by Silva Payne

Created on: June 05, 2010

Prison is not quite like you see in the movies. This is important to state, because often so much of what a person thinks they know about prison, is based on the entertainment industry and not on direct experience. Prison is worse than the movies make it out to be, but it can also be better.

Inside a prison there is a world in miniature. It is, by necessity, a closed community and is usually made up of a hierarchical structure of haves and have-nots. This includes the staff who work in the prison.

As with any community, there will be new faces and old timers. There will be those who are just passing through and those who end up staying for the rest of their days. Again, this includes the employees as well as the inmates.

The only real difference between the prison community and the free-world is that in prison there is nowhere to run. If you get into an altercation with a fellow inmate, you cannot pack up your things and ship out to another city. You have to stand and face the music, however it gets played.

Prisons are noisy, dirty and smelly places. Even the newer prison buildings can be freezing in the winter and turn into saunas in the summer. It is never completely quiet, and you are never completely on your own, even if you have a single cell or room.

Both inmates and staff must maintain a finely tuned sense of awareness at all times. You can never fully relax while in prison, as it may cost you your life or that of someone you work with. Inmates and officers must learn to read body language quickly and accurately. Conflicts can be spontaneous, or may develop over a longer period, but to stay as safe as possible everyone involved needs to be vigilant.

It has been said that prison is the perfect environment for those who do not wish to grow up. In prison, you can exist without having to think for yourself or make decisions. To many, this withdrawal is considered to be part of the punishment, but for many inmates it is actually a welcome reprieve from a world where they fail to grasp life as a responsible adult.

Everyone wears a uniform, so there is no need to be concerned over how good you look. You don't even have to worry about getting the laundry done as that is taken care of. You may not get to choose your food, but at least you don't have to make it yourself. There are no utility companies to cut off your electricity or phone.

You are also removed from your friends and family, and given a get-out clause of not being able to help because you

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