Per request: IamA Redditor who has spent time in solitary confinement AMA

Lets be real, how often did you masturbate?

All the fucking time. I beat the cartilage out of my meat

Was it awkward?

Man, after being in these exposed situations so many times, I could jack my dick in front of a live studio audience without a problem

Edit: spelling

Hey man thanks for doing this. Did they even give you a special Christmas dinner or was it normal?

It was different from the normal menu, but nothing special. A couple pieces of turkey an bologna, some mashed potatoes an veggies with some cookies

Were the cookies good?

Actually, yeah

Exactly. Are we talking http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5647600551_d99ba7a597.jpg

or

http://www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/nilla-wafers.jpg

No frosting

have you seen Orange is the new Black? if so, how similar is "SHU" to "the box"

also, was the food worse in the box than what you were served in the normal jail?

I've seen a couple episodes. SHU=special housing unit. Every jail has one. It's where they keep snitches an problematic inmates. I haven't seen the episode where someone was in the SHU, so I can't comment. It's a 7x9 room with a bed and a toilet sink. They feed you threw times a day, and turn the lights off at 11pm. Some people get medication. Twice a week you're allowed to leave for 30 minutes, you have the option of taking a shower, or making a phone call

In Orange is the New Black, that described it perfectly except they didn't turn the lights off and the main character went kind of nuts.

Where I was at, they dimmed the lights between 11pm-5am

Is the phrase "snitches get stitches" true in the jail you were in?

Hell yeah. You snitch once and people know about it, you might as well check in and spend your whole time by yourself

So do you know if the guy who snitched on you have to be put in protective custody or something similar?

By the time I got out of the hole I had less than a week on my sentence. I let go of my anger and looked forward to going home. Sleeping well at night knowing he had a long trip ahead of him

Edit: to add to that, I personally may have not retaliated, but now everyone knows that this person can't be trusted. Who knows what ended up happening

Did it get progressively worse as the days went on or was it pretty much the same after the initial adjustment?

The first week and the last week were the worst. There was a month or so when I was just numb,sleeping like 18 hours a day. I got really good at lucid dreaming

Good tip, if I ever go to jail

Here's a better tip, don't

[deleted]

No techniques. I subscribe to /r/luciddreaming and I think a lot of the stuff they say works is just silly. It's always came Natural to me

[deleted]

I knew what times meals were served and what time the lights went out. Also, nurses came around to pass out medication at certain times. You always had a decent guess of the time

Was it prescribed medication or was it something everyone had to take?

Only certain people were prescribed. There's always at least one guy on the block with diabetes or high blood pressure

What did you do to end up in the box?

Someone snitched on me for getting OxyContin because I wouldn't break them off. When they searched my shit they found gambling materials and other contraband. So they hit me with two DRs (disciplinary reports) and gave me two months in the box

That sounds kind of extreme for a non-violent offense...? Is that a pretty typical response?

They'll lock you up over anything. I was part of a trustee program. So I had a job in the jail and had better living conditions. Some of the COs in that area make it their mission to rope people off

Did you make any friends while in prison that you're still in contact with?

Plenty of them! At first there was a group of guys I would party with. Most of us sold dope and that's how we got to talking in there. We helped each other network, make money, and introduce each other to girls. It worked out really well for a while

I always hear about ppl dealing drugs in prison but have always wondered how they smuggle the stuff in. Care to enlighten me?

There's lots of ways. Through dirty officers or people visiting. I had mine mailed to me

they don't search mail?

Two post cards glues together with crushed up pills hidden in between. You would never notice it's there

Given the general caliber of one's fellow inmates, is solitary confinement preferable to dealing with an obnoxious/psychotic roommate and/or a dangerous social dynamic? Seriously asking here.

Secondly, were you at least allowed pencil and paper, or were you literally confined with zero sensory escape for the entire time? If so, what is the "official" reasoning behind intentionally zombifying an inmate-- perhaps permanently? Seems horribly counter-productive to me...but then so does locking people up for using the "wrong" drugs.

Thanks for the AMA

I preferred to be in population. It was easier to pass time. I like hanging out with people, talking shit and betting on the sporting events, playing cards and shit. I love playing risk! But yeah, there wasn't shit to be scared of, just do you. As far as the box, they legally have to give you pen and paper so you can write letters to lawyers and families and all that. And they have to give you a bible If you request it. Other than that, they pass out a kit with basic hygiene products once a month

Risk in a prison? That's a recipe for disaster, I can barely walk out of a Risk session with my friends in one piece..

