Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with prison

Prison Correspondence

daboo — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:18:39 -0800

How can people in the U.S. prison system communicate with the outside world? I understand that this varies depending on the type of prison, and possibly the state, but I have found no information. I have no experience with the U.S. penitentiary system, but I understand that prisoners are allowed to write letters. Do they have to pay for postage? Are prisoners allowed to make phone calls? At what frequency? Are there any prisons allowing emails?

Similarly, what ways are available for the outside world to contact prisoners?

Any information or links regarding prisoners' means of communication with the outside world is appreciated.

So much for the light at the end of the tunnel

yawper — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:47:02 -0800

Help me find this short story that I read in 8th grade 20 years ago. It's about a prisoner who finds the entrance to a tunnel in his jail cell and crawls all the way down... When the prisoner discovers the entrance after moving some loose bricks, he finds a note from his predecessor congratulating him and wishing him well on his escape. The prisoner anxiously crawls down the steep, dark tunnel and finally starts to see the light...but as he gets to the end, he sees that the exit is blocked by steel bars. He also finds the skeleton of his predecessor.

I'm pretty sure this story was titled "The Escape" but when I google, there are too many results for short stories with that name.

Costuming for the Overly Ethical?

tejolote — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:14:23 -0800

Prison party fashion...without the prison? I'm going to a prison-themed party at the end of this month, and I'm having trouble coming up with something to wear because quite frankly, the prison theme creeps me out a little. I see prisons and jails and guards as something real, and it's impossible for me to fetishize something that seems so large and close and terrible.

However, I do want to go to this party, and I like costumes, and I want to have a good time and look good, or at least interesting. And however much it bothers me, I don't want to rain on anyone else's parade.

Is there anything vaguely related that I could do that would be a little farther removed and not so squicky? I've thought about actual prisoner-created fashion like http://www.Haeftling.de/ , but I'm not sure enough about getting something from overseas in time for the party.

I may end up going with something generic like a sailor uniform, which is somewhat in keeping with the spirit of the theme but seems more fun to me. Any other ideas?

The War on Drugs claims another one.

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:10:11 -0800

Dear AskMe, Should I be concerned about writing to someone in prison that knows about previous illegal activities I've participated in? Three people involved: X (my friend), Y (in prison), and I (me).

In the past, all of us went to the same college. (Y dropped out second semester senior year, X and I graduated in 2006.) The last time we heard from Y (before this incident) was last year at our homecoming. Y and I went out at around 4am to smoke pot since X didn't want to wake up to go. That was the last time any of us had spoken to Y until about a month ago.

X found out about Y's imprisonment via Y's mother posting a message on Facebook asking people who knew Y to write letters. X told me about this and said that they already written Y and said that I should write him as well. I pretty much forgot about it due to some personal stuff getting in the way.

In college, Y sold X pot on several occasions. (I was there, but never actually exchanged or recieved drugs or money. I have smoked in the presense of Y (and X) on several occasions.)

As far as the understanding of the situation Y is currently in (which I've only been able to find out through X's recounting of the letters Y has written X), Y is in federal prison awaiting trial for some sort of conspiracy and drug trafficking charges. Apparently Y has not had a trial yet, but has said that it will likely be a 10 year sentence. The trial is apparently going to happen in about 6 months or so.

Before this, I would've said that Y was nowhere dumb enough to get involved in anything obvious enough to draw this kind of attention to themselves. X, however, would be, and has actually been fired from one job already on being ratted out by another coworker for smoking on the job and continues to smoke on a regular basis. X was also a lot closer to Y than I ever was.

On the other hand, I only smoke pot when I hang out with X (which is every few months or so for a few days). Other than that, I haven't smoked pot on a daily basis since I graduated. I also happen to have my life together (house/mortgage, car, decently-paying job, etc) more than X and Y. Therefore, I'm a bit concerned about letting Y know that I'm still around and doing pretty well in the world.

So, the question is, should I be concerned about writing to Y? Is there any way that Y can somehow implicate me their current situation? Also, what sorts of things should I tell Y about? I feel kind bad being all 'oh yeah, my life's going wonderfully' while they're in jail awaiting trial.

If anyone doesn't want to respond publicly, here's the throwaway email address: M8R-dp02fx@mailinator.com

Short Story: Journalist on Death Row?

web-goddess — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:30:07 -0800

Anyone recognize this short story about a journalist who wants to learn what it's like to be on Death Row? It's NOT by Roald Dahl. I used to run a prominent Dahl site so I get a lot of questions from people trying to identify his stories. He tends to get misidentified with a lot of stories just on a basis of a twist ending. Yesterday I got an email from a writer who's working on a book (something to do with experiential journalism) with a similar question:

"My friend told me about a Dahl short story in which a reporter decides to find out about what it's like to be a prisoner on death row. The prison agrees, and even straps him to the chair. The prisoner has a heart attack, thinking that he really is going to be electrocuted."

