Oh yeah in my pod the lights were on 24/7.  If you're about to get locked up UTSE there is a thread with more detailed advice.  But you definately want someone on the outside to lookout for you....send you money for commissary, send you letters, visit you etc.  If your familiar with scumbags and sketchy people you really should haven't any trouble.  if you happen to be sketchy you'll fit right in.

edit: our bathrooms sucked, they were just 4 toilets lined up on the wall.  If you have to drop a duece you'll have people walking by, going to the bathroom next to you....shit even some people want to start up a conversation with ya.


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## aoe2junkie

o yes the food sucks. potatoes in every meal. not having internet sucks as well. not having good privacy to masturbate sucks.


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## eDDe9

Inmate boasts of 'luxury' life in prison



> Donal Kelleher, 37, an inmate at HMP Cardiff, said that his en suite accommodation was "outstanding" and disclosed that he was paid £10 a week – to study for a maths GCSE – which he spends on cigarettes, chocolate and "other luxury goods".
> 
> A prison officer who has worked at Cardiff for 15 years said last week that inmates were simply sitting in their cells watching snooker on television or playing computer games.
> 
> He added that a new health care centre put local hospitals "to shame" and made it easier to see a dentist than on the "outside". The extraordinary claims were made after The Daily Telegraph disclosed last week that a prison officers' leader said jails had become so comfortable that some inmates were ignoring chances to escape.
> 
> Glyn Travis, the assistant general secretary of the Prison Officers Association, said the latest disclosure confirmed his fears and that "we need to address the root of what prisons are all about".
> 
> Kelleher, a former Welsh Guard, stabbed his wife Leanne seven times in the chest and back after she told him she was leaving him. He was jailed in 2005.
> 
> But writing to a local newspaper from prison, he said: "I am better off in here. I could only imagine how cold it was this winter living on the streets."
> 
> Kelleher added: "May I just say that the food and accomadation (sic) is of outstanding quality here. We have coulour (sic) TVs, on sweet (sic) facilities, everything is provided for us eg toiletries, laundry."
> 
> He stated that the education department at Cardiff was of a "very high standard".
> 
> He said: "I'm currently doing a GCSE grade in maths which I am paid ten pound a week to achieve which I can spend on tobbacco (sic), chocolate and other luxury goods." The inmate signed the letter "Donal Kelleher, Prisoner No. GE7247, HMP Cardiff". David Davies, the Conservative MP for Monmouth, visited the prison last year.
> 
> He said: "I saw prisoners sitting in their cells watching television and playing computer games.
> 
> "It seems to be an unwritten rule if they are left alone to do whatever they want they won't cause any trouble."
> 
> "They have a right to be treated humanely but we have to remember they are in prison to be punished." Sian West, the governor of Cardiff prison said last night: "It's ludicrous to say that prison is cushy."
> 
> She added: "We endeavour to challenge all prisoners
> to use their time in Cardiff constructively.
> 
> "Television sets purchased for in-cell prisoner use are paid for by the weekly rental fee of £1 paid by prisoners.
> 
> "TVs can and will be removed from prisoners whose behaviour is deemed unacceptable."


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## aoe2junkie

i even considered getting a tattoo but i didnt know what. ha imagine a prison tattoo as your first tat. but it didnt seem too hygienic at the time. the tattoo guy had been locked up for a while and spent his time tatting himself and was pretty good at it. apparently he was an artist outside of jail, probably the resident artist of some gang.


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## Pander Bear

Jail is like a bad middle school. Lots of just waiting around and being warehoused. Bad food, bad clothes, bad HVAC, bad smells, bad times.


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## widespread64

no privacy  no books loud loud and lots of steel and concrete:D


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## widespread64

ps pander bear vanderbillt is coming for yall


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## 2oclockbeanfiend.2

titicaca2 said:
			
		

> What does the average day of jail consist of, moment by moment?
> The bathroom situation, the shower situation, do you have to sleep with the light on? How often are you out of your cell? Can you really be abused by the other inmates as easily as the TV depicts?