Yeah, shit gets intense. I liked playing because a game can last all day

Serious question: what happens if you run out of toilet paper? Did that ever happen

It happened one time. There was this one asshole officer. Young Puerto Rican guy with a lot of tattoos, he hated the white boys. His shift lasted a whole weekend. When I asked for toilet paper, he told me to wipe my ass with the bread I get with my dinner. I ended up tearing a shirt into pieces and using that.

Wow that sucks man.

It was really fucked up. Imagine a grown man begging for toilet paper, I mean begging and he just gets laughed at and left in his cage

I got 5 soups for your state pack...

We didn't get soups. But I'll take 2 big bags for it

How did you feel after they told you you'd be spending two months in solitary? Was it horrifying or did you not realize at the time how mind-numbing it was?

I was in denial. I filed appeals and asked family members to call the jail. I freaked out. Then eventually I realized there was nothing I could do and just tried to deal with it

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions! Would you consider solitary confinement a form of torture?

Abso-fucking-lutely. But other than corporal punishment idk what the officers should do

What is the longest time anyone has spent time in solitary where you're at?

Also, how long do you estimate you could handle being in the box?

Forgive me if this is a sensitive question.

EDIT: formatting.

I mentioned in the title I was in solitary for two months. I don't know how long I could take. After a month or some was used to it, but I assume after a while I would snap

What is your favorite crime, and why?

Possession of marijuana. Because 420blazeitfaggot #yolo

Did you find Jesus in Jail...and if so in which cell block was he in?

He was there. He hooked me up with a fade and a neck tattoo for like 5 snickers bars

Was it worth it?

I think so

How did you violate probation?

Failed a drug test for smoking marijuana

What was the last day in prison like for you? How does it work?

My last day was pretty sweet. They gave me the day off work, and the pod I was in was really small. So after everyone left for work, I was by myself all day. I just watched tv and paced around. They call you around midnight to do your paper work and give you your street clothes back. Around 3am you walk out the door a free man. My mom and my cousin picked me up. They brought me a quarter oz of weed and a bottle of Hennessy and we went out to Denny's for breakfast. It was overwhelming. Going from living in a cage to being stoned and having some hot chick serve you pancakes (after being inside so long, I thought every woman was beautiful lol)

That was beautiful. You're beautiful. I always imagined there was some fanfar or maybe a CO gives you shit on the way out or something. Things like weed and Denny's, those are usually considered lesser things, but you make it sound like bread from Heaven.

Did your street clothes still fit? What would happen if they didn't? lol, not that I'm saying you're fat

I've always been skinny. I actually bulked up in there so I had to get some new clothes. My mom took me out and got me some stuff, she was really nice and understanding about the whole thing.

[deleted]

Yeah, she did. I'm sure there's lots of people on here who smoke weed with their parents. We're all adults

I mean, isn't it some sort of violation to take drugs after being released from prison?

If you're in probation or parole. I did my time and was a free man

Why the hell do they let you out at 3 am?

Because If you're there at 5am, they have to feed you

Is it easy to become a boss of sorts in prison. I feel like if you have smarts and people skills you could easily start running your own operation. I have a feeling this is not accurate though.

I just did my own thing

Is there really a guy in every prison like Red from Shawshank?

You meet all sorts of characters

what is one of your favorite characters your met?

In jail? Probably my boy Brad. We were about the same age and had a lot in common. We did a lot of time together and even hung out on the outside, it was always a party when he was around.

Outside of jail: Son Goku

What! That clown?!!!

Watch it vegeta, Goku is our only hope right now

Did you have enough room to workout in your room? I always imagined if I was put in solitary confinement I would just do workout and punch the walls like Oldboy. It's not like there's anything better to do so you might as well do it while there's no distractions.

After you do calisthenics enough you'll find all types of ways to maneuver your body to work out. Obviously it wasn't the best option, but I made due

Do you feel that the prison system was effective in rehabilitating you to become a contributing member of society? How do you think your life would be different had you not been arrested and prosecuted?

I think there are better options than prison, or maybe there's a lot more things they could change about prison that could actually help people. I just got tired of the lifestyle. I was fortunate enough to have family and friends, I relocated for a while, got a lot of job experience and learned some skills. Jail definitely motivated me to stop fucking around, I can say that much

Because of your user name, I am going on a hunch your from Lee County, Florida. Am I right?

Did you make an account just to ask this question?

Yes. I am more of a creep on this website but you sounded JUST like a person I know so I had to ask. But they got arrested in the Cape.

