Survival

When one is sentenced to prison, the most important issue with no close rivals is survival: physical; emotional; spiritual; and perhaps at the bottom of the list--intellectual. I would put intellectual at the bottom of the list because prison is really not a great place to learn much that is helpful, and as the recidivism rates show what offenders do learn only makes them more prone to commit more crimes.

Physical survival may surprise some, but one only as to think about who gets sent to prison. At our place, we have a mix of offenders from folks who have moderately serious drug offenses to serial killers on Death Row. Many of our population are not professional thugs or killers, but they have been sentenced and housed with professional thugs, gang bangers and killers. Add to that mix sex offenders some of whom are predators, and men who have trouble with anger, aggressiveness, and personality disorders best described as believing they are the only one living on the planet and they are entitled. "Entitled to what?" You ask. Well just fill in the blank. More food, better food, first in line, not kept waiting, and the list goes on and one.

Since everything in prison tends to devolve into either a tattoo needle or a shank (weapon), it is easy to see why survival can be the paramount issue. This is especially true if one is small of stature, effeminate, scared, serious mentally ill or not associated with someone bigger and badder.

When one talks of physical safety, it is all about not getting injured/and or killed for any number of reasons: you don't belong to a gang, don't belong to the other gang, won't allow yourself to be extorted for soup, favors, or various and sundry items, or are perceived as being a snitch. You might be taking some medication that others would like to take instead. Or, you have something of extreme value someone else wants like a cheap fan or writing paper.

What is not valuable in prison is a human life. Curios to me that is because so many of the offenders are in prison because they did some crime against a person or persons. It is sort of like being sent to the one place where no one really gives any thought to you--because in the free world, you did not think of others. If it sounds like a snap shot of hell, it is!