Latest news with #jail
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former Inmates Shared Secrets About What Being In Prison Is Really Like, And I Have No Words
A while back, people from the BuzzFeed Community and on Reddit revealed what it's actually like to be incarcerated based on their experience (or the experience of others they know) — and their responses range from shocking to utterly heartbreaking. Here are some of the most eye-opening ones: 1."The guards can decide an inmate can't have something whenever they feel like it. Even though it's something they've been getting and having all the time. I would bring my mother things I know for a fact she was allowed to have because I read the list a million times over. But after standing in line forever, you get to the window and give them the stuff. They will give back the things she suddenly isn't allowed to have, but could, like, a week before. All because they feel like it and would take whatever they wanted." "I was told more than once that they would open what I gave her and take things. They took brand new no-name sneakers I got for her because I guess they wanted them more. I would get her a replacement pair, and they would take those, too. I got her a third pair, and she finally got them because it was a different guard." —pullhandlesupnotout 2."Jail sucks. I wouldn't have survived if my husband hadn't sent me books every few days. I was in jail for six months, and books were the only thing we had. I had read hundreds of books by the time I left. I had stacks in my cell from floor to ceiling, and I would rent them out to the women in my pod for things they made, like Jolly Rancher wrapper picture frames, drawings, soap sculptures, ramen, etc. When I left, I gave the women all my books, and you would have thought I gave them each $5,000 or something." "The library only had maybe 1,000 books, so if you're in there long enough, you go through them in no time; you end up reading things you don't even wanna read. I was never a big reader before jail, but it's one thing I've continued to do outside of those jail walls — that and using the coping skills I was forced to learn out of desperation. But if you ever need to get rid of books, donate them to a county jail. They will get read and be appreciated by everyone who picks them up. I promise you. They will go to good use. To this day, I donate books to the county jail because I understand what it's like. Also, not every person in jail is a bad person. You learn quickly that even the smartest, nicest, and most promising people end up in bad situations that land them there. So, you learn to be mindful and never judge a book by its cover." —emmajeanl2 3."My ex was in Rikers a few times and also upstate. Phone calls and commissary are expensive because the companies the prison contracts with are price-gougers. Inmates are often transferred to another prison without notice, and the guards toss everything in their cell when they do — letters, photos, etc. You completely lose your agency in there. When inmates leave, they don't know how to run their own lives. It's a shame because most people serving time get out and have to live in society with us. You'd think we'd want them prepared to take on life's challenges so they don't offend again. But in America, prison is not rehabilitative; it's punitive." "Compare that to Norway, where you live basically like you did outside, just sequestered. Recidivism rates are super low. In America, we have to contend with institutionalized racism. It sucks." —jenmas 4."Your word is everything. Breaking your word puts you roughly on par with a sex offender. You give your word on something, it needs to be gospel. Someone gives you theirs, assume it is too — and be ready to go if it isn't." —u/Cerinthus 5."Everything is for sale, or at least has a market value. Don't do anything for free unless it's for someone you know." —u/Cerinthus 6."Sustained eye contact means you're starting something. Someone makes it with you, assume they're sizing you up." —u/Cerinthus 7."Current prisoner here in the Philippines. Anything can be smuggled in if you pay the right guards — even sex workers. Money is power." "You can get away with almost anything if you have enough money." —u/TotallyDepraved 8."There are people to avoid, and if you have a decent celly (cellmate), they'll point them out, somewhat like Shawshank." "I was in medium security for six months on credit card fraud, so I wasn't near any expected dangerous people anyway, but there were still the territorial guys you were just better off avoiding." —u/ripplecutbuddha2 Related: "I Know You Aren't Trying To Hurt Me." Doctors, Nurses, And First Responders Are Revealing The Most "Haunting" Last Words They've Heard From A Patient 9."Keep to yourself, and don't stand out in any way. This also means don't be the 'funny' guy who makes everyone laugh. You want to be as invisible as possible, really." "For the most part, it's nothing like what you see in TV and movies. Don't start anything, but be willing and able to defend yourself