Lehigh cuh

Correct

What were some activities you did to pass the time?

I would write a lot, mostly song lyrics. Sometimes I would just make plans for what I was gonna do when I got home. Male all kinds of lists of things to do. Work out, play solitare. Stand by the door and yell to the other inmates in the block. But mostly I tried to sleep as much as possible

Why did they allow solitaire and paper/writing utensils, but not books?

Legally you need paper and pen to correspond with your attorney and family. The cards can be taken at any officers jurisdiction

Do you think you "learned your lesson"?

From the box? No. But that wasn't the only time I've been locked up. I caught a gun charge after that and was released in 2012. Since then I've stopped dealing drugs, worked full time ever since, got married and had children. I like to think of it as, "I did some dumb shit when I was younger"

Just curious... I have heard several people say solitary confinement changes a man... well in your own experience what was it like spending 8 months without human contact? I mean I have heard that it makes me people go nuts and starting compulsive cleaning of their cell... assuming they see things not there like bugs.. talking to themself to pass time.. and that when they get out they have a hard time adjusting to life outside the walls... I guess I am asking did any of this happen to you or do you have anything else you experience?

1. I was locked up for 8 months in the time I mentioned, only 2 of them were spent in the box.

2. No, I didn't go crazy. I would write songs and stories and practice my lucid dreaming. There were times it was overwhelming, but I had friends who were doing life sentences, it made me feel good that I was still going home relatively soon

Thanks for the reply and that it was a lengthy reply! Most of the AMA's I join the person replies with like a one liner lol but what do you think was the worst experience about solitaire was it the no contact with other people or losing more rights or something totally different?

You're treated worse than I would treat my pets. They have a team of inmates who hand out meals, they steal from everyone's tray so one of their friends on the same block can get extra. If you complain, you will be pepper sprayed, tazed and sometimes even beaten. They wouldn't give us toilet paper for like a week one time. They would randomly bring us out of our cells at 3am, handcuff us and search us. Sticking a flashlight between my balls and shit. It was so dehumanizing.

Damn man I hate hearing that.. I mean for no reason at all a 3 am search and the flash light ordeal.. that's ridiculous and uncalled for unless they had a legit reason to assume something was wrong. But in all fairness another thing that is retarded is to allow an inmate to hand out the food... I mean if they are not supervised the guards should expect the inmates to play favorites.. our jail systems are screwed up.

They really just don't give a fuck. And this was in a county jail. Not a state prison with convicted killers and rapists. This was guys with weed and DUI charges and other petty shit who were waiting for trial or already sentenced to less than a year

What do you think would have happened if you cockslapped the CO when he stuck the flashlight between your balls? Did you ever think about doing that?

I was handcuffed and naked, didn't have many options. One time I made a remark like, "I bet this is your favorite part of the job"

Don't you hate pants?

I live in Florida, so I prefer to wear shorts. They're comfy and easy to wear!

Wow, I sure didn't expect to see that reference here.

Even criminals play Pokemon

so here is a different kind of question, whats your favorite book/ author?

I really like James pattersons stuff. It's quick,simple and entertaining. "The alchemist" by Paulo coelo is one of my favorites. I also enjoy anime, hip-hop and alternative rock

i know its nothing in comparison to what you did but i got sent to beta as a kid "pretty much kid jail in the states" and i spend a couple weeks in solitary and i got addicted to michael crichton. i was just wondering if it was the same for everyone.

What is Michael Crichton? Where are you from?

he's the guy who wrote sphere and congo and most famously jurassic park, and im from minnesota

When you said "in the states" I assumed you were from another country. They were dicks about us getting books. And you only got what another inmate had to trade or a trustee could bring. For a few weeks all I could get was westerns or John Grisham books. I'd rather stare at the wall than read that shit

oh sorry about that, but yeah im shocked they gave you a pen and paper. we could only have 1 book at a time and if they felt you didnt deserve that book they took it. i knew a kid who spent 2 months in solitary with no books, no paper or pen, and no bedding. i have no idea what he did i just remember talking to him through a vent and feeling like shit for having a book so i read to him most nights unless he was too depressed and didnt want to hear it.

Well I believe you said you were Ina. Juvenile facility. As adults we have rights to correspondence with our lawyers

kids dont get those rights, because people know now one will believe what a kid says about what happens. so guards took advantage of alot of us both sexual and mental. dispite what people say it happens.