Broward County, FL jails have 18 hour lockdown (you are only allowed out of your cell 6 hours/day - 23 hour lockdown for max cust inmates.)  Downtown Ft. Lauderdale (main) jail are 2 man cells, with the toilet in the cell.  Sheriffs North jail in Pompano Beach are open cell blocks.  Meaning, inside the cell block, you are not locked in a cell, but there are are barriers that seperate the individual cells (5-6 men.)  The Joseph V. Conte correctional facility in Pompano Beach are 6 man cells (3 bunk beds.)  Like the main jail in Ft. Lauderdale, they are enclosed, locked cells, with the toilet inside.  Yes, you have to take a shit with 5 other dudes in a roomwith you.  The unwritten rule is that you wait til you are off lockdown to take care of that though.  All of these jails have "commons" areas where you spend your time when you aren't locked down.  There is a TV in each of these areas.  "Chow" (even they dont have the balls to call it a meal) is served 3 timees a day.  Once at 3am, then at 10am, then at 4pm.  Yes, they wake you up at 3 in the morning to eat breakfast.  Note  the extensive gaps inbetween meals (sorry "chow"s.)  In all of these jails it is absolutely fucking freezing.  They give you a dirty ass blanket that probably thousands of inmates have used before you.  MRSA (some infection I never heard of before I was incarcerated) runs rampant in jail.  In Broward County jail there are really no fights or anything like that.  There is a Correctional Officer in the cell block with you (apparently at other county jails like the infamous Rikers Island, the CO is behind glass, which allows all that fighting you've probably heard bout.)  Yes, at these 3 jails, you are forced to sleep with the lights on.  I was only incarcerated for 5 weeks (keep in mind, 2 of those weeks were before I even went to court), but aside from the times when I was being transferred to a different jail, I didn't breathe any fresh air.  Yes, aside from a few minutes, I was inside for 5 weeks.  Gives new meaning to the term 'cabin fever.'  Relatively, I wasn't in jail long at all, but I couldn't imagine spending another day in there.  I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

*BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS ARE THE ABSOLUTE SCUM OF THE MOTHERFUCKING EARTH.  THEY CAN ALL (w/ a few exceptions) BURN A SLOW FIREY DEATH. *

The worst part about jail is, if you have half a brain, you are in the company of complete fucktards.  *Stay in jail long enough, you will absolutely become dumber.  You will lose knowledge. * The majority of the people I encountered were the most ignorant people on the face of the earth.  Hang around them long enough, its bound to rub off on you.

That was actually theraputic to get that off my chest.


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## captainballs

I actually met some pretty interesting people in my few nights in jail. The only part I didn't like about being in the general population area of the county jail was the toilet placement - in the very center of the room (not a little to the left or right - the center). So every time you had to take a shit you were the star in front of a crowd of like 40 people.

Nobody in jail really fucks with anyone else, and if there's a fight it pretty much ends pretty quickly since no one wants to catch any more charges. Pretty peaceful, lots of talking and laughing. Don't know about prison, though. I imagine the apathy level would increase quite a bit, as would the violence.


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## Pharcyde

dude ok if you have specific jail questions that need to be answered, pm me.  Ive been in the most hick county jail to the real biggins (detroit) so if youactually need an answer ask BL criminal #1


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## Pander Bear

widespread64 said:
			
		

> ps pander bear vanderbillt is coming for yall



yes, off a predictable loss to a cellar team. Your bench isnt deep enough to handle us next week. %)


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## DarthMom

your day starts off obscenly early with nasty chow, hope you like overcooked boiled eggs and salt free grits and tasteless oatmeal. then go back to sleep on an uncomfortable and dirty mat and a few sheets and a nasty blanket. free time is spent watching shit others want, don't get involved in their drama, stay in your bunk. be cool to the officers. most are shit, but there are sincerely good ones, *find them.* grieve what needs to be grieved, if it is valid, it will be sent via the good officers. be aware of the laws that entitle you to certain things, i.e. 3 hours of rec in my state. get the laws, and be sure they are enforced. without being a smartass of course. most importantly, watch your ass. murders in jail are not unheard of. unfortunately we just had one in my town, while two men were in lockdown. pencil through the skull into the brain.


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## 2oclockbeanfiend.2

DarthMom said:
			
		

> be aware of the laws that entitle you to certain things, i.e. 3 hours of rec in my state. get the laws, and be sure they are enforced. without being a smartass of course



While you are absolutely entitled to *request* information from the law library, that doesn't mean you will actually *receive* it.  This is one of the most frustrating things about being incarcerated.  If you've heard that the guards or corrections officers in jails try to make the prisoners as miserable as possible, you are correct.  And then some.  Anyone who says otherwise hasn't been to jail.  While there are exceptions, few and far between, you can expect to be treated like an animal.  While incarcerated, especially when you don't have a release date, time as you know it ceases to exist.  Imagine going to the McDonald's drive-thru and there's 70 cars in front of you.  Then when you finally get to the window, they tell you they are no longer taking orders.  Or they just look at you, smile, and say nothing at all.  Or they just completely ignore you.  Or maybe they acknowledge you by telling you to "fuck off."

Bottom line, if everybody knew what actually happened inside jails, if they could actually experience it themselves firsthand, jails probably wouldn't exist anymore.  Ignorance is bliss.


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## ChemicalSmiles

I dont know about that..... ^ ^ Kids get previews of jails all the time but tstill seem to end up in one.....


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## gorgoroth

getreal said:
			
		

> I wonder whats worse.  Jail vs homelessness?


done both, jail is _way_ worse.