if need be." —[deleted user] 10."Not being able to leave is incredibly frustrating and nearly impossible to put out of your mind. The entire time, part of your mind is raging at your captivity." —[deleted user] 11."People gamble a lot. Sometimes you will enter a unit, and people gamble on everything. You wanna play chess? You need to gamble to play. Dominoes? Gamble to play. Basketball? Gamble." "I remember we watched The Bachelor, and we all had money on which woman the guy would kick off the show. Meanwhile, the guard is confused about why 30 people are all watching The Bachelor rose ceremony." —u/61pm61 12."The guards just sat and watched YouTube all day and night. Seems like a dream job if you've got no soul." —u/DrMeowbutuSeseSeko "Had an uncle who was a guard. Said it was the most soul-destroying job he'd ever had. He also said that most of the time, he got along better with the prisoners than with the other guards." —u/foul_ol_ron Related: 26 People Who Had Overwhelming Gut Instincts They Couldn't Were Right 13."Not a longtimer here, but show everyone respect. If you bump into someone, it's critical to say, 'I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention.'" "You never shake hands, you fist-bump. You can't be nice to the guards — just polite. There are a LOT more illiterate people than I ever thought possible." —u/drank-too-much 14."For me, the loss of everything outside of my body was the biggest shock. You don't have anything they don't want you to have when you first go in, so in a way, it's like being born into a new world, but fully aware." —u/ripplecutbuddha2 15."I was a female inmate in a state prison. Anyway, I know there's a huge difference between men's and women's jails, and a huge difference between jail and prison. But one thing that no one tells you is that it's going to be so boring. So endlessly boring." "For women's and state prison, there are a lot of programs and jobs available to fill your time, but there's always a wait — and you have to be in for a certain amount of time before you qualify for a lot of things. While I didn't enjoy my stay there, I always ended up being able to make the most of it and have a good time." —u/chchchchia86 16."Wear slippers in the shower, and shower every day. Not doing one of those gets you beat up here in California." —u/hb_simon 17."Summer vacations. A friend of mine was recently locked up during summer months. Because guards take vacation the same time as everyone else, three days a week were spent on lockdown — meaning that one to two hours of outside time didn't apply because of staff shortage." "He's out now, and very thankful for his freedom." —u/FattyDD 18."A friend of mine did some time. He had internet and PlayStation, and a chef made breakfast and dinner every day. They had to make lunch themselves with access to a full complimentary kitchen. Knives, cutlery, and so on were freely available." "They often went outside to shop groceries, and some even went to work. Basically, the only thing was to stay away from the sex offenders. This was a medium-security correctional facility in Norway." —u/Sensur10 19."No one tells you how hungry you're gonna be. The food sucks — and not just sucks; it's absolutely not fit for human consumption. But you get hungry enough to eat it. They only serve 1,200 calories a day in women's prison (at least mine did)." —u/chchchchia86 20."A lot of people were uneducated. No idea about geography, history, science, or anything. This led to me being a tutor in there for people taking the GED." —u/61pm61 21."It's WAY louder than you think it would be. There are always people who never seem to sleep." —[deleted user] 22."There is a store there, and you can get anything you want. The way a store works is that one or two people in the unit have every possible commissary item you can get." "You want a bag of sour cream potato chips? He'll give it to you, and next week, you owe two bags. Or you get two ramen soups and owe him three next week. I will never forget when Hurricane Sandy hit, and the unit ran out of coffee. People couldn't function and stopped working out, and coffee throughout the jail was going for super-high prices." —u/61pm61 And finally... 23."Try not to talk about your time or open up about how you are feeling about it. There's always somebody who is going to do way more time than you and doesn't want to hear it." "Let's say you're fighting a case, and that case has you doing 16 months. I understand that a lot of people would be stressed about it — I get it; jail sucks. That being said, try to keep that to yourself unless somebody you are cool with asks." —u/hb_simon Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. Have you (or someone you know) ever been in prison? What was the surprising thing about your experience? If you feel comfortable sharing your story, you can use the comments or this anonymous form below. Also in Internet Finds: 51 Wildly Fascinating Photos Of Disorders, Injuries, And Variations In The Human Body That I Cannot Stop Staring At Also in Internet Finds: 23 People Who Tried Their Best, But Crapped The Bed So Bad Also in Internet Finds: 27 Grown-Ass Adults Who Threw Such Unbelievable Temper Tantrums, Even The Brattiest Toddler Couldn't Compete