I've already written him back to tell him it's not by Dahl. I'm curious myself now though, and I wondered if maybe the Hive Mind could identify the original story. (I'll send him this link and provide any follow-up details he gives me.)

Door within a door

jontyjago — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:06:05 -0800

Is there a specific name for the little door-within-a-door often seen on prison cells that are used to pass food through?

Budgets for Ex-Cons

small_ruminant — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:15:19 -0800

Budget advice for people just released from a California state prison. More specific questions:

Do most people get paroled to half-way houses? If so, what would your expenses there be? Do you have a kitchen? Are meals provided?

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to survive until your first paycheck? Assuming you get a job immediately, I figure you still have 3 weeks til payday. Is this correct?

What amount should you budget in the SF Bay Area for food, assuming you're eating on the super cheap and that you do NOT have easy access to a kitchen? Clothes? Rent at the halfway house?

How do you find a place to live if you've been inside for 15 years? Craigslist seems to cater to the middle class computer literate. Are there other resources?

Does it make sense to apply for welfare in case you don't get a job immediately? If so, is there someone who can help you do this?

Here's what I do know (I think):

- You get $200 "gate money" when you leave, and a date you need to meet your parole officer if you're on parole.

- Many people have savings from working while inside, but it takes time and paperwork to access it.

- Your parole officer, if you have one, should be able to point you towards resources, but efficacy varies wildly between parole officers.

I would love information or resources on any of these topics, but budgeting is the part I need as soon as possible.

Thank you!

What do gang member hopefuls read in prison?

monkishies — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:35:49 -0800

Prison gang reading lists and what's on them. Does anyone out there know a concise answer? Most people think you've got to be dumb to get sent to prison or stupid to get caught. But there is a small majority, mainly ex-cons, their families ... I won't bother going through the list here who know for a fact that some of the greatest minds in our country are behind bars. The personal views/politics end here.

I ask this question because recently The History channel has had a rash of shows about most of the larger and more organized gangs in the USA. Not surprisingly they have a very heavy presence in our American prison system. I started to notice a trend that happens when they initiate someone in prison; they often give them rules to memorize and reading lists (of books in the prison library) to learn from. Now, in one of these shows they actually had a quick flash on the screen of one of these lists (the show that day was about the Aryan Brotherhood if you're interested.) I don't have the show on tape and even if I did I doubt that anyone could make anything out significant from the blurry photo of what looked a photo-copy-of-a-photo-copy. I wouldn't be surprised if all of the gangs share very similar lists since they all seem to revolve around the same knowledge-set. This theory was enforced by the fact that the following books were mentioned in every show that had a blurb about "the reading list":

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Gray's Anatomy by Spalding Gray (et. al.)

Now this "list" that was flashed on the screen was on your typical 8x11 size sheet of paper, book names top to bottom, single spaced text @ 13-14pt. (not exact on the size but it was essentially normal hand writing). So, I can tell there is more on these lists than three books!

Please, ex-cons, cons, gang members, prison guards , ANYONE that knows what's on that list help a knowledge thirsty netizen out. I'm not looking for carnal knowledge here (since all of these books are apparently in the prison library system.) I'm just really interested in what these gangs have deemed "must read" literature.

Thanks in advance.

How do I send books or magazines to someone in jail?

electroboy — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:24:21 -0800

How do I send books or magazines to someone in jail? A friend is going in for about a month and besides visiting, I'd like to be able to send him some books or magazines. However, the Detention Center rules state that "Requested books, publications, etc., must come from the publisher."

I've heard anecdotally from another friend in similar circumstances that shipping directly from Amazon isn't acceptable either.

So, has anyone had experience sending anything other than letters to someone in prison? Is there any way to get publishers to ship directly?

Help me give my books to people who really need them.

Jawn — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:52:28 -0800

How do I donate a bunch of books to a prison? Bonus for Washington state based resources. I'm in the process of getting rid of most of my book collection in preparation for a move. I'd like to do something useful with them, and as I recently spent a couple nights in jail with nothing at all to read I thought that giving them to a prison would do the most good for the most people. The problem, I've got close to a thousand books to get rid of and no automobile. Does anyone know of a charity that might be able to pick them up and bring them to a prison for me? Any other ideas on how to get them into the hands of someone that needs them more than I? Thanks in advance for any help.