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## 2oclockbeanfiend.2

ChemicalSmile said:
			
		

> I dont know about that..... ^ ^ Kids get previews of jails all the time but tstill seem to end up in one.....



I assume you are referring to that Steve Wilkos/Maury Povich shit or some other kind of "this could be you" intervention.  That's pussy shit.  They are in there for like 1 night.  

This is part of what I went through and what most people are completely unware of.  I was arrested, transported to jail, booked (fingerprinted,etc), placed in a holding cell and waited to be processed.  7 hours later I was processed and given my phone call.  Probably 3 (maybe 5) hours later I was moved upstairs to the 2nd floor where I would reside for a week.  Then I was moved upstairs to the 4th floor where I would be for another week.  Then I finally got my court date.  Meanwhile, during those first 2 weeks, I had no idea when my court date was coming.  The mental anguish concerning that uncertainty is inexplainable.  Not to mention you get no credit (time served) for that period before your arraignment.  Then once I'm transferred to the next facility, I'm given an indeterminate amount of time before I'm transferred to the next facility.  Even once I get there, I'm once again given an indeterminate amount of time before a bunk is open in the SAP (substance abuse program) cell block, where I'm to spend 30 days.

Err....I could go on and on.  I'mma watch a movie and chill out.


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## wheyman20

Spent 4 or 5 months in county and 13 months in prison.  If you want to know what my county jail is like refer to ingannilo post (5th).  There was only one time i was in a cell anyone was abused in (dude forced a handjob) on a punk ( gay).  Ive heard other stories about abuse in county's but not to much. If your small and worried Bubba might think your ass is sexy avoid isolation (the box,hole)  You dont get to choose who is going to be bunking with you and you8 never know what a man will do when he is looking at some serious time.  
Tips for jail - respect, go under the radar with the guards,  dont live hr by her looking at the calander, don't cough on peoples food ( or reach over a tray), try to read or get a group to start a regural crew for cards,  dont constantly talk about how your next couple months will suck (you might get some one thinking about the yrs they are looking forward too AND dont fucking LIE.


PRISON is different.  Depending on what level custody u are.  There is more work involved.  Jail u sit back and sleep most of your time.  Prison your gonna work weather your a houseman(dorm cleaner, kitchen,. grounds or wtf ever they have you doing).  I went through 3 different camps in 2 months and than 11 at my main camp.  If I had to choose I'd probly take prison ( cigs, food, get to go out side, better commissary, get closer to people cus you know for the most part if they will be leaving)

Prison Rules in FL - 1 Don't get the gaurds mad at you (crooked and in fl it seems the guards are all related)  
2. If you see some freaky shit keep it 2 ur self 
3. Dont borrow or gamble what you cant afford
4. if it aint your homeboy giving you something it aint for free (leverage, borrow with interest, who knows what kinda crazy shit someone will say)
5. DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT A YR that fucker eavesdropping next to u might have something against u and might wanna back your time


2 some it up just lay back and do your time.  Observe it might look like the one that just came in the cell with a big mouth is getting love from people but give him a month and hell be in some shit (guards or inmates)  Also know that if you are in with convicts than dont try to switch shit up on them they might have been doing the same thing for the last 4 yrs so they are used to it.  That is a way the guards break inmates down (when the inmates get comfortable with something weather it is chow time, hygiene, the bunk there in, or wtf ever they swtich it on the inmates to shake the inmates up) 
Keep ur head up and your butt hole tight


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## titicaca2

Thank you for your responses.

It would be about a week in upper-middle-class type county jail for a drug offense.

There's a close friend who is in the same jail for FTA on drug charges and resisting arrest/assaulting an officer, what are the chances to see him?


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## XperienceMe

Jail is like " So why are you here?"

oh you sold drugs " Teach me okay?"


sure why are you here. Oh you grew hydro? teach me...


its a school, to teach you laws,loopholes and ways to do illegal shit a smarter way


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## wheyman20

^^^^^^^^^^^  Damn comp messed up. Sorry.


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## wheyman20

You should have nothing to worry about.  get someone to send you $25 bucks for food and try to get your hands on a good book.


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## @lterEgo

getreal said:
			
		

> I wonder whats worse.  Jail vs homelessness?



jail is far worse. i think being locked up is one of the most hopeless, helpless, shitty feelings in existence. homeless people might have limited options, but at least they still have their basic freedoms. i know there are people who might appreciate hot meals, a bed, and a roof over their head, but being confined isn't worth it to me. i'd rather starve and sleep in a park than be a prisoner.

if i were ever incarcerated for an extended amount of time i'd probably be one of those people who hang themselves in their cell.


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## wheyman20

Not to try to scare you but I found a new news article about a murder at my county jail this week.  Check this link out (short read) 

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20081011/NEWS01/810110314/1006

This is why I said to avoid confinement at all costs if you are scared.  The room is you and someone else.  The door locks and after that it is u, your bunkie, 4 concrete walls and a pisser.


