Blog - Prison Insight

What Happens if You Starve Yourself in Prison?

This week’s blog post was inspired by a question we got here at PrisonInsight, but something I didn’t have any experience with when I was incarcerated. So, instead of me attempting to recall random anecdotes from my time in prison nearly a decade ago, I decided to reach out to a current prison inmate. For […]

Why Do Inmates Need Money?

This week’s blog post is all about inmates and money. Specifically, it’s about why inmates in prison need money at all. After all, they get everything provided to them, right? We get a lot of questions about this topic here at PrisonInsight. I have written about this myself in the past, but it’s been almost […]

How Do Inmates Pass the Time in Prison?

This week’s blog post is all about how inmates pass the time in prison. We get a lot of questions about this topic here at PrisonInsight. Instead of me recalling things from my time behind bars nearly a decade ago, I thought I would reach out to a current prison inmate and let her answer […]

Can You Get Prescribed Xanax in Prison?

This week’s blog post is all about prison health care. Specifically, it’s about prescriptions that are available to inmates. We get a lot of questions about this topic here at PrisonInsight, but I didn’t have much experience with mental health care when I was incarcerated. So, instead of me attempting to recall random anecdotes from […]

Can You be a Prison Officer With a Criminal Record?

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a prison (corrections) officer? Are the requirements different compared to a police officer on patrol? Do they vary from state to state? Well, considering there are different types of prisons—federal, state, private—there are some differences when it comes to the specific requirements. But overall, the criteria […]

Where do Inmates Eat?

Food is an extremely common topic that people bring up when they ask me about prison life. People are always asking me about what inmates eat, where the food comes from, how often inmates eat, and where inmates eat. For some reason, people really want to know the answers to these questions! Like I say […]

What is an Inmate Trust Fund?

If you think everything is expensive at the grocery store right now, I can guarantee that prices are even higher at your local jail or prison commissary! It may sound odd, but being locked up isn’t cheap. Yes, correctional facilities provide inmates with “three hots and a cot” plus some prison-issued clothing. But everything else […]

Can You be a Prison Officer With Asthma?

If you live near a state or federal prison, and you are on the hunt for a job, chances are you’ve seen a lot of job postings lately for correctional officer positions. Where I live, there are three prisons within 20 miles. They are currently holding job fairs and offering big hiring bonuses because all […]

Can You go to Prison for Theft?

During the past year, you may have noticed a lot of news stories about the trend of “smash and grab” robberies in California. During the height of the most recent Christmas shopping season, there was a hit on a Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco’s Union Square. There were also incidents at Burberry and Bloomingdales. […]

Do Inmates Prefer to Share a Cell or Have One All to Themselves?

When you are sentenced to a long-term prison sentence, or even a year in the county jail, your life is no longer in your own hands. Just about everything in your life is decided for you, from what you eat to what you wear to where you live to how you spend your time. When […]