Prison life can be tricky and hard to adapt to.
I recently asked some fellow incarcerated people to think back on when they first got to prison. I wanted to know: “What advice would you give your former self as you entered prison?”
Here are their paraphrased responses, divided into three categories: general advice, relationships and health.
General advice
James S: Shower daily and clean your cell.
King Q: Take classes and stay out of trouble.
Peter G: Never take gifts from people you don’t know. People will give you anything you want if they feel like they can manipulate you down the road.
Sears: Keep a job, take care of your family, and cherish your relationships.
Eden: Don’t take no crap. If they disrespect you, check ’em.
Lovely Cee: Take care of your health and sustain and improve your wealth by working and hustling.
Power: You came in by yourself, you will leave by yourself, so take care of yourself.
On relationships
Quincy: Enrich your relationship with your children.
Aiden: Stay out of trouble so you can enhance the quality of your in-person visits. It sucks not being able to hug your mother or brother.
Mac Daddy: Keep your hands on the glass when talking to female officers at your door. Female officers are often defensive because some men have harassed them by touching themselves inappropriately.
Zeek: Buy your own food, clothes and electronics, and don’t share. If you share with some people, they will keep coming back and try to take advantage of you.
On health
Fernando: Never get in the shower barefoot. There are always hazardous materials — of the bodily sort — left behind by whoever showered before you.
Chef: Watch what you eat, take care of your personal hygiene, and exercise.
Mark Cline: If your mental health is broken, fix it.
Lo-key: Wash your hands.
Skyler J: Abstain from drugs, sex and tattooing. We have no idea where tattoo needles have been or where drugs are coming from. Many people have died in prison from overdoses from substances that were not what they thought they took.
Noah: Walk, run and play all day. It helps keep you young.