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## Pander Bear

a pisser that doubles as a sink! :D


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## forgotten

> Not to mention you get no credit (time served) for that period before your arraignment



That's incorrect.  The FL Statutes provide that a "court imposing a sentence shall allow a defendant credit for all of the time she or he spent in the county jail before sentence" [Florida Statutes § 921.161(1) (2008)].  Now, it is possible that a defendant would be required to waive his/her credit for time served as part of a plea agreement, but that would be voluntary.

There's a lot of good advice in this thread.  The most important thing to remember in jail, is to stay out of trouble.  The court will impose harsher sentences for crimes committed while in jail, and there may be enhanced penalties for such.


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## Pharcyde

titicaca2 said:
			
		

> It would be about a week



Um


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## GoddessLSD-XTC

Read about my 24-hour jail experience.


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## Pharcyde

See if you ca do weekends...you come in friday and leave sunday....get to be in low security too..............Ive never done it but some people I know have


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## svacheme3

I was in a county jail for about 40 days. It really wasn't that bad. We were allowed out of our cells from 6:30am-9:15pm, except for a few 30 minute head counts and 1 hour shift change. In the common area of the pod there was a TV (with cable), newspapers, and board games; and a small basketball court in a walled cement courtyard. Because of all this time out of our cells, everybody observed bathroom etiquette, you asked your cell mate to leave if he was in there and put a piece of toilet paper in the door to let people know not to come in. Between the solid door and the bed, it was private, nobody could see you. There were 4 semi-private showers (for 60-72 people) with solid doors that blocked view from the knees to mid chest. The food they served was aweful, but there was a large selection of junk food that could be purchased from the commissary (ramen noodles, potato chips, cheetos, honey buns, cookies, m&ms, etc), which also offered name-brand shower and body products to replace the standard crap. Prices were just about the same as gas stations and we could spend $70/week. Fights were rare, and were broken up very quick. If you didn't bother anybody, nobody bothered you.
The biggest problem was the medical care. I came in dopesick, and was refused treatment. 2 weeks later I had abdominal pain so severe I couldn't stand up, chest pain, and the worst headache of my life, and I was ignored for 14 hours then given a Tylenol and an antacid after the nurse refused to let me talk after 2 words and refused to examine me. Another guy in my pod had increasingly worse chest pain for 24 hours and they didn't even let him talk to someone from medical till he dropped in the middle of the pod and they had to call an ambulance. It wasn't the guards causing the problem either, they placed calls to medical whenever somebody asked. Any requests to the nurses who came in for med pass were written down and written responses came back at least a week later, saying an appointment would be scheduled in the next 2 weeks; regardless of severity of condition. The time I got really sick it took a call from my lawyer to get them to do a proper examination with a doctor.


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## `pr0digy

I did six months here in Bucks County jail, wasn't too bad - although it _really_ does blow, so fucking boring.  There's really nothing sexual going on in county lockup unless you want there to be.  The block I was on had quite a few fights, depending on the gaurds as long as you fought in a cell and didn't call attention to it they would let it slide.  Got in one fight while I was there, earned me a little respect from the "county lifers", I think 3/4ths of my block was in/out constantly.  

Even only a few months in jail changed my outlook on physical confrontation.  I'll fight pretty much anyone now, if I feel it's the thing to be done.  OTOH I don't really feel like going back to jail with a few months sober, so I TRY to keep my cool ;p.  

I remember always being hungry - money for commissary is vital.  And at Bucks they switched suppliers.  Ramen noodles were 80some cents a piece!  The same supplier was at Philly jails - and they were under 20 cents, and Philly is the next county over.  

I also got a tattoo while I was there - my first tattoo at that.  I'm sure I'll regret it at some point.  If your only there for a month just sit it out, I did 6 months, took awhile but fell into somewhat of a routine.


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## Jamshyd

A number of people mentioned that sexual issues are more of a choice than forced. 

Is being openly gay in a jail more of a good or a bad thing? Can a gay guy make good "connections" by offering favours? 

I also find it curious how almost everyone who answered here is from the US. Does this say that American society is overly dependant on incarceration or that the majority of people reading this board are American (which I really doubt)?


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## 2oclockbeanfiend.2

forgotten said:
			
		

> That's incorrect.  The FL Statutes provide that a "court imposing a sentence shall allow a defendant credit for all of the time she or he spent in the county jail before sentence" [Florida Statutes § 921.161(1) (2008)].  Now, it is possible that a defendant would be required to waive his/her credit for time served as part of a plea agreement, but that would be voluntary.



