All the Ways You Can Mentally Prepare for Prison

Published March 18, 2024

Preparing for prison isn’t something people usually anticipate in their lifetime. Yet, fate surprises us in all unusual ways, and you might need to prepare for it. While incarceration is daunting, there are steps you can follow to make it at ease. You can set yourself up for a bearable journey. 

Prison preparation is not easy. In hindsight, you might feel that your world is ending. Still, you must foster bravery, resilience, and hope. Envision yourself as someone who will overcome a difficult situation and come out on the other side. You can survive. Believe in yourself. 

This article will discuss everything you need to know about preparing for prison, including all the general tips. We’ll also have a designated section on how to increase your mental toughness in a lockup and how to look after your mental health in prison. Let’s start. 

1. Accept your fate 

This advice only pertains to the guilty. The faster you realize you’re going to be incarcerated and become okay with it, the quicker you can embark on your new reality. 

Life before prison is tough. It will also worsen before it gets better. Yet, the good news is that you are alive. Your life is not going to end. The path ahead is not easy either. Yet you can always make the best of it. 

2. Save your money

Begin to save your money now. If you are out and working, begin putting some aside. If you are in the county, minimize your spending. Please keep what you have because you will need it.

It’s worth noting that there’s nothing worse than being broke in jail. 

3. Talk to someone who’s done time before 

Another thing you can do to prepare is talk to those who have experienced prison. Nowadays, there are people from all walks of life who have been incarcerated or know someone who has. 

Here are some good questions to ask someone who has served time before: 

• Is prison as scary as they make it seem in movies and shows?
• How can I use my time wisely? 
• How much money can I expect to make while locked up? 
• How much money do you think I need to secure to be comfortable
• Are there programs to assist me in getting out of prison sooner
• What can I do to stay out of trouble
• How do you deal with prison mentally 

4. Research different prison facilities

There are different levels of prison. It is as follows: 

• Detention center or county jail. It is where people are held while waiting to fight their case or be sentenced. There will be lockups at every level of custody. It is from white-collar crimes to gang members. 
• Penitentiary. This is a maximum-security prison that holds high-level jailers. Typically, inmates here are sentenced to a lengthy time, and some are also rather dangerous. 
• A medium-security prison operates similarly to a penitentiary but is not as strict. The crimes here are usually less severe. Inmates have also worked their way down from prison through good behavior. 
• Low-security prison. It is where prison begins to get less scary. It houses a lot of people who have done significant time or have committed gruesome violent acts, but they are here because they’ve behaved already. 
• Camp is commonly used to refer to a minimum-security incarceration facility. It has the lowest security in the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ system and is designed for inmates with the least risk. 

5. Get your affairs in order before prison. 

Depending on how long you’ll serve, you must know that managing businesses or assets while in jail is extremely difficult. It’s prohibited. Also, all phones, emails, and mail correspondence are monitored. 

Speaking in codes is not tolerated. Also, your minutes on calls will be limited. 

Thus, you can only imagine how critical it is to settle your affairs. It would also be best to find a responsible person to trust. 

6. Write down some goals. 

Let’s talk about Nelson Mandela for a moment. He did not just wait in prison and let his life go away. 

He spent every moment he had prepared physically and mentally for what was next. He knew he’d taste freedom once again. His life isn’t over. His people needed him. 

Figure out your goals, and plan how you will find success. 

Here is a list of potential goals that are feasible to attain while in jail: 

• Get clean or sober
• Improve physical fitness
• Start your spiritual journey 
• Learn a new language
• Learn a trade
• Study a topic 
• Write a book or journal
• Get Certified 

7. Be yourself, but don’t draw attention to yourself. 

You want to stay true to yourself as you have to live with yourself while you’re incarcerated. Don’t stick out. Don’t be outspoken. Don’t yell when a soft voice can do. Don’t pretend to be complicated. The other inmates will sense you’re a phony and devise reasons to mess with you. 

8. Socialize, but don’t associate.

You want to cultivate a reputation as an individual man. When fights arise, they are often caused by associations or gangs. One person has a “beef” with another and seeks their friends to settle the score. You won’t be called into battle if you aren’t a part of this jail time tension. 

