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I know this is just an off-the-cuff quip, but the real answer is probably zero. He's minimum security. He's going to have very little problems like this, even as a rich white guy.

When I was locked up, I was in Max with mostly murderers. I got tricked out of a $10 phone card in my first week, and the guy said he'd protect me as a thank you. After I realized I'd been dumb I never made that mistake again. I found just being polite, but firm, was enough.

He'll be fine. He'll probably never get into a single fight. He'll be asked for commissary. He'll share some of his commissary, but everyone does that in prison anyway, especially with the guys that have nothing.



Wow don’t mean to pry, but how long were you there for? Is it like the movies where you have to find your ethnic race clique and they protect you?

What would you change about the prison system? Do you think mental health treatment would help reduce the prison population from repeat offenders?


I was in for 8 years, 1 month. I was never convicted. I was just in jail because I didn't have the money to bail out, otherwise I would not have spent a day inside.

It's not like the movies at all. All the races talked to each other and were pretty respectful. If there was a fight it was usually enforced to be only one-on-one. Every now and again someone from a person's gang would back him up in a fight, but it wasn't necessarily race-specific as the gangs have become very multicultural - you'll find Latino gangs with blacks and vice-versa. Often it's because people are so mixed now - is the guy black, mixed, Latino? Who knows?

I would change the prison system by practically abolishing the prison system. I don't think putting people in a box helps them. Almost every single person I met in jail was in there because of a raft of mental health issues that made it so their brain said committing a crime was OK and fuck the possible consequences. We need vastly more mental health support, especially for men who typically are not open about their weaknesses.


Thanks for sharing I hope you can influence prison reform from your experience




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