In books I’ve written about prison, and articles published at www.criminal-indictment.com, I’ve described how a different set of values pervades higher security prisons. The values differ from law-abiding society, where people respect those who strive to educate themselves, contribute to society, and live in socially acceptable ways. In higher security prisons, individuals concern themselves more with developing power on a primal level inside the penitentiary. Those types of prisons are like failure factories that seethe with hostility.

As a consequence of my work, some have asked how it was that I earned respect from violent, predatory prisoners. After all, I do not have a history of violence, and the goals I pursued differed in significant ways from most of my fellow prisoners. The truth was, I was not so sure that other prisoners respected me. Frankly, I never showed much concern or sought approval from other prisoners.

I was courteous and respectful to everyone around me, yet I purposely sought to minimize my contact or interactions with all the chaos of the penitentiary. That may seem absurd to some, as I have lived in prisons for more than 21 years. Yet I always found it possible to avoid activities and interactions that could expose me to problems.

My strategy was to find employment or volunteer opportunities that kept me away from the violence. At the crack of dawn, or in the early morning when doors opened, I was on the weight pile exercising to keep in top physical shape. I worked as an administrative clerk for many years. That job kept me in an office with a typewriter that was far removed from the general population. While other prisoners were rioting over trivial issues, I was absorbed with schoolwork or writing projects. When the office closed for the evening, I packed up my books to report for volunteer duties as a suicide-watch companion; that job kept me in the infirmary for the evenings.  By the time I reported to my room, the doors were about to be locked for the evening.

By keeping busy working toward my goals, avoiding television rooms, table games, drinking, contraband, gangs, gambling, and anything else that interfered with my progress, I was able to reach the goals I set. After I had more seniority, I built relationships with other prisoners. As a consequence of my working toward prison reform, I found others who would share their experiences with me so that I could write about them. Still, I don’t know whether other prisoners have ever respected me.

The post Does Anyone In Prison Respect Nonviolent, Goal-oriented Prisoners? appeared first on Prison News Blog.

I spent the first 16 years of my sentence inside higher security prisons. When I was locked inside the walls of a United States Penitentiary, I understood the dangerous environment. With a lengthy sentence to serve, I knew that I would have to stand on my own. I could not expect prison staff members to protect me from all the chaos around. Survival meant that I had to develop strength in my spirit, in my fitness level, and in my mind. I had to choose my activities and my associates with calculation. Nothing about surviving prison is by chance, I knew. I had to make choices every day, and those choices determined how I would emerge.

For the first decade I focused exclusively on building a strong physique and working toward my education. That meant discipline. I worked daily with a brutal weight training routine and ensured that I kept in tip-top shape. A strong presence, I reasoned, would suggest to predators that there were easier marks in the penitentiary. Also, I avoided interactions with trouble makers. I did not engage in table games or play any organized sports. I stayed low key, focusing on my independent study projects and on exercise. Since I was respectful to every other prisoner and since I did not interfere with others in any way, I worked my way around the penitentiary without have any troubles.

After completing my education, I began to engage in projects that raised my profile. I started to develop more contacts outside of prison boundaries by writing. In time, I began to open opportunities to publish. Those efforts were part of my long-term plan to emerge from prison with a position of strength. I felt hopeful that I could walk out of prison with a career in place and a network of support that would assist my efforts to succeed.

A gang member once approached me with an extortion effort. He understood that I had a higher profile and he thought that he might score some points in his gang if he could pressure me. Yet when the young gang banger made his approach, I had more than 13 years of prison behind me; he was new to the prison and striving to lift his status. Although he thought my demeanor suggested that I would be an easy mark, the young extortionist learned that I was well liked and respected in the prison. Gangs are political organization, and I had good relationships with gang leaders. When I described the effort at extortion, the problem was quashed immediately.

People are extorted in prison when they are perceived as being weak. I prepared myself to project strength, and those efforts have served me well. Also, once I cultivated a reputation as a prison writer, other prisoners admired the efforts I made to initiate prison reforms.

The post Extortion Targets in Prison appeared first on Prison News Blog.

As a consequence of my having a very clear vision of how I wanted to emerge from prison, I avoided interactions that could lead me into trouble. I did not gamble. I did not engage in the trafficking of contraband. I was cautious in my activities and in choosing my associations.

Mostly, I focused on educating myself and in keeping physically fit. By spending a lot of time studying and working out, I became comfortable with being alone. Every day brought another opportunity to work closer to the goals I had set. And with clearly defined goals, I had a tangible reason to avoid altercations with both staff and other prisoners. I expected challenges, and when they came, I navigated my way around them.

I avoided problems by finding niches within the prison that would allow me to advance. For example, I had a clerical job in an office. Once I completed my duties, I could sit at my desk, alone, and work toward my school assignments. I exercised every day early in the morning to avoid the crowds. By keeping physically fit, I discouraged others for mistaking me as prey. In the evenings, I volunteered in the hospital as a suicide-watch companion because that job isolated me from the chaos of the penitentiary. The strategy was successful, as I served my sentence without any disciplinary problems. In time, my security level dropped and I transferred from high security prisons to medium-security, then low-security, and in 2003 I transferred to minimum-security open camps.

Those who want more detailed strategies that lead to successful prison adjustments may find value in the articles included in my topical report series Thriving Through Prison.

The post Challenges and strategies in prison appeared first on Prison News Blog.