Is jail/prison really as bad as "they" make it sound?

[Cass]

With one of my mom's ex-boyfriends going to jail for six months and the other one to prison (NY) for 15 years, I'm wondering how bad it really is in there? The whole "Bubba" thing, etc. Any CO's willing to share some insight on what it's really like inside?

PS: My ex is on another stint at the county jail, and I've visited him there before, and it really wasn't all that terrible. He never had too many complaints other than not being able to do what he wants. Ha ha. I've heard state prison is worse, and federal prison even worse. Is that tyoically the case?

[retdetsgt]

According to my cousins, some of which are ex cons, federal prison is the easiest. Prison in Texas is no fun at all. But they say it's not as bad as on TV if you really do your best to mind your own business. Younger inmates, like everywhere else in life, tend to get into more trouble.

[cntryboy0531]

One of the guys I work with used to work for the Bureau of Prisons for the federal government. From what he tells me, Federal Prison is a cakewalk.

State prison, depends on where you're at. Some places it's horror as an inmate, dog eat dog world. One of the people on my shift worked for Florida Department of Corrections, and worked some of the more dangerous prisons in the State System. She said it was pretty bad in some of the places.

County, all depends on what county you are in.

[pac201]

I have to agree with the others, it's a relative thing; some adapt to it really well, others not so much. I've actually had some tell me the only reason they were in jail is because it was better than what they had on the outside...
Not to say I haven't seen some really bad things when I worked at the jail...

[Cat_Doc]

I sent you a PM with some details, but I forgot to mention that things have changed regarding sex offenders.

They now have sex offender units ("yards") that keep the assaults/murders way down compared to the old days when they were put in General Population (GP) with everyone else. Those were wild *** days if it was learned a guy was a cho-mo (child molester) or rapist.

Even hard core snake-eyed convicts don't like child molesters and they have moms, sisters, daughters, so a rapist was also a target not fit to walk the yard. Sex offenders were often whacked back in the day and only survived in PC (Protective Custody) but hated it because they were on lock-down.

Prison in the US is not nearly as bad as it used to be, but the turd won't be out there walking free and hopefully will catch a life-time sex offender jacket out of this that will haunt him.

[Samuel]

As everyone is saying, it will depend on quite a few things - among them:

where you're doing your time
what you're in for (convicted charge(s))
who you are/what you look like
how long your sentence is
how much "juice" you have (e.g. reputation/connections)
who your fellow inmates are
etc

[fatboyjim154]

Younger inmates, like everywhere else in life, tend to get into more trouble.

Young dumb and full of c..............

Sometimes it's not theirs!