Whether the statutes state that or not, its a fucking crock.  You will most likely NOT get credit for any time served prior to your arraignment.  Experience it for yourself and you'll realize its a fucking laugh.  As stated in my Legal Discussion thread, you'll be lucky if the county even acknowledges it.  *JUST BECAUSE ITS UNDERSTOOD AS THE LAW DOES NOT MEAN THAT'S THE WAY IT ACTUALLY GOES DOWN.  *

This referencing of the statutes and such reminds me of an episode of American Justice I saw on A&E recently.  This guy was arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder in St. Louis, Missouri in 1991.  He confessed and eventually executed.  BUT, if you watch the episode and listen to the recording, it sounds like his confession was coerced.  The words he used were not those of a 23 year old.  They were the words of a police officer.  The day after his arrest he filed a police brutality complaint claiming his confession was beaten (literally) out of him.  And who investigated this complaint?  Internal Affairs of course.  HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHA!  It was no surprise that IA found no evidence of police brutality.  And before you say that his police brutality claim convinced me that his confession was coerced, they played the recording before saying anything about the police brutality claim.  I highly recommend you watch that episode.  Not only was his confession questionable, but the case was riddled with holes.  And the last time I checked, there can be no reasonable doubt in death sentencing cases.  Here is the Wiki on Marlin Gray: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin_Gray

But the point of that paragraph is, who polices the police?  Internal Affairs is a division of the police department.  While its understood that there is animosity between IA and the rest of the department, they all still play for the same team, so to speak.  And again, concerning the law and statutes, most prisoners cannot afford adequate representation to prove their innocence, which leads to many of them accepting shitty plea agreements after being threatened with serious maximum sentences.


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## Pander Bear

the defense attorney is supposed to police; that, and the judge and jury.


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## wheyman20

2oclockbeanfiend.2 said:
			
		

> Whether the statutes state that or not, its a fucking crock.  You will most likely NOT get credit for any time served prior to your arraignment.  Experience it for yourself and you'll realize its a fucking laugh.  As stated in my Legal Discussion thread, you'll be lucky if the county even acknowledges it.  *JUST BECAUSE ITS UNDERSTOOD AS THE LAW DOES NOT MEAN THAT'S THE WAY IT ACTUALLY GOES DOWN.  *
> 
> This referencing of the statutes and such reminds me of an episode of American Justice I saw on A&E recently.  This guy was arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder in St. Louis, Missouri in 1991.  He confessed and eventually executed.  BUT, if you watch the episode and listen to the recording, it sounds like his confession was coerced.  The words he used were not those of a 23 year old.  They were the words of a police officer.  The day after his arrest he filed a police brutality complaint claiming his confession was beaten (literally) out of him.  And who investigated this complaint?  Internal Affairs of course.  HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHA!  It was no surprise that IA found no evidence of police brutality.  And before you say that his police brutality claim convinced me that his confession was coerced, they played the recording before saying anything about the police brutality claim.  I highly recommend you watch that episode.  Not only was his confession questionable, but the case was riddled with holes.  And the last time I checked, there can be no reasonable doubt in death sentencing cases.  Here is the Wiki on Marlin Gray: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin_Gray
> 
> But the point of that paragraph is, who polices the police?  Internal Affairs is a division of the police department.  While its understood that there is animosity between IA and the rest of the department, they all still play for the same team, so to speak.  And again, concerning the law and statutes, most prisoners cannot afford adequate representation to prove their innocence, which leads to many of them accepting shitty plea agreements after being threatened with serious maximum sentences.




In FL you get all of your county time.  When you get sentenced they might say 24 months  with 120 days time served.  That means you only have 20 months left to do. They could give you day for day which means you dont get any good time.  Most of the time they do that for laws that have a mandatory minimum sentance like 3 yrs for trafficking.


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## DarthMom

2oclockbeanfiend.2 said:
			
		

> Whether the statutes state that or not, its a fucking crock.  You will most likely NOT get credit for any time served prior to your arraignment.  Experience it for yourself and you'll realize its a fucking laugh.  As stated in my Legal Discussion thread, you'll be lucky if the county even acknowledges it.  *JUST BECAUSE ITS UNDERSTOOD AS THE LAW DOES NOT MEAN THAT'S THE WAY IT ACTUALLY GOES DOWN.  *


i read sentencings all day long at my job, and time served is on ALL of them. and it isn't from arraignment, it is from the date of arrest. you need to chill homie, don't get so petulant from a disagreement. especially when you are pretty far off in reality....at least, in my state. i am not a law enforcement officer, i am not a lawyer, but i think i have seen more sentencing than you have and there is a running theme among them, and that is time served. overcrowding is a bitch.


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## junctionalfunkie

Jail sucks.

I was in county jail for 7 days a couple months ago. It was actually quite a learning experience; lots of time to think and the realization that there are a lot of seriously fucked-up people in the world and my problems are actually rather insignificant compared to some. The boredom and the incessant fucking noise are the worst aspects, IMO.


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## Roger&Me

Cold. 

And you use a bologna sandwich as a pillow.


