Prison Trivia

Although prison officials may punish inmates by withdrawing certain privileges, fundamental human necessities should not be taken away from the inmates. These include food, light, ventilation, and sanitation.

Here are some of the other examples of usual punishment for unruly inmates:

• Forfeiture of accumulated “good behavior” time
• Transfer to a less desirable housing or prison job assignment
• Confiscation of items
• Disciplinary transfer to a higher security prison
• Monetary restitution
• Loss of telephone, visiting, or mail privileges

Before getting punished for committing an infraction, inmates should get a hearing with the warden first. Prisoners will receive a notice of the charges against them, the rules they violated, and the penalties that come with it.

However, prison disciplinary proceedings are not the same as criminal prosecutions. Thus, the accused prisoner does not have the right to trial nor entitled to an attorney.

If the prison staff and other person-in-charge find the prisoner guilty of the infraction, then the punishment will be issued. The penalties must be reasonable and related to the severity of the rules violated, however.

What Can Prison Officials Do When Inmates Starts to Get Violent?

When inmates start to get violent, sometimes it leads to a prison riot. Prison staff can use force as self-defense, to stop fights between inmates, and defend state property.

Firing at shotguns at prisoners whenever there is a commotion is very common. If there is a potential for a prison riot, the use of tear gas and chemical mace are justified.

What Happens When Inmates Commits Infractions Several Times?

For every infraction, prison staff will mark a “shot” against the prisoner and place it on his or her file. Prison officials will consider the number of shots on the prisoner’s record whenever he or she requests an additional privilege or comes up for parole.

For instance, a prisoner that asks for a better prison job will have a higher chance of getting approved on his request if the number of shots in his profile is minimal or none at all.

Amanda Knox, the famous American who was jailed in Italy

Amanda Knox was wrongfully convicted for the murder of her roommate in 2007. She served four years in Capanne Prison, a women’s facility in Perugia, Italy. After proving her innocence, she was able to gain freedom and is now a freelance writer.

According to Knox, inmates inside Capanne had crushes on one another. Passing of love letter through the bars are often and is the usual way of showing love to their partners. Fistfights between new partners and exes are also expected.

While there might be inmate couples who acted immaturely, there are also inmates who are self-contained. Most often than not, these couples are the ones who continue their lesbian relationship once they got out of prison.

Knox said that a female prisoner named Leny once seduced her. She thinks that Leny was only trying to find comfort with the loneliness that the prison walls bring.

While other inmates use sexual intimacy for cigarettes, money, protection, or solely for love, Knox doesn’t want any of these. She already gets enough attention from her family and friends. Knox needs not use anyone so that the feeling of isolation will get easier.

Sally, 60 years old, and a former inmate

60-year-old Sally, who was a former inmate, used to be in and out of jail. She says that people have more sex in prison than they do on the street. This only shows how same-sex intimacy is common inside prison walls.

However, in her case, lesbian relationships in prison are hard. People who engage in same-sex relationships are often mistreated and discriminated against. Most correctional officers are often homophobic and are disgusted with them.

Sally says that for the relationship to work, you must not let everyone know about your sexual orientation. You will never know who is violent and homophobic. Getting caught doing sex or kissing will have you punished and locked in solitary, regardless of whether it’s consensual.

While sexual relationships inside a women’s prison are forbidden, it is still common for two inmates to have intimate relationships. (Related: How Prison Couples Get Intimate)

So what drives them to commit lesbian relationships-even those who claim that they are heterosexual?

Companionship.

A social psychology professor at California State University, Dr. Pamela Regan, said that people want to form a loving and lasting relationship. Whether for intimacy, recreation, social support, sex, or for whatever reason it is, it’s all because of the need to form a connection with another person.

Since prison is an awful place, most people think that the relationship behind bars is only because of sex. But, most often than not, lesbian relationships and any other types of relationships inside the prison are about human connection.

Food

Menu for federal prisons is the same all over the country. In 2018, the BOP included heart-healthy foods for its inmates. Lunch and dinner foods usually include soup, beans, chicken, salad, fruit, and beverage. Breakfast choices consist of fruit, cereal, whole wheat bread, hash browns, and coffee or skim milk.

Foods served in state and county prisons vary widely across the country. Prison meals for local facilities are influenced by state laws, local policies and court decisions. Some facilities receive enough budget to adequately feed their inmates. Others are struggling to even feed their prisoners three times a day.

The Marshall Project revealed that inmates in Gordon County Jail in Georgia are only fed breakfast and dinner. Inmates have to combat hunger by licking from food packets. In Alabama, sheriffs are legally allowed to keep excess funds allocated for inmate food. This often results in undernourished inmates.

Thanksgiving is also celebrated in federal prisons with inmates getting noticeably better foods. Holiday meal choices include frankfurters, hamburgers, and potatoes served with pie or ice cream. In Texas, the holiday entree usually consists of two types of meat like chicken, beef, and turkey. Some places would even allow inmates to a cookout or set-up a barbecue pit.

Routine

A day in prison starts early. Prisoners have to wake up as early as five or six in the morning for the daily countdown. After that, inmates are allowed to do their morning routine like jogging, a quick shower, meditation or prayer.

Breakfast is only five to fifteen minutes. Then inmates go to work (yes, they work in prison too) or go to educational programs they are enrolled in. Another countdown occurs before lunch.

After a quick lunch, inmates go back to their work or schooling. They head back to their bunks for another countdown at around 4 in the afternoon. They stay in their bunks or do leisure activities (or as leisurely as prison gets) till dinner is served. Another countdown is done at around 9:00 pm before the lights are turned off.

Communication

Inmates in federal prisons are given 300 minutes of phone calls each month. Each call cannot last more than 15 minutes and they have to wait for an hour before they can make another call. Unused minutes on the revalidation date are automatically canceled and renewed for another 300 minutes.

Phone call regulations in state and county jails vary for each facility. The law gives sheriffs complete autonomy in implementing prison call rules. Most facilities have exclusive contracts with private prison call providers. Since these contracts are barely regulated, prison call rates are often more than double the usual call rates.

Companies like GlobalTel give prisoners and their families an option to make cheap jail calls. Upon signing up you will be given a local number which the inmate can call. Using local phone numbers can significantly reduce your phone call bills even if you are calling from miles away.

Our jail mail postcard service also lets you send personalized letters to inmates right from your phone or PC. For only $0.52, we’ll print it for you and send it to wherever they’re currently incarcerated.

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GlobalTel’s inmate calling service lowers jail call rates by 90% for jail calls to US facilities. Sign up for our service to eliminate the long distance jail call fees for $45.99 for 90 days. Make US/domestic and international jail calls at the local rate and stay connected to your incarcerated loved ones for less. Learn more about how to sign up for calls from inmates on our website.