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
County awarded $15 million to help fund new jail
JEFFERSON — After years of chasing grants, Ashtabula County finally came up a winner Friday, as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced a $15 million grant for the construction of a new jail. 'The Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners and Ashtabula County Sheriff William Niemi are proud to announce the successful acquisition of $15 million in state funding toward the construction of a new county jail,' a press release from the commissioners said. The grant money will be matched by $15 million the commissioners have saved towards the project, the commissioners said at previous meetings. Niemi, in consultation with the commissioners, decided a new jail just north of the present one on county property would be the most financially-expedient plan. The funding is through the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program, which was launched by DeWine in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly in 2021 to help local communities fund improvements at functionally obsolete and structurally failing jails, according to a press release from DeWine's office. 'This funding will not only support safer environments for those living and working in our local jails, but it will also help prepare inmates for release by creating improved spaces for workforce development, educational opportunities, and other programming,' DeWine said in the release. The commissioners have been working with Niemi to find the best solution to the current county jail, which is too small, and has been deteriorating. 'I can't tell you what a relief this is, for all the hard work we put into it,' Niemi said. He said the current jail not only has functional problems, but is too small to allow programming that would hopefully reduce recidivism. 'We don't have the space to bring the counselors in,' Niemi said. He said the increased space will allow inmates to have a fuller evaluation and hopefully find their way to the right path. 'This is a transformational moment for Ashtabula County,' Commissioner JP Ducro said in the commissioners' press release. 'This funding allows us to move forward. It is a testament to the persistence of county leaders, the support of our sheriff, and the responsible planning that made a local match possible. I am especially pleased that we can now build a facility that should help reduce recidivism and be much more operationally efficient for decades to come.' The current jail was constructed in 1978 and has long been outdated and insufficient to meet the demands of law enforcement, county leaders have said during the last year of discussions and debate. 'This is a major win. We're incredibly grateful to the state for awarding the full amount of our grant request,' Commissioner Casey Kozlowski said in the release. 'This funding allows us to move forward with the jail project; finally addressing a decades long issue in Ashtabula County.' 'Securing this funding is a major step forward for our county. This project isn't just about building a new facility — it's about making a smart investment in public safety, creating a safe environment for inmates and staff and serving the needs of our community,' Commissioner Kathryn Whittington said in the release. Niemi said in the release Friday was a historic day for the county. 'The new facility will give us the tools we need to run a secure, effective operation and provide the level of care and accountability the people of this county expect,' he said in the release. 'I thank the commissioners, our partners at the state level, and the people of Ashtabula County for supporting this long-overdue step forward.' The new jail will also be helpful for law enforcement agencies and other county courts and departments. 'That is great news,' Ashtabula Police Chief Robert Stell said. 'That is sure to be good for all the [police] departments including ours.' He said there have been crowding issues at the county jail for 10 years, which caused city jails to fill up for longer periods of time. The proposed new jail design would house 209 inmates and take approximately three years to build. Niemi said meetings to discuss the next steps toward construction will start very soon.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
County awarded $15 million to help fund new jail