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## ClubbinGuido

@lterEgo said:
			
		

> if i were ever incarcerated for an extended amount of time i'd probably be one of those people who hang themselves in their cell.



Agreed.  If I ever go to jail/prison for a longtime, I would take my life.  Fuck it.


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## forgotten

> Whether the statutes state that or not, its a fucking crock. You will most likely NOT get credit for any time served prior to your arraignment. Experience it for yourself and you'll realize its a fucking laugh. As stated in my Legal Discussion thread, you'll be lucky if the county even acknowledges it. JUST BECAUSE ITS UNDERSTOOD AS THE LAW DOES NOT MEAN THAT'S THE WAY IT ACTUALLY GOES DOWN.



I think I have plenty of experience in this matter, and will tell you again that you are completely wrong.


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## 2oclockbeanfiend.2

DarthMom said:
			
		

> you need to chill homie, don't get so petulant from a disagreement. especially when *you are pretty far off in reality*



Are you fucking kidding me?  The *reality* is that it does happen.  You are the one that needs to come to terms with the *reality* of the issue.


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## 2oclockbeanfiend.2

forgotten said:
			
		

> I think I have plenty of experience in this matter, and will tell you again that *you are completely wrong*.



How can I be wrong?  Just how the FUCK is that possible?  I experienced this first-hand.  Have you?  And I'm not talking about just any old jail.  I'm talking specifically about Broward County, Florida.  You need to not make definitive statements about shit you may not actually know.


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## wheyman20

The only thing I can think of that would make you think you dont get time served in county is if you are sentenced to probation.  
Bottom line if you are sentenced to do time in the st of FL you will get your county time taken of off your sentence.  If you go to prison than you lose your gain time from jail.  You still get everyday that you were physically incarcerated.


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## wheyman20

If there is no miscomunication than you are the only person I have ever heard had that happen to him.  Sorry about your luck.


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## forgotten

> How can I be wrong? Just how the FUCK is that possible? I experienced this first-hand. Have you? And I'm not talking about just any old jail. I'm talking specifically about Broward County, Florida. You need to not make definitive statements about shit you may not actually know.



Felonies in FL are prosecuted in the circuit courts, which all adhere to the same standards (Fla. Statutes and Fla. Rules of Criminal Procedure).  I experience this first-hand every single day.  I have spent more time in a FL courtroom in the past week than you have in your entire life.

I'm not even going to argue this point any more.  I've provided the relevant laws, and you've provided anecdotal evidence and conjecture.


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## spork

Chill out a bit 2oclockbeanfiend.2, this is just a thread.


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## 2oclockbeanfiend.2

Listen, what forgotten and DarthMom are implying is that I am lying.  You tell me I'm lying about shit I've actually gone through, especially involving the justice system, I'm going to get upset.  I don't care how many days you've spent ON THE OTHER SIDE of an FL courtroom.  I'm telling you what happened to me personally.  Not a story I heard.  Not some shit I read on the internet.  The fact that YOU are unable to accept that is the problem.


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## 2oclockbeanfiend.2

spork said:
			
		

> Chill out a bit 2oclockbeanfiend.2, this is just a thread.



Honestly, what does that even mean?


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## randycaver

Definition of: threaded discussion

A running commentary of messages between two or more people in a discussion group. See message thread and discussion group.


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## spork

It means that if this thread or any thread is upsetting you, then you should just step away from the computer for a while.

Other people in this thread are only sharing stories of what they know prison or jail to be like and are not accusing you of lying. It's different for every one.


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## DarthMom

2oclock, i am not implying you are lying, i just was showing that your perception isn't reality. 

the past few nights while working, i was thinking of you while looking at the necessary sentencings. every last one was a sentence with a set time CTS/time served. every. last. one. that includes doc, not just county...  

you aren't a liar, just remember that your experiences aren't everyones.


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## twentysix

I was basically in solitary confinement for about 22 hours of my 24 hour stay. I was in an open/barred holding cell for the first two hours, or so. As soon as I started to get to sleep, there, they woke me up and moved me into a fully closed room, huge metal door, as well as bars. I awoke not long after, thinking a lot more time had passed, than really had. 

No clocks.

I asked for a Bible, and got a cop drama called "Easy Prey". Lights stayed on. Metal toilet/sink. I was the only one in the room.

After many attempts at sleep, and trying to stay asleep, I started pacing around in a circle.. screaming, singing, acting psycho... Did pushups.

I would much rather be homeless. I can't imagine being in solitary for any more time than I've experienced. I guess I can imagine it would suck, even worse.


The final 8 or so hours of my 24 hour stay were a little easier, as the guard on duty kept the huge metal door open. It made it easier, hearing more open air, hearing conversations, hearing laughter, occasionally. I'm pretty sure he had compassion on me, and the other guys were just assholes. But that could be their system.

