Blog - Page 3 of 19 - Prison Insight

Can You Visit Kerobokan Prison?

I recently ventured outside of the United States prison system for the very first time in this blog to talk about visiting Dartmoor Prison in the UK. That facility dated back to the early 19th century, and its history included an American connection. That centuries-old prison actually housed American prisoners of war from the War […]

Can You Die in Prison?

When someone is sentenced to life in prison, that often means a sentence of about 25 to 30 years. Many violent crimes result in a life sentence without the possibility of parole, or someone is sentenced to multiple life sentences running concurrently. Both of those scenarios means that the inmate will die in prison. You […]

Can You Visit Dartmoor Prison?

When I talk about prisons and the criminal justice system on this blog, I’m almost always referring to American facilities and cases, but today, I’m going to change things up a bit and talk about Dartmoor Prison in the United Kingdom (UK). Officially known as HM Prison Dartmoor, this facility—known for its high granite walls—is […]

Can You be a Prison Officer With Tattoos?

I’ve talked a lot in my blog posts about the life of inmates behind bars, but I rarely write about prison workers–the officers, administrators, and volunteers who supervise the facility and enforce the rules. I don’t have any experience working in a prison as a non-inmate, but I did watch these people very closely for […]

Can You Leave Prison For a Wedding?

When you get sentenced to time in prison, the purpose is to segregate you from society as punishment for your crime. While you sit behind bars and wait for each day to pass until you reach your release date, the world goes on without you. Staying in touch with friends and family is a good […]

Can You Hug Someone in Prison?

The past two years have changed the way many of us interact with other people—even with friends and family members. The days of handshakes and hugs were replaced with social distancing and masks, and in many parts of the world that’s still the case. The pandemic hit less than three years after I was released […]

Can You Visit Joliet Prison?

Joliet Correctional Center — aka “Joliet Prison” — opened in 1858 and was operational for more than a century and a half. Located in Joliet, Illinois, the facility was originally known as the Illinois State Penitentiary. It often gets confused with the nearby Stateville Correctional Center — located in Crest Hill, Illinois — which operated […]

Can You Search Prison Inmates?

Prisons are supposed to keep meticulous records about everything that goes on inside, especially when it comes to the inmates. They have to know who is in the facility and how many inmates are in camp. But that’s not all — they have to know where each inmate is located at all times. Head counts […]

Can You Visit Jodi Arias in Prison?

Jodi Arias became a media sensation in 2008 when she was arrested for the murder of her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander. At the time, she was a blonde-haired vixen who smiled in her mugshot, flirted with officers, and sang O Holy Night while in police custody. She denied having anything to do with Travis’ murder, and […]

What Is Prison (Really) Like?

The most common question that I get from people when they find out I spent four years in prison is — what is prison really like? I’ve talked before about how my knowledge and impression of prison was informed by pop culture. The only exposure I had to prison life was through TV shows and […]