JEFFERSON — After years of chasing grants, Ashtabula County finally came up a winner Friday, as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced a $15 million grant for the construction of a new jail. 'The Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners and Ashtabula County Sheriff William Niemi are proud to announce the successful acquisition of $15 million in state funding toward the construction of a new county jail,' a press release from the commissioners said. The grant money will be matched by $15 million the commissioners have saved towards the project, the commissioners said at previous meetings. Niemi, in consultation with the commissioners, decided a new jail just north of the present one on county property would be the most financially-expedient plan. The funding is through the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program, which was launched by DeWine in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly in 2021 to help local communities fund improvements at functionally obsolete and structurally failing jails, according to a press release from DeWine's office. 'This funding will not only support safer environments for those living and working in our local jails, but it will also help prepare inmates for release by creating improved spaces for workforce development, educational opportunities, and other programming,' DeWine said in the release. The commissioners have been working with Niemi to find the best solution to the current county jail, which is too small, and has been deteriorating. 'I can't tell you what a relief this is, for all the hard work we put into it,' Niemi said. He said the current jail not only has functional problems, but is too small to allow programming that would hopefully reduce recidivism. 'We don't have the space to bring the counselors in,' Niemi said. He said the increased space will allow inmates to have a fuller evaluation and hopefully find their way to the right path. 'This is a transformational moment for Ashtabula County,' Commissioner JP Ducro said in the commissioners' press release. 'This funding allows us to move forward. It is a testament to the persistence of county leaders, the support of our sheriff, and the responsible planning that made a local match possible. I am especially pleased that we can now build a facility that should help reduce recidivism and be much more operationally efficient for decades to come.' The current jail was constructed in 1978 and has long been outdated and insufficient to meet the demands of law enforcement, county leaders have said during the last year of discussions and debate. 'This is a major win. We're incredibly grateful to the state for awarding the full amount of our grant request,' Commissioner Casey Kozlowski said in the release. 'This funding allows us to move forward with the jail project; finally addressing a decades long issue in Ashtabula County.' 'Securing this funding is a major step forward for our county. This project isn't just about building a new facility — it's about making a smart investment in public safety, creating a safe environment for inmates and staff and serving the needs of our community,' Commissioner Kathryn Whittington said in the release. Niemi said in the release Friday was a historic day for the county. 'The new facility will give us the tools we need to run a secure, effective operation and provide the level of care and accountability the people of this county expect,' he said in the release. 'I thank the commissioners, our partners at the state level, and the people of Ashtabula County for supporting this long-overdue step forward.' The new jail will also be helpful for law enforcement agencies and other county courts and departments. 'That is great news,' Ashtabula Police Chief Robert Stell said. 'That is sure to be good for all the [police] departments including ours.' He said there have been crowding issues at the county jail for 10 years, which caused city jails to fill up for longer periods of time. The proposed new jail design would house 209 inmates and take approximately three years to build. Niemi said meetings to discuss the next steps toward construction will start very soon.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
I was left to rot in rat-infested jail on ‘spying' charges for 100 days with 80 crammed in cell – I thought I would die
A BRIT dad jailed on unfounded spying charges has told how he was crammed into a tiny rat-infested cell for 100 days. Richard Perham, 30, told The Sun how he and fellow Brit Paul Inch, 50, had been on a four-day job to collect a downed research balloon in Guinea - but ended up in a hellhole jail for three months. 13 13 13 13 Two days into their trip, Richard, from Bristol, and Paul, of Blaenau Ffestiniog, were cuffed and accused of spying, sedition, breaching national defence, and violating airspace by cops. They were thrown into one of West Africa's most overcrowded and dangerous jails - Conakry Central Prison - that operates at 475 per cent of its capacity. The Brits claim they were extorted, threatened with sexual and physical violence, and pushed to the brink - not knowing if or when they were going to get let out. After returning to the UK just over a week ago, Richard recalled the nightmare he has lived since the beginning of the year. He told The Sun: "Day to day we were facing challenges such as hygiene, cramped conditions, distressing things - maybe we were seeing violence. "We were staying in a cell the size of a train carriage - and that was housing about 