Prison life and a non effective prison system.

Prison through my eyes.

In life we all go through similar experiences but each have our unique perceptions on it.  Many people have gone to prison and have had a wide range of different experiences.  Some good and far too many of them are bad.  I have had both. Here's my story.

My name is David or as many of you have come to know me @mrviquez.  I have been locked up far too many times and my experiences have changed me forever.  I was inspired to write about this topic by the Steemit user @trafalgar.  He wrote an article about the prison system and it's effectiveness.  It kind of surprised me to see that someone show interests in those who are considered to be the scum of the earth.  And yes there are many scumbags in prison, but there are more people who simply made a wrong decision.  But that doesn't matter in the prison system.  All that matters is that you have a conviction therefore making you guilty and a criminal.  

Did I deserve to go to prison?  Yes absolutely.  But did I deserve to be housed with murderers and rapist. (Even a serial killer, two to be exact) I could have easily lost more than just my freedom being around that kind of criminal.  But who am I to judge.  We are here to speak on the effectiveness of the prison system.  A system that I know very well and sadly have become immune to.  Now I'm not saying I love jail but I've been there so many times it would affect me much less than someone who is locked up for the first time.

Now back to the topic at hand.  How can a prison system be considered effective if the recidivism rate is extremely high in the United States?  Shouldn't people who come into prison leave with a different mentality?  That is not the case, in fact most felons leave prison with a more aggressive attitude and higher IQ in crime.  

The biggest problem we have in our prison system is the gangs.  They literally control it hands down.  I've seen guys come in with that look in their eyes, the same look that a deer gives you right before you kill it.  These gang members smell that a mile away.  Shit I can smell it a mile away.  In less than one minute I can tell if someone has been incarcerated before.  So what ends up happening is on commissary day those who appear to be wet get preyed on.  And if you try to stand up for yourself you will pay severely.  So how can we rehabilitate our citizens in such an atmosphere.  Now that is just one aspect.

Now let's talk about the Correctional officers.  First let me start off by saying I don't dislike all C.O's but let's just say I won't like you until you prove to me that you can still treat me like a human. 

Quick Story

From 2007 til early 2009 I was incarcerated.  Yeah I know that's a little stretch.  During this time I was in Passaic County Jail in New Jersey.  Let's just say that was the most horrible place I have ever served time at.  The kicker is that it's not even a State Prison it's only a county Jail.  This place was so horrible I signed a plea deal for 4 years just to get out of there and go to prison.   I had no way of bailing out and I was just sitting there for 18 months.  This jail is ran by the sheriff department, and let me say they are some mean bastards.  In this jail the sheriff hand deliver any mail you receive.  So one day it was the normal routine for mail call but one of the inmates was angry at the guard for reasons I can't even remember.    They were exchanging words at first and the Sheriff was taking it all as a joke and even laughing.  But the very second the inmate shouted "Fuck You" everything changed in an instant.  The entire room went silent.  It was as if everyone knew what was about to happen except me.  I honestly didn't think what was said was serious.  I had seen plenty altercations just like this one with nothing happening.  The guard smirked at him and told him I'lol be right back.  In less than five minutes ten C.O.s from the S.O.R.T (Special Operation Response Team) stormed in yelling and screaming for everyone to get on their bunks face down.  They had on all black with these huge looking paintball guns with lasers on them. I thought I was in one of those crazy jail movies.  The officer of the altercation walked in the unit and pointed out the inmate who cursed at him.  They all immediately rushed him hitting him with batons and carried him out superman style right into those super this Sally port doors.  Yeah the ones that you have to buzz and give an extra hard push to open.  Obviously the door didn't even budge.  The S.O.R.T team officers joked and laughed until they opened the door with his head giving him over 30 staples in the head.  To make things a little crazier he was only arrested for child support and now was charged with felony assault on an officer.  Not to mention the new railroad track addition to his skull.  

So that is my answer to the question "How effective is our prison system".  Not very effective at all.  They are effective in only one way.  Maintaining order in the prison, and even then they fall short.  Prison nowadays is a breeding ground for criminals.  Only those who are genuinely good deep down ever escape that vicious cycle.  I'm not trying to say I'm a saint, but I was raised right with good morals. By the grace of God I am here today and not rotting away in a cell.  I have finally learned how to be a real man.  Now I work a 9-5 and swap war stories with the fellas.  But I don't miss it for one second.  

Now that I have Steemit in my life I feel like the world has opened up to me in a weird crazy way.  So maybe just maybe one day we will learn to really help someone else out.  Most of these guys locked up have nothing to look forward to when they are released.  That is the problem.  If you want to fix the prison system in my opinion all you need to do is really help these felons re-enter society.  Halfway houses do not work.  I was one of the lucky ones who was able to escape the clutches of the streets.  I just hope that this country really looks at what they are doing to their own citizens. Stop dehumanizing the same citizens you claim to be protect when you send other citizens to war.  We are all the same.  Some make mistakes and have to pay the price but the price is insanely high for those who get mixed in with the rotten apples.

If you have read this far thanks for taking the time to read this post.

This is a picture of a unit in Passaic County Jail.

This is what the outside of Passaic County jail looked like.

Check out the latest Chapter of Smoke&Chill Chapter 10

https://steemit.com/marijuana/@mrviquez/smoke-and-chill-chapter-10-back-to-crypto-basics