Autobiography by a former criminal turned author?!

mrhaydel — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:24:03 -0800

NameThatBookFilter: Autobiography by a former criminal/hard timer that later became an author? I'm getting sucked in to going through and adding books on Goodreads.com, and I'm having the darndest time remembering a particular book.

It was an autobiography written by a former criminal, who did hard time in a well known prison (not Alcatraz, but maybe Folsom, San Quentin, or Attica?), probably in the 50s or 60s.

The cover of the book, I'm fairly certain, was simply a face shot of said author, not his mugshot, but what seemed like a recent photo at the time (he looked to be in his 60s maybe). He was white, fairly short hair, possibly with a mustache.

In it, he basically traces his life from childhood and being in correctional facilities all the way up to him doing time in prison. While in prison though, I'm almost positive he authored at least one or two works of fiction, that might have even been somewhat popular.

I read this book somewhere back between around 2003-2004.

Anyone have any suggestions?

"Jesus didn't call them retards."

werkzeuger — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:54:27 -0800

Help me identify an old record album featuring prison inmates translating bible stories into "jive." I have fragments of this material because it was used in the mid-90s by a Minneapolis band called Brenda. It is from an LP (lots of hiss and pop) and features several inmates, all sounding african-american, who translate common bible stories into "street" or "jive" as admonishments to their fellow inmates. The whole effect is somewhat stilted and unintentionally hilarious. My guess is the original material is from the late 60s or 70s.

Memorable quotes include:

"Take a look at the ants on the sidewalk. Think about how they work, and you'll be with it, man."

"Jesus didn't tell them how stupid they were, or call them retards. He talked to them like they were real important like."

There are also stories about a "cool cat" who gets thrown out of a gang for beating up a kid who owed him money, and woman who sings songs on the mall of a housing project.

Anybody recognize this? Bonus points if you can point me to where I can purchase or download. Thanks.

Gifts for an inmate

josher71 — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:50:20 -0800

A friend of mine was recently sent to Moriah Shock Correctional Facility in NY. I want to send him some mail. What should I send him along with the letter? With this kind of incarceration it doesn't seem like a book is appropriate since I'm not sure he'd have time to read.

How can I exercise thoroughly without equipment?

malusmoriendumest — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 06:58:32 -0800

Can anyone point me to information on exercising with extremely limited resources? I've had a look over the Net, and over previous questions, but I'm having difficulty finding information on exercising without equipment or a large area. I'm thinking prison exercises, (as the only equipment I have is a single 5kg dumb-bell that's not much use except for doing hundreds of reps), but a lot of the prison-exercise advice I've been directed to tends to necessitate buying a book. Any simplistic instructions on basic aerobic exercises would also be appreciated.

Prison-themed presents

lunalaguna — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:53:04 -0800

Help me think of prison-themed presents for a Down by Law screening party. My best friend is turning 35 next week, and we'll be having a screening of one of his favorite films, Down by Law, and an accompanying Italian-themed potluck. I'd like to make him a gift bag with prison-themed presents (soap on a roap, a shank, etc.) or gifts related to the movie. Any ideas?

Custody battles when only living parent is a released convict

np312 — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:46:21 -0800

Hypothetical child custody question about when the only living parent goes to jail. How hard is it for the convicted parent to regain custody of their child upon their release? I'm writing a story in which the father of a 16 year old girl has been in jail for 10 years for a theft-related crime. The convict's father (the girl's grandfather) has taken care of the girl the past ten years while the father was in jail, and considers himself her legal guardian still, and doesn't want to give her up to his son now that he's free, or even allow visiting rights. How hard would it be for the father to regain custody of his child once he's out of jail, especially if the girl's grandfather decided to fight it? Does the child have any say in the eyes of the law?

Since this is a fiction piece, feel free to suggest conditions under which it might make the father's case stronger to get his girl back, ie if there is a difference between making someone a temporary guardian as opposed to a permanent one, special conditions for non-violent criminals, custody vs guardianship etc. I am not a lawyer so know nothing of these matters.

Thanks!

Like Shawshank Redemption rewound

history is a weapon — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:24:32 -0800

I want to build a fake prison cell set that's mobile. What do I do? Okay, for a video project, I want to make a very real looking prison cell. The problem is, I don't have a large studio I can dedicate, so I basically need something that can be taken apart and stored in a relative's basement or ministorage, and that could fit in a rented van. Nothing medieval, just contemporary and institutional, realistic looking, and possible for an actor to sit/stand in and have it look like I really got access to a prison cell. Floor, walls, ceiling, the whole enchilada.

