Living in prison is tough. Prisoners need to leave their possessions and families behind. They may lose their jobs, friends, businesses and other things because they need to leave all these behind while they are serving their sentence. Prisoners often find it impossible to survive life in prison. They can easily lose hope and the will to go on with their lives. Those who want to know how to survive in a Oregon Department of Correction facility must find ways to stay positive, clean, healthy and fit until the day of their release.
Keeping a positive attitude is probably one of the hardest things to maintain while in prison. That’s because prison is a gathering place of people who have committed an offense, regardless of how trivial the offense is. It is full of hotheads who are easily enraged, egoistic maniacs who glorify their crimes and are out to do more harm, as well as many other sorts of anti-social personalities.
Prison routine and the abundance of spare time also often lead most inmates towards negative introspection. They have more than enough time to ponder on their bad luck and hate the cards that they were dealt. When this happens, any remnants of a positive attitude can go flying out the window. However, there’s no need to be hopeless since there are ways to regain that positive attitude. Sometimes, it may take some time and you may go through a lot of hardship, but know that it is still possible.
One way to maintain a positive mindset while in prison is to keep in touch with the outside world. The Oregon Department of Corrections has an official website that the prisoners’ families and friends can visit so that they may become familiar with how things work inside prison. The website also offers helpful information so that the prisoners’ families and friends can help their loved ones understand how to survive in a Oregon department of correction. Surviving life in prison will also be possible if the prisoners’ families and friends can support them.
The prisoners who want to know how to survive in a Oregon Department of Correction facility may prefer to keep in touch by writing letters to their families and friends. Prisoners are not allowed to have internet access for security reasons, so they can’t send electronic mail. Snail mail is also considered more sincere and touching compared to emails. The prisoners’ families and friends must be informed that they can only send letters if they follow the state of Oregon’s policies.
They must agree that for security reasons, all letters are opened and read by security officers and prison staff. The senders must also ensure that they use the prisoners’ names as how they appear on the Oregon Department of Corrections’ records. The senders must also include their names, complete addresses, and contact numbers. The prisoners’ standard IDs must also be included.
Another way for inmates to make their prison stay more bearable is to ensure that they eat healthy foods as much as possible. People who live in Oregon love eating sweet berries and seasonal fruits and vegetables that are locally grown. They also love preparing foods and drinks with these berries and vegetables. Prisoners who want to stay healthy and fit until the day of their release may plant vegetables and fruits. They are normally served with prepared meals, but it is possible to get the prison personnel’s approval to plant fruits and vegetables.
This will not just help prisoners stay healthy, but will also let them enjoy foods they used to eat before they were sent to prison. Planting vegetables and fruits will also give them a sense of responsibility and will help them survive life in prison. They will have something to do and they can start being responsible when they take care of their plants. This will also give them something to do so they won’t get bored.
Bored prisoners are most likely to get in trouble and join gangs. They have nothing to keep them busy so other prisoners can easily talk them into joining gangs and nasty groups. Prisoners who don’t have any background on planting fruits and vegetables may read books from the library. The Oregon Department of Correction has a small library where inmates may borrow books and other reading materials.
Reading books does not only help in exercising an inmate’s mind; it can also be a source of enlightenment, hope and inspiration. One inmate even relays a story about how reading a biography of Nelson Mandela has helped him cope with his negative feelings. It helped him focus on what is truly important to him while learning to disregard the facts of his life that he can no longer change. This change in attitude has ensured that once he got out of prison, he became a productive citizen who helped establish some necessary changes in his old ‘hood.
Aside from reading books and growing their own fresh produce, inmates can also take the time to learn a new hobby or a skill. Some inmates stick to crossword puzzles or word search games to keep their minds occupied. Most prisons provide work assignments for inmates who are interested in learning a specific skill.
Some of the new skills that inmates can learn are:
Carpentry
Furniture assembly or re-finishing
Kitchen management
Machine operation
Mechanical design
Painting
Woodworking
Note that all of these skills are quite practical since they can be used by inmates once their time is served. These skills can then be enhanced outside by enrolling in further education or training programs. You can also obtain certification for the skill so that there is a higher chance for promotion and personal growth.
A prison sentence does not necessarily have to be the end of one’s world. There is always a chance for personal growth even through incarceration. That’s why it is important for inmates to continue making plans for their future and continue working hard towards making these plans come true.
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