A prison is a place where criminals are held, keeping them off the streets. It’s where they are to be disciplined, giving them the chance to change for the better. Still, going to prison is not a vacation.
A newly-incarcerated individual should not expect life in prison to be comfortable. Although food, water, and shelter are free (you don’t pay any rent or bill for the water you consume or the food you eat), you have to comply with the rules and regulations inside, without qualms. Generally, prisons are safe. After all, there are guards inside and outside manning their posts, as well as the inmates.
In every prison however, there are certain groups of people who are the usual subjects of harassment, abuse, ridicule, and even deadly assaults. This means that the people who belong to these certain groups are generally not safe inside prison walls. Some of these specific groups include homosexuals, child molesters, Indians, and Asians. So, knowing how to survive prison or jail if you are Asian is of utmost importance.
Prison is an unsafe place for Asians in places where majority of the population is either Mexican, white or black. According to records, only about less than 2% of Asians are imprisoned in these places. Their numbers, therefore, do not warrant for the authorities to actually make special arrangements to make them safer in prison. Simply put, it is up to every Asian who gets incarcerated to fend for himself inside.
So, how to survive prison or jail if you are Asian? You either adapt or die in the process. Seriously, you need to adapt to prison life and its ways if you want to make it out alive and kicking. This means that you don’t do anything to direct unwarranted attention towards yourself. You should follow all rules and regulations set forth by management. Furthermore, you should also have to learn the silent rules that everyone follows.
Regardless of race, it would be to your advantage if you learn how to respect everyone in prison. This means respecting the rights and privacy of your fellow inmates as well as the officers and guards watching over you. Being respectful means you don’t intentionally encroach on their space or things, to be precise. Stealing from fellow prisoners is the most blatant form of disrespect and thus merits some form of punishment, depending on the custom of a specific prison in dealing with thieves.
If you want to survive prison life, you should not call people certain names such as ‘nigger’, ‘punk’ and the likes. Learn to stand in line and wait for your turn. Never cut in line for it would mean that you think you are far better than the person whom you had cut in line. This is a blatant insult which invites trouble for you. If you are the one who was cut-off in line and you do nothing about it, you will be labeled as a punk, who does not know how to stand up for himself. Hence, when someone cuts in on your line, you are expected to tell the guy that it’s not his place and he should go down the line. Do not trample on anyone’s right; neither should you allow anyone to trample on yours inside prison, if you want others to treat you with respect.
If you want to survive prison life, you should learn not to attach yourself to any gangs inside. Being a member of prison gangs ensures trouble for you from other gangs. You would do better by associating yourself with inmates who keep to themselves, follow rules, and keep a low profile. They are those fellows who have been in prison for a long time and who have realized the futility of always getting into trouble with the law and with fellow inmates.
Choose the people whom you give your trust. Be courteous to everyone but be friendly to a select few. Talk to other inmates, if only to learn about the things you should know about prison life, in order to survive. However, you are better off with just a few real friends whom you can depend on. Being respectful yet firm with others, regardless of race, sexual preference, and status in prison will earn you respect. When others perceive you as weak, they will take advantage of you.
Knowing how to survive prison or jail if you are Asian depends a lot on knowing how to deal with your situation inside prison walls. If you act as though you deserve special treatment because of some attribute you possess, that could get you into trouble with everyone else. If you also frequently whine and complain about your situation, it would only make things worse for you. If prison management deems you unfit to live in society because of your inability to accept your present situation per se, then you would be in for a really long prison life until you realize that your situation can become as difficult as you allow it to be.
You should also remember not to always accept gifts or tokens from seemingly sympathetic inmates. They could just be testing the water, whether you are one of those cute little Asians they could own. If you are the cute babyish type of Asian guy, you could be mistaken for a gay man if you come across as too weak. However, there are always other prisoners who genuinely lend helping hands, especially if they empathize with your plight. Nonetheless, it is always safe to assume the worst when you are in prison. You don’t want to spend the rest of your prison time serving others because of your initial mistake to accept gifts.
Nevertheless, there are always inmates who will try to abuse you without any instigation on your part. Hence, you should steer clear of places inside the prison where you could easily be assaulted. It would also help if you are physically fit to deter anyone from assaulting you. Moreover, it would also help if you learn some basic self-defense techniques in case someone will really try to harm you because you are Asian. Be self-confident yet humble. You don’t want others to think that you can be easily subdued.
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