What is a Level 1 prisoner?

Level 1 prisons are minimum security. Inmates live in dormitories and there may or may not be a perimeter fence. There are no armed guards at a Level 1 facility. Sometimes, Level 1 prisons are called ‘camps’, as they often look more like the summer camp facilities we may have been to as a child rather than prisons.

What does it feel like to be released from prison?

For inmates who have spent years in prison, however, being released also comes with apprehension. Emotions released prisoners experience include confusion, guilt and shame, fear and worry, the realization that their own behavior has changed, and possibly even “homesickness.”

Do you need to join a prison gang to survive?

Forget what prison movies depict about the necessity of joining a prison gang for survival. In most prisons, you do not need to join a gang for protection. I was never part of a prison gang and I never got beat up, stabbed, raped or anything like that.

What happens if someone cuts in front of you in prison?

If you are a prisoner standing in line and someone cuts in front of you, you are expected to “check” that inmate (tell him he needs to get in the back of the line), and fight him if necessary. Otherwise, others will think you are a punk and beat you up.

Does everyone in prison have a job?

Almost everybody has a job, unless you’re disabled. Who runs the prison is not the cops — it’s the prisoners. Anything that is PIA (Prison Industry Authority) is made by prisoners, like the shoes, the clothes that we wear, the uniforms.

Who makes the shoes in a prison?

Anything that is PIA (Prison Industry Authority) is made by prisoners, like the shoes, the clothes that we wear, the uniforms. All the snacks and beef they cut for the lunches and all the food. Each prison has a certain source for goods — like Corcoran supplies the milk and North San Quentin supplies all the shoes.