What do I do? How much am I looking to spend? Is there something I'm not thinking of?

Dude's going to the clink for 5 days. What to expect?

nomad73 — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:36:04 -0800

What can someone expect when they go to jail for five days for a DUI? A person I know decided that he did not want to do over 200 hours of the community service to which he was sentenced for a 2nd DUI. Instead, he is opting for 5 days in jail. This is in a smallish (pop. ~200,000), somewhat economically challenged city in the eastern USA. I am just wondering, out of curiosity, what kind of experience can he expect while in the clink? He (stupidly, in my opinion) thinks it will be a cakewalk and he'll be out in about 24-48 hours. Anyone out there know what he might expect?

My fellow prisoners, send me to the big house!

history is a weapon — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:08:27 -0800

For a project on prisons, I want to film in an abandoned prison. Where can I find abandoned prisons in a short drive from New York City? Short drive means ideally within two hours to keep costs down, but if there's something great further away, let me know. Prison doesn't have to mean prison: if you know of an imposing scary structure, like an old mental institution or factory shell with barred windows, tell us about that too.
Thanks ask.mefi.

How can I find out if someone I used to know is in prison?

Sully — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:49:09 -0800

How can I find out if someone I used to know is in prison? I live in Canada, and about a decade ago, I knew this guy who had just been charged with robbing someone at knifepoint. And before that, he always told me that he always wanted to be a "godfather" kind of person. He watched the movies over and over. At that point, I basically stopped talking to him and avoided him at all costs. Sometimes, I google his name, but I just get other people. But at the same time, I am curious as to the trajectory of his life. I'm curious what transpired. How can I find out if this dude is in the penal system?

A job for a smart, annoying, musically gifted ex-con?

verevi — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:55:50 -0800

What career paths are available for someone in their 60's who has spent much of his life in and out of prison? (the long, not too gory details inside) An old acquaintance has been out of prison for a few years on various drug charges and is looking for gainful employment. I want to help guide him towards something other than the temp work he is occasionally getting.

His most obvious skills are:

1) Crazy-talented guitarist/musician
2) Basic MS office skills

His drawbacks:
1) He's hard to be around--he's not good in social situations and tends to annoy people.
2) He's been in and out of prison most of his life due to drugs.

He wants to do something with computers, but I feel 'liking to use a computer' is not a sign of computer skills.

Any clear-cut paths he could take to earn a living? Ie, take x class, and then get a decent job doing y.

Warden threw a party in the county jail!

sourwookie — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:57:27 -0800

Any idea where to find a black-and-white horizontally-striped t-shirts reminiscent of old style prison outfits--like what Elvis had in Jailhouse Rock? I've found whole costumes (jumpers, etc.) but I just need t-shirts.

I can see you.

greytape — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:14:54 -0800

Why haven't (or to what extent have) prisons embraced video technology? From time to time I hear about prison violence, and it disturbs me. Seems to me that prison fucks people up a lot more than it helps them, and that can't be much good for society.
But I'm surprised that cctv cameras haven't revolutionised prisons. Simply install cameras to cover every square inch of space in the prison, and if any inmate is caught breaking the rules they are taken to solitary confinement. No beatings from the guards, no exceptions. Wouldn't this be a great idea?
We have the ability to construct the Panopticon yet as far as I know, it just hasn't been taken. Am I wrong? Or are my ideas just wildly impractical for a few obvious reasons? And just how are prisons being reformed for the 21st century, or are they not?
Thanks in advance.

A short story from grade school textbook

timsteil — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:14:11 -0800

Can you identify a short story I read in grade school? It was set in England, and involved a fellow taking a bet he couldnt break out of a prison. He's sort of a Sherlock Holmes/MacGyver type, who uses all sorts of improvised stuff to get out. Only thing I truly remember was he used the tip of his shoelace and some polish i believe, to write a note or something. No author or other clues I can think of.
thanks

How do I find a companies Fed Tax ID online?

lattiboy — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:57:39 -0800

How to find a company's Federal Tax ID # (in a hurry!) I went to click "finish" on the ol' turbotax and realized I hadn't entered the info for a 1099-MISC from a company (ABC Networks, Disney). I (still can't believe I) somehow lost the tax receipt since filling out all the other info and now I'm screwed. Please help (if possible/legal). Also, if this isn't possible, is it advisable to file without the number?

PS I know how stupid this is.