9. Lose the attitude

Going angry can get you in a pickle with inmates. Attitudes turn into animosities. Don’t make enemies because you are bitter at yourself or the system. Don’t have a big mouth. Do not engage in sparkling insults with others. 

10. Know how to answer the golden question. 

When asked about your crime, you should respond vaguely and politely. Ignoring questions is not great, either. It will only result in your cell mates pushing you harder. 

11. Don’t touch other people or their stuff. 

If you bumped another inmate, apologize and then move on. If your apology isn’t accepted, try again and excuse yourself immediately. Do not touch other inmates’ stuff, such as books, pencils, or clothing, without permission. 

12. Don’t snitch 

The prison system operates so that snitching is a severe temptation. Guards will give you special treatment, better meals, improved visitation rights, and protection for some information. While you might agree to supply data, the other inmates will find reasons to mess with you. 

6 Prison Tips To Boost Your Mental Toughness

1. Check your posture 

Your physical posture can impact your mental state. Stand tall, push your shoulders back, raise your chin, and walk with your chest out. 

2. Practice mindfulness and meditation 

The Mental Health Foundation suggests reducing stress through practices like meditation and mindfulness. These can help you understand what motivates you and build your confidence. 

3. Stay in the moment. 

Focusing on the present moment is vital rather than worrying about the past or future. 

4. Reframe your pain 

Instead of viewing discomfort or adversity as unfavorable. You must try to see it as an opportunity for growth. 

5. Cultivate self-awareness

Understand your emotions, motivations, and reactions to things. These three can help you navigate challenging situations more effectively. 

6. Engage with positive people. 

Surround yourself with people who encourage you and believe in your ideas. This can also boost your mental toughness. 

Looking After Your Mental Health in Prison

1. Take care of yourself. 

You can neglect yourself when you feel low or depressed. You must maintain hygiene routines such as washing, shaving, and wearing clean clothes.  

Building a regular hygiene routine can help introduce consistency to life in a locked-up environment. Showering and shaving are little acts that can significantly affect your self-esteem. These can go a long way toward guarding yourself from being overwhelmed by poor mental health. 

2. Get active 

Regular physical activity and exercise can boost physical and mental health. Even moderate exercise in a prison setting can improve mental health and effectively cut the risk of depression. 

3. Learn something new

The one thing inmates have is time. This time can be filled with worry or anger. Yet, it can also provide an avenue to learn a new skill or hone an interest. Learning can build our confidence and a sense of self-worth. It can benefit our well-being, especially when you want to do something, and it comes when you’re ready to benefit. 

4. Think more positively 

Your thoughts are more likely to be blue and negative in challenging situations. This can lead to feelings of anxiety, guilt, or anger, and it can persist and become habitual. 

Over time, it can lead to depression. It can also be a barrier to making changes and improving our lives. 

To care for our mental health, it’s critical to challenge negative thoughts. Developing more positive thinking habits takes time but can transform how you feel and behave. 

• Become more self-aware
• Become more self-disciplined
• Reframe things in a more positive way  
  1. I am worth more than I think 
  2. I have survived before. I will survive now
  3. I can learn from this 
• I don’t need to rush. I can take things slowly
• Become more focused on solutions

5. Reduce your stress 

Research has proven that regular meditation can aid in cutting stress levels in penitentiary. 

Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present moment. It employs techniques such as meditation, breathing, and yoga. It aids in unlocking awareness of our thoughts and feelings to better manage them instead of being overwhelmed by them. 

Mindfulness has also been shown to elicit positive benefits in combating stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also assist in physical problems such as high blood pressure along with chronic pain. 

6. Begin to make plans. 

Setting goals may seem impossible when you’re locked in a cell. Yet achieving small things can make a real difference to your well-being. It boosts your sense of self-worth and confidence. 

Here are some examples of goals that prisoners can set: 

• To look after myself and shower every day 
• To learn a language
• To become a listener
• To control my anger
• To write a letter weekly to my loved ones
• To attend art classes and boost my drawing skills 

7. Try to keep in touch. 

Maintaining connections with loved ones outside of prison can present a real challenge. You may feel they do not want anything to do with you or that you have failed them. 

You need to keep communication lines open. This will help you survive the stress of jail, keep you in touch with the outside world, and inspire you to work towards an improved life.