As soon as I got out, and got to my car to drive home.. I just felt free. I saw my cat, who I'd been neglecting- somewhat, at the time.. was always preoccupied. I guess you don't realize how good you have it until you lose it, yea.

Jail would just totally screw up my life. I'd rather be homeless.



My experience was a lock-up for a drug charge (pot) and I was bailed out before having to be processed into the population. I imagine population would be easier than what I went through those 24 hours.


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## LiquidICE

I have jailed it a couple times....The first time was in cumberland county pennsylvania and that county jail was sweet. My charges were also pretty insignificant(Possession of Molly coming back from all good festival). The jails was nice and new and you really didnt have to worry about anything but that was only for 17 days til my court date where I was ROR'd. 
      The second time fuckin sucked though. I got caught up in a secret indictment in Paterson,NJ for conspirasy to possess 133 bags on a wire tap on my phone. I was picked up on a warrent in my town in bergen county,NJ and was taken to patersons safety complex for 2 days and then transferred to Passaic County where i spent 14 hours in the bullpen and then 3 days in the basement till i got an area upstairs to go. On the 4th day I was taken up to 4 Main where i remained for 3 more months until my folks finally bailed me out on $25,000 bail. There are just a few things to remember which people have already mentioned but I will mention them again. For the first few days just take in what is going on around you and get used to the guards and people. Its pretty easy to see who not to piss off cuz you will be fucked with hard or have the shit kicked out of you if you do. Then dont fuck with peoples food like reaching over their tray. The last thing to really worry about is having people hook you up. IF you dont have shit to give em back that can start some serious bad blood and in a spot where you can run away from it that can  be pretty bad. 
        As far as cells and showers, it was 3 or 4 to a cell. 3 on bunks and 1 on the floor(I was on the floor my first month it sucked). There was a toilet for all of us in the cell which wasnt a problem. There were two showers that had makeshift curtains on em so that wasnt a problem but make sure you have shower shoes or can borrow em from someone else or else you will be steppin on peoples kidzz and shit if you know what i mean. 
           Really if you keep to yourself and dont get involved in other peoples bullshit you will be fine. Find things to do like playing cards which can be a great equalizer, read books, write, get a radio on your commissary if you can. The radio helped me get through some long nights of not sleeping.


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## LiquidICE

Just to let you know i meant 133 bags of Heroin.


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## cocacrazy

Ok so before I wound up in jail for a week I heard a comedian say that if you wanted to know what jail is like, just lock yourself in your bathroom for a few days. DAMN he was totally right. Besides that I would describe jail as being boring, so I slept most of the day and tried not to eat the shit that they called food. The most annoying part was the guards who are the biggest egomaniacal dicks on earth, way worse than cops. The mother fuckers flashed a light in my cell every half hour at night to make sure I was still their. Right in the eyes too. what ASSHOLES!!


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## rachamim

Hmmm...I have been in prison in the State of NJ in the US (Annandale AKA Mountainview AKA Galdiator School), as well as 2 county jails there (Monmouth, the one on the Maury Show all the time, back when it was harsh, and Hunterdon which was like a hotel), as well as Rikers Island in NYC (C95 AKA Anna Kross AKA The Dope House), and I was also in Military Prison in Israel.


In the US...in NJ State Prison, there is absolutely no rape that I ever saw or even heard of . There IS some violence but all that shi% usually takes place on the County level because in State Prison people just want to keep their privleges, make their parole, not be transferred to "Siberia," etc.


Annadale was a Medium Security place, I did 34 months actually, on a Flat 4 which means 4 year sentence but they gave me 405 Commutation Days credit. My charge? "Posession of CDS, 3rd Degree, to wit heroin and cocaine."

We would go to bed every night at 10 PM, 7 days a week. They had buildings called "Cottages" which is a sick joke but there you go. They had dorms which usually had 30 odd people in them although the big house, Cottage #10 had 100 odd people in each dorm. They laso had single man cells which I much preferred of course. I like my solitude.

There are also the "Units" or were then anyway. They had dorms and cubicles and were for Minumum Security inmates.

They also had a "Quonset Hut" which was a barracks outside the Wall and Fence, for Work Release, and then also 2 Honour Camps way up in "Siberia" which had no fences or walls, and were ultra Minumum.

Alot of homosexuality but all voluntary and gays were housed in segregated areas so as to control it a bit. Most fighting was over gay lovers or gambling, usually gambling.

Dayrooms had 2 TVS, one on each end, one in Spanish, one on sports all day, except when they showed CCTV movies, or System wide boxing matches between prisons and so forth. They had church pews to sit in, and the cells were brutal as far as environment since the prison had been built about 100 years back. Mostly black and Hispanic.


If you are familiar with Steely Dan, Donald Fagen was in that prison and worte "My Old School" about it, even mentioning it by name.

As for County, not much to say about Hunterdon, single man cells only but they would double folks up. Only about 90 people in the whole jail, great food, strangely almost all white which is really unusual for the NE of America.


