How Does Prison Work?

Question by xxjordzxx: how does prison work?
No i am not going to prison, nor do i have any intention of doing so lol 🙂 its just i hear a lot that prison these days are a doddle, but i just watched a programme about it on tv and it looked pretty grim.
i was just wondering: can they work? i heard they can and they can earn money by doing jobs, but also family members can put money in a sort of prison account. so surely if they put like a grand in you could buy all sorts like tv’s and computers?
is there a limit on what they can have? like can they purchase anything they like. or only the basics? what about cigerettes, alcohol, etc?
what determines what rights they get? like some prisoners get put in a grotty old cell with loads of people whereas some get one all to themselves with all the modcons?
how often do they get let out and can they do anything educational?
any links to a website with all this information or if anyone has any personal experience that would be great. i find it a very interesting topic x

Best answer:

Answer by Bob Marley
well for starters any tv program you watch regarding prisons (like HBO’s Oz or PrisonBreak) just isn’t real. the prison world is nothing that anyone out here can relate to even mildly unless you’ve been there. prisoners can work and be paid for that work but are not considered employees under law. They usually make around 18 dollars a month. That change is suppose to help them obtain cigs, envelopes, cards, soap, etc. some prison regimes do provide the basic necessities (clothes, hygiene products, etc) and those supplies sometimes run out requiring the prisoner to purchase more from the commissary. approved family and friends of the prisoner can send the prisoner money. some states in america have laws where any money sent to a prisoner can be used to pay off a debt (like court fines) or even be used to house the prisoner. but most prisoners do not have a lot of money so that tactic isn’t used all the time. Some prisons allow the purchase of a television or radio and some don’t. there are limits to everything in prison. you can only have x many pairs of socks sent in….you can only have x amount of clothing sent to you. you cannot purchase alcohol while in prison in america but prisoners can easily make ‘hooch’ (water, orange juice, piece of bread for the yeast….inside a bag to ‘cook’) and sell it for ten times the amount in society (like an ounce of marijuana…and i mean some nasty, brown brick weed…can be sold for up to five hundred dollars per ounce. drugs are smuggled in by guards, visitors, etc). the rights afforded prisoners usually are found within the constitution…..first, fourth, eighth and fourteenth amendments to the us constitution are usually the ones which protect prisoners. you can also have administrative laws which set forth various procedures and policies regarding the housing of prisoners and their rights. celling is usually done via classification: if you are highly violent then you might just get a cell to yourself. Some prisoners only get about 7 hours a week out of their cells…some spend years in their cells. any and all “rehabilitation” (and I use that loosely) is solely on the prisoner; if you want to elevate yourself out of your situation then you’re best bet is to obtain an education while confined so that you don’t repeat yourself.
prison usually makes the person worse than he was before he went in. prison desensitizes you. You could care less if people dies all around you….it no longer matters. You can hurt people without batting an eye and can react violently at any given moment.

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