Damn bro that's fucked I'm. I'm really sorry you had to go through that and I hope your life is better now

Hey man, glad you did the AMA. Since you were in the hole for two months, what did you do to keep your sanity on key?

I didn't ;)

I'm sure this has probably already been asked, but did you feel like your intelligence deteriorated at all? Did you lose certain abilities or skills?

Absolutely not. I came out better. I used to have a drug problem. I had plenty of time to clear my head and put things in perspective. When I wasn't in the box I was working or enrolled in some kind of education program. I earned two high school diplomas lol

How do you earn 2 high school diplomas??

I graduated in 2006 and earned a real diploma. I took GED classes in jail because I was bored, I passed the test and they mailed me a diploma. So I physically have two high school diplomas at my house

How did you pass the time

In county jail, time passes you!

Did you have internet there? and if not how did you survive

THEY ONLY HAVE 56k MODEMS. THE HORROR....THE HORROR...

Did your prison have a library?

If it did, how many often did you read?

Yes, there was a library. But you couldn't just go there and check out a book. You had to fill out a request to the librarian and if she had it, she would bring it to. She had a weekly route and each block had a library day. If you didn't fill out a request, you had to pick whatever was on the cart, or trade with other inmates.

I got really into the Harry Potter series in there. I had only seen one or two of the movies and thought it was stupid, but a friend of mine convinced me to read "sorcerers stone" and I was hooked! I read the whole series within a few months. Other than that I read a lot of James Patterson and Nora Roberts (they're chick books, but had good sex scenes, closest thing to porn you can get lol)

Hey were you off of Chiquita and Pine Island? Was it CCPD that roped you?

Nah, LCSO in Lehigh

Did you hallucinate or hear things you aren't sure were real when you were in solitary?

And how did going into solitary change you as a person if at all?

No hallucinations, that woulda been cool though. I would say it change my outlook on things temporarily. Where as before I wouldn't give a fuck about the rules, now I didn't wanna step anywhere near out of bounds. I barely left my cell after I got out the hole

[deleted]

I never really had any techniques, it just kind of comes naturally to me. The hard part was not overwhelming myself and waking myself up

Honestly it doesn't sound half bad. How did it compare to normal jail life?

Dude it fucking sucked!!! In normal jail we have television,books,board games, a Rec yard with workout equipment. You get to eat better food and interact with people. In the box it's just you, a toilet/sink combo and a bed. That shits for the birds

Not even books in solitary?

You're allowed to have a bible. Some people sneak books in

Holy crap I was under the impression you could have books in solitary- isn't that sometimes the case? Or are they never allowed?

Each facility has their own rules

Why do they use solitary confinement? Is there any reason you would endorse it as a measure?

Only if I thought an inmate was a threat to himself or others. But they'll throw you in there over the pettiest shit

I don't know. What do you think they should do?

I know it must've been extremely lonely and unbearable to have almost no human interaction for such a long period, so how did you cope with it?

You just do it, don't think about it

Can you give a list of the stuff you did while in solitary? Work out? Write? Etc...

I already did

What was your cell like? What was in it?

7x9 room, a bed and a toilet/sink combo

How much interaction with other humans did you get per day?

3 meals, mail, head count, and the nurses came around, but I don't need meds

[deleted]

I can't really remember my first lucid one. I've always been able to control my dreams. I remember telling my mom about it as a kid, she says she can do it too. I usually just fly around and have dragonball z style fights, or I fuck bitches. One time I was fuckin this bitch and I actually busted a nut. Had to go clean myself up at like 3am

[deleted]

I had pen, paper and a bible, soap and toothpaste and other hygiene products. And I was fortunate enough to sneak a few snacks and books in with me. We would trade with other people on the block by tying threads from our bed sheets on to combs, sliding the combs under the door so they connect with each other, and dragging them from cell to cell, transporting items. I never went crazy or heard things. But i do have a vivid imagination, I'm pretty creative and perfected my lucid dreaming

Is there such a thing as a cool CO, and what do you really want to do with your life?

There's plenty of them. They're people just like us, they have good and bad days. Some are really cool but have to do their job, some go to extra mile to fuck with you.

I'm pretty happy with my current job. I'd love to be a rapper or a movie star, but realistically I'd just like to get more skilled at my current job and make more money

So based on your comments. You screwed up, got jailed, went out and started screwing around again? shame shame

Yeah it took me a while to learn my lesson. I'm pretty stubborn

Hey! I just have two questions.

1) Is rape common in prison?

2) Were you in a prison gang?

No problem bro!