80 people. "And during the night, when everyone was sleeping, the whole floor was covered with mattresses, people sleeping, two by two, one, two people to one mattress. "[We] were all sharing one toilet, one shower, the place was really unhygienic." To avoid being transferred to a more violent section of the prison, the two Brits were forced to make regular extortion payments to prisoners and staff. There were also no guards stationed inside cell blocks. And Richard described how diseases such as malaria were rampant in the hellhole jail. The water was so contaminated they had to disinfect their skin after washing - and both men suffered dehydration, gastrointestinal illnesses, and skin infections. Richard said: "There were open sewers. There were rats running around in the rafters, and you know, sometimes even dropping down and running over us whilst we were sleeping. "It was really difficult, as you can imagine." Brave Richard and Paul thought their nightmare was finally over 60 days later when they were told they were being let go. But at this point, they unknowingly had 82 days of hell to go. 13 13 13 Richard said: "We had the embassy waiting at the gates to collect us. "We packed our things up, we gave away things to other prisoners, and we signed out of the prison. "This all took about an hour and was really emotional. It was really high, and also really nerve wracking. "We hadn't been out of the prison, for, two months at that point. "We got to the outer gate, at which point one of the guards made a phone call to the local prosecutor and we were turned around and marched back in which was absolutely crushing. "It just totally smashed us." Another 40 days passed of being locked up in the hellhole slammer - with the pair living in "fear for our lives each day" and only being able to contact family members via letter. Richard said he "missed the first steps and first words of my baby daughter" which he "can never get back". And Paul's detention saw him torn away from his wife, their five children, and his three brothers. Richard explained how survival became his "full time job" where he either had the choice to "survive or give in". Describing just how he got through it, he said: "I just had to pull on all of the tools I've learned over my life to stay strong, basically. "That involved things like meditation, daily routines involving exercise, and as I said, pulling on the resilience. "I've learned from some of the sports I do regularly. "I like to run ultra marathons, and I do a lot of rock climbing and mountaineering, and through this I've learned to be resilient and to have sort of focus and make the right decisions that are gonna get you through." On the 100th day, Richard and Paul were finally freed, but neither of them could process their ordeal and instead focused on putting "one foot in front of the other". 13 13 13 Richard explained: "We packed our things, said our goodbyes and left the prison, and we left in the clothes we were wearing which was a pair of shorts, flip-flops, and a vest. "We left with our lawyer with a rucksack and two massive plastic bags in each hand, and we walked out. "We literally walked out of the prison gates. "It was very surreal. It took days to sort of catch up mentally." The first moment Richard processed his ordeal was when he finally had access to a clean, hot shower. He said: "Whilst we were in the prison, the water was not clean, so we had to disinfect ourselves after every shower. "Just simply to have a hot shower and then put some clean clothes on was just amazing." Just when they thought their ordeal was over, the two were held for another 42 days on conditional release - which Richard described as being like "a prison in itself". While he was able to finally see and speak to his family over the phone - including his daughter - it "brought new challenges because we were still having to fight our case and to secure our release". Richard said: "It wasn't guaranteed and even until the last the last day we didn't know how long we would be there. "We were still fighting to get our passports back and get our names cleared, get the charges of espionage and sedition dropped - so we we didn't know whether we'd be there for another week or another three months. "So that was that was really tricky to deal with that uncertainty." Richard ended up being released on his 30th birthday. He said that while he is happy to be home with his family, "it's going to take some time to adjust" and there are "some things I will need to unpack" due to the ordeal he had to endure. Despite this, he is "excited about the future". 13 13 13
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
Jail deaths exceed national average at D.C. facility, auditor finds
People died in D.C. Department of Corrections custody at a rate more than three times the national average at jails between the summers of 2023 and 2024, with overdoses being the most common cause of death, according to a report from the D.C. Auditor released this week that also noted D.C. had an 'urgent' need for a new jail.
