General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I am OK with Tsarnaev getting life without parole in Supermax. [View all]Zorra
(27,670 posts)Being locked up is a bit like being in hell.
Some facilities have more privileges than others, usually dependent on the offender level.
Prison mayhem is prevented through strict application of corrections procedures. Prisons have it down to a science. Correctional Science. Max lockdowns are designed to keep the most dangerous inmates from killing other inmates and guards, and from escaping. Long term inmates are often thoroughly institutionalized, and can't handle not being locked up for very long. So committing crimes while in prison is not always a big deal to some of them, even if it means losing all their privileges.
Normally, states have different prisons for different levels of offenders. They don't want to mix people busted for selling an oz. of weed with people like Hammibal Lechner. There are minimum, medium, and maximum security prisons (and sometimes in between) for different levels of offenders. Minimum security prisoners generally have the most privileges, while maximum security prisoners often have 23 hrs a day lockdown.
There are some pure evil people in prisons. This is no joke. Vicious sociopaths People who would cut your throat for a cigarette and never think about it again. People who would strangle a guard for cheap thrills without consideration of consequences.
Some states have more humane systems than others. Some countries, like Sweden, have very humane systems, and many prisoner's rights advocates believe the US should change over to the Swedish model.
Anyway, one of my SO's started out as a teacher in a prison and ended up as a high level central administrator in the state prison educational system, so I ended up being her live in amateur sort of counselor sounding board, and learning so much more than I ever wanted to know about prisons while we were together.