Monmouth though was hell on Earth. I had been through institutions before, in Israel and grew up in the military so it was not a big shock in that way, only that in Monmouth at that time, if you were not a "Tree Jumper" (sex offender) or "Child Support Violator" you were put in dorms and these dorms usually had no guards (AKA "COs") around. 

Two dorms to a "wing," huge soundproofed metal doors separating each dorm, and then again at the end of the wing onto the main hallway. So, if you got your brains bashed in which did happen rather often, they would only get to you well after the fact.

You had to go to a messhall to eat, some of the worst food I have ever had an in my SERE Training in the IDF I ate all kinds of nasty things, and in the war in Lebanon I ate raw rodent so imagine how bad the food was in that jail!

ALOT of homosexuality again which was suprising because in County Jails the people are not going to be there much longer than a year although this particular jail was "Contracting" inmates to do State time there. It was a max facility, very brutal.


Bed was 10 PM except on late nights which was holidays and Fridays and Saturdays and then we got to stay up until 1 AM if I remember correctly.

The yard was all asphalt, razor wire, walls, and pump shotguns in the towers.

2 riots in the 7 months I spent there.


For Rikers, well C95 where I have been (3 times) they have dorms which have like 50 odd people if I remember correctly, and they are called "The Projects." Then there are the cells which usually have 3 men in them, no bunk beds but single military beds, you have a locker and lock, whereas in the dorms you have foot lockers and locks.

I liked it because alot of Jews forme to hang with, we used to meet in the "synagouge" there and BS. Kosher meals for me but they get old after a bit, only a couple so no variety.

One TV in the day rooms, movies a couple of times a week.



ALOT of drugs, but mostly BS and very expensive. After the outlawed tobacco a single cigarette would cost 20 US per and made me doubly thankful that I never smoked.


The place is so huge, 14000 to 18000 inmates in 14 jails on the island, C95 is so huge that the COs drive golf carts instead of walking in the halls. 


The phones, there are 2, payphones of course, and controlled by gangs. One by the black gang which was usually the East Cost Bloods, and the Spanish phone which was controlled by the Latin Kings  or the Netas depending on the section. If you were white and not down you were not using the phone unless you bribed someone.

C95 was, and probably still is called the "Dope House" because when you go through the Precincts in NYC, you get taken to a place called "Central Booking." NYC has 5 Boros, or parts of the city. Each Boro has its own Central Booking. At Central Booking you get asked if you are addicted to anything and if you say heroin or any opiate/opioid you will automatically be going to Rikers and C95.


At C95, if you are on OST, methadone, you will be given 10 milligrams less than your dosage once they verify it which can take a few days in the worst case scenario, and then dropped 10 mgs. every 3 days until 40, then dropped 5 every 3 days until 0 at which point you are given Dalmane for a few days.

IF you are on a Misdemeanour, or are sentenced to less than State Time (meaning less than 1 year) you can join the "KEEP Programme" which will allow you to stay on MMT while incracerated and believe me, that is the BEST way to do time. Too bad it is not like the Swiss and others who give you injections of heroin in prison but beggars cannot be choosers. Most of the US is luvky to get Clonodine tablets once a day!

If instead you are addicted to heroin, AND have recent track marks, you will be given 20 mgs methadone, dropped by 5 each day I believe to 0. Luckily for me I was always on MMT when arrested in NYC.

ALOT of violence in Rikers, mega-violence to the point of actual shootings by inmates but not alot of homosexuality because like any other facility they segregate the openly gay. The violence has toned down ALOT in recent years now that they got smart and began using gang leaders in little paid jobs as what they call "S.P.A.s" (Suicide Prevention Aides) which basically means they bribe these gang leders to sit in chairs during lights out to make sure noone is stabbed to death during the night...what they call, usually, "suicide." You really have to love pigs' humour, yes?

I liked Rikers because those suckers caused me to collect 26,000 US but that is another story.

Israel? Makes American prisons and jails look like 5 Star Hotels. I once got 30 days in Military Prison for not having my beret on my head! Now you do not even ave to wear your beret!!!! I also spent 4 months in it because of a hashish smuggling scheme until I was cleared through "friends."


In the criminal prisons, I could only tell you what others tell me but in the Military joints it is no joke. The army is much more lax now though.


Well I hope you found this tour through Rachamim's sordid nightmares to be enlightening. I hate dreging this shi$ up but in hops of helping others...


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## red.fury

Jail sucks balls, i got locked up for a few days and i never wanna go back.


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## Coolio

Solitary confinement on the top floor of Cleveland's city jail is quite possibly the most frightening experience of my life. The food there is probably as bad as Monmouth, rachamim. 6 months in the old Carroll County, NH jail, one of the lasts jails in the country to allow smoking tobacco when I was locked up, was one of the best times of my life.


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