Living life in prison is not an easy situation to deal with. The loneliness and fear of being alone can overwhelm those behind prison cells. In this kind of situation, it would be helpful for a prisoner to know who they can trust, turn to, and open up their problems with.
To survive prison, you must first know the different types of people you will most likely encounter there. Of all these people, you have to know who can you trust behind bars. This article will help you figure out who you should be trusting, who are the ones you should talk to, and who are those you should be keeping your distance from, inside the prison.
You would most likely have a prison buddy whom you would feel at ease with when you first enter prison. In case you have some slight personality differences, it would be best to just let it slide. If you are in a county jail, chances are, he won’t be your jail buddy for long. In case you are imprisoned in the state where you live, there is a huge chance that you will recognize someone from the outside. If you do, talk to that person nicely. Do not forget to always be polite and sincere towards people you meet in jail.
Find people behind bars who share the same interests as you, be it sports or other hobbies. You can talk to people whom you can relate with, in terms of experiences. Exchange conversations with them but do not reveal your personal case to them. If someone seems too keen on befriending you, take note that they might want something from you.
Don’t claim to know anyone from the streets or someone inside the prison who you actually do not know well. Behave as if you are cool with your fellow inmates but control yourself from divulging too much information about you.
Another set of people you can trust behind prison cells, happen to be the old prisoners. They are assumed to be harmless and safe to mingle with, given the health condition and strength they have at their age. Also, these old prisoners, which are also referred to by some as “old timers,” know a lot of information about most of their fellow inmates, such as who to avoid and who you can talk to. Ask them questions if you need to.
As long as due respect is given to these old prisoners, they will most likely help out their fellow inmates survive prison by sharing the experiences they had, and the lessons they have learned over time, behind bars. This vital information that these old timers can share with their fellow inmates, can eventually be useful to the younger prisoners to their advantage, and for their survival.
Another person you can possibly trust behind bars is the prison warden. The warden will most likely be nicer towards you compared to your fellow inmates if you are behaving nicely towards him or to the others as well. As long as you are not offending anyone, you will look safe and good in his eyes. However, this does not mean that prisoners should instantly trust the warden. If you would like to have a peaceful stay in prison, keep your distance from the warden and avoid his attention as much as possible.
You will also encounter guards of various personalities in prison. There are some you can possibly trust, while there are others that you should actually stay away from. Some prison guards are nice enough to leave you alone with what you are doing, and will just follow orders and do their job. They try to steer away from causing any further trouble to the inmates. A lot of people would assume that these guards are the ones whom they can trust behind bars. Unfortunately, they are hard to come by, and even if they do get around, that doesn’t mean that they’ll be there to help you out with your prison concerns and be chummy with you. These prison guards who are easy to get along with will make your prison life more bearable. It pays to be nice to them.
There are some prison guards who are referred to as “merchants.” They are the ones who sell drugs, cigarettes, food, and practically anything that a prisoner would want for a price. Their main goal is to take advantage of the prisoners’ money, and to gain a lot of profit from their selling. Given the chance, they will extort money from almost every one. On another note, the merchants’ goods can also be paid in the form of an ex-deal, which can be in the form of a favor or a reward. These kinds of guards can be trusted, for as long as they know that they’ll benefit something from you for doing you a favor. If you can, try to avoid them as much as possible too to prevent yourself from getting involved in unforeseen circumstances that could lead you to something terrible.
There are prison guards that you need to stay away from at all costs. They are dangerous to come across with, and they might cause you harm for no reason at all. Do not trust these guards as they will only make your prison life feel like hell.
On a final note, do not fully trust anyone in prison. This is, by far, the safest advice a first timer in prison should know. You can keep to yourself at first and then observe the people around you. In time, you will eventually meet someone to hang with.
Never trust anyone with the details of your case, especially if it is still pending. One of the prisoners would like to reduce his sentence by reporting your comments to the authorities. Other vital information from the personal life of a prisoner, such as his family members’ identities and whereabouts, must be safeguarded as much as possible, as this may be used against him by other prisoners for threats, illegal assistance, or money extortion.
You will eventually make friends in prison over time, but remember all the aforementioned reminders to keep you safe from the dangers you might encounter behind bars.
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