Former Inmates Describe Prison Habits Hard To Break

Redditor /u/ described 'Being Overly Aware Of Sharp Objects' in the list 'Former Inmates Describe Prison Habits Hard To Break'.Skishkitteh:

Staring at sharp things. You don't want to use them wrong, but you are shocked they exist. You might not know what counts as sharp. I remember someone offered me a knife to cut veggies; I feared touching it. Glass was the worst, just mirrors in all the bathrooms. Real ones. I could smash that and make a jagged weapon. This Italian restaurant has dangerous glass in their bathroom.

Redditor /u/dbx99:

I keep a stash of ramen packs somewhere, even though I won't eat them.

Redditor /u/ajdo:

I took [poo] with my underwear up to my thighs to hide my junk. It took a long time to get my pants back around my ankles.

Redditor /u/the-walkin-dude:

I did not wear shoes in the shower.

Redditor /u/interchangeable-bot:

I do not smoke, but I would pocket any offered cigarette. Inside, it was a bartering chip. It took me about one or two months to break that habit.

Redditor /u/IceburgSlimk:

I carry extra clothes, water, and other items in my car in case I need them (I do not hoard, but getting rid of things is hard).

Redditor /u/feiticeirarose:

I hoarded feminine hygiene products. We had very few pads or tampons. They gave no products to women in holding cells. Dried and fresh menstrual blood covered the floor and concrete benches. There was a drain in the middle of the rooms, suggesting they might hose things down, but it rarely happened enough.

Redditor /u/justinlarson:

I skipped using a fork for several weeks. I ate everything with a spoon without thinking.

Redditor /u/Elrond_the_EntThe hardest conditioning to break, which I have not and doubt I ever will, is constant pessimism and cautious optimism. You wait to work through court, get a deal, and get sentenced. Your dates change fifty times. You hope for things, but you get disappointed. Any time you hear something hopeful, it fails.

By far, the hardest conditioning to break, which I have not and doubt I ever will, is constant pessimism and cautious optimism.

Because of this, I never get excited for anything until it happens. When my wife told me we were pregnant, I was happy. But since I am always cautiously optimistic and rarely show emotion, I could not feel comfortable or excited until I knew my daughter was healthy. Even then, it did not hit me until she was born.

You cannot get hopes up or look forward to anything until it arrives or has occurred.

Redditor /u/rstroh7:

I served almost seven years. I have been out for two years. Guards track every inmate count. Every morning at 5:00 am, I felt wrong if I slept past that time. It took nearly six months before I slept past 5:00 am. Now, 6:00 am is sleeping in for me. This lets me never be late for work and show up every day.

Redditor /u/DeuceTheDog:

I had to change how I perceived time. I agree with those who ate fast, but we would walk slowly back from the chow hall—any extra few minutes outside.

I stopped collecting enjoyable things. If I got a snack, I ate it and focused on it. If there was good TV, I watched it. Now, I snack while watching a movie because the day lacks hours, but inside, I tried to make hours and days vanish.

Redditor /u/Dysphoric_Otter:

[Now you can take] as long as you want in the shower. But after I got out, I took less than five-minute showers for the longest time.

Redditor /u/MaxDMJ:

I stayed locked up four months total; I got out easily. The hardest habit to break was acting without telling anyone. I forgot there are no authority figures once you leave.

Redditor /u/PaintshakerBaby:

I got out two years ago and I cannot stop my aggressive stance. Prison is just being hyper-vigilant, and I would say I always looked indifferent. People could seem fine, laughing, watching TV, but any small slip or sudden move changed the whole room instantly.

Whatever emotion I showed had to stop instantly. I had to be 'booted and suited.' I returned to my unit sometimes; blood smeared the walls from a fight I missed. I did not look. Eyes forward, indifferent.

Redditor /u/Official--Moderator:

I do laps. In prison, every time I get yard time, I run laps. Almost everyone does it too. Breaking that habit is hard now that I'm out.

Redditor /u/peanutjesus:

I make food only from the prison commissary. Everyone thinks it is gross—throwing summer sausages, pickles, cheese, Doritos, Cheetos, and things like that into my ramen noodles. But I can't stop, and I have been out for five years.

Redditor /u/Ondareal:

I did a few months in county jail and I cannot stop trading food. When I left, I asked my girlfriend to swap her chicken wings for my macaroni. Pure habit. I could have just gone to the kitchen and gotten more chicken.

Redditor /u/sDotAgain:

I protect my property obsessively. While locked up, I always knew what was happening 360 degrees around me. Only the last unit had real locks on lockers. Before that, I had to guard my commie, papers, and books constantly. People fight to take your things because it is respectful, but cat burglars are the worst; they sneak in and take things. They get beaten up when caught. It is a code: you want my stuff, come get it. Don't sneak around and steal it.

From Redditor /u/IBroughtMySoapbox:

After eight years out, I still eat fast. Prisons allot thirty minutes for meals. That time covers the walk to the chow hall, waiting in line, and finding a seat. By the time I get food in my mouth, a CO yells at me to hurry up. I find eating with others annoying; I gobble my meal while watching others eat for twenty minutes.

From Redditor /u/tentosamo:

I hoard toilet paper under my bed. Sometimes I do this without thinking. I check and find ten rolls of TP.