Living a life in prison regardless of gender, ethnicity or religious beliefs can be quite difficult. The limitations and the confinement within the facility can take a toll on you mentally and physically. Nevertheless correctional facilities in general are relatively safe, as long as you follow the rules and regulations set forth by authorities get along well with fellow inmates and prison staff.
However, there are certain groups of people who are more at risk of sexual and physical abuse from both fellow inmates and staff alike. These people are the usual subjects of verbal and physical assault, without instigation on their part. Some of these individuals include sex offenders, homosexuals, Muslims (in a relatively Christian populated prison), or Hispanic/ black ethnicity (in a largely white-skinned dominated jail).
Surviving a life in prison is much more difficult for people who belong to these groups. Let’s just say that you are gay and is sentence to spend a couple of years in a correctional facility. Do you have any idea how to survive in prison or jail if you are gay (homosexual)?
You have to know and learn the silent rules to abide if you are a homosexual in prison. For one, it’s all about having the right attitude. Yes, you are gay but you don’t have to flaunt it unabashedly in front of hardcore convicts who see gays as weak creatures. Whatever your sex preference is, better not display it blatantly as it will encourage abuse and assault of a kind that you have never imagine.
You will not be able to survive the ordeal for long if you don’t know the techniques how to survive in prison or jail if you are gay (homosexual). Hence, you must learn the rules of survival for gays in prison and abide by it, even if it means suppressing some part of you. This is not to say that you have to hide the fact that you are gay since others will definitely be able to see through you. However, you can be gay yet come across as a person of principle with a strong will. Never make the mistake of coming across as weak or else you will be the subject of various assaults. Try to strike a balance between coming on too strong or too weak.
Be respectful even if others will try to make fun of you or goad you to make a fool of yourself. Respect other inmates as well as the guards or officers. This means not saying or doing anything to anyone things that you don’t want others to do unto you. This might seem a simple advice yet many prisoners, gay or not, do not follow this. Thus, they get themselves assaulted or even killed by cutting in line, calling others as ‘punk’ or stealing from fellow inmates. Cutting in line would translate to other inmates that you think you are better than them, while a ‘punk’ is someone who does not stand up for himself. Hence, when you call someone a ‘punk’, you are literally insulting their manhood. On the other hand, stealing from fellow prisoners is a blatant disrespect for your fellow inmates.
Know when to walk away from situations or places where you are most vulnerable to assaults. Learn the various high-risk places in the prison and stay away from them. Follow safety rules and directives of officers. Generally they are intended to protect the welfare of prisoners, especially the minority of groups such as homosexuals, who are prone to assaults and harassments. Also, be careful with whom you associate when in prison. Associating with the wrong people could lead you to violence and that would not be good if you are expecting to be free again. How to survive in prison or jail if you are gay (homosexual) depends on a lot of factors some of which are beyond your control.
You cannot do anything about these factors such as how the prison management treats homosexuals or other minority groups. About 99% of prisons around the world treat gays just like men. On the other hand, there are prisons which allocate special wings for gays. This means they are given their own space where they can do their own thing and be reasonably safe from the threat of violence in prison life. When you are gay and you live in a constrained place amongst convicts for a long time, it could drag you deep, deep down. You need to take control of yourself and your situation if you want to survive prison life.
If you want to survive prison with your self-esteem and sanity intact, you need to know the basic do’s and don’ts inside. For instance, no matter what you see or hear about others inside, you should refrain from gossiping or telling others about it. Gossip is the favorite pastime of people who have all the time in the world to do nothing else. Avoid people who love this kind of activity for gossip inside prison can endanger your life.
Nonetheless, the hard truth is that even if you follow all the rules, avoid certain people or places inside prison, some people just get out of their way to commit hate crimes on people who are gay. You can do nothing about that except perhaps do your best to stay away from situations that will likely put you in danger.
Of course, one way of doing just that is by keeping yourself busy with positive things. Try working out or gaining an education. It’s also possible to get a job and earn in prison (becoming a quality assurance inspector is one example of earning a living while behind bars). In fact, some of those who choose to work while in prison manage to earn roughly 200 dollars each month. As for gaining an education, there are college-level courses offered in most prisons. Classes are held several times a week, and the educators are actually from nearby community colleges.
Simply put, as long as you act properly and make good use of your time, you’ll survive in prison regardless of your sexual orientation.
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