Category: Prison Rules

For the past couple of months, prisons all over the country have shut down their visiting rooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, this is a safety precaution, but the damage this decision does to an inmate’s health and well-being can’t be understated. Visits are crucial for a prison inmate, and they are encouraged by… Continue reading How Can I Find Out if I am on an Inmate’s Visiting List?

After the arrest of George Floyd led to his death at the knees of an officer in the Minneapolis Police Department, protests have broken out all over the globe. But, as everyone knows, many of these peaceful protests have been hijacked by violent looters, and that has resulted in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)… Continue reading George Floyd Protests Trigger BOP Lockdown

When I was growing up, my parents taught me the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I was also given little nuggets of wisdom like “you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” I consider myself to be a pretty nice person. In fact, I can… Continue reading What Happens to You in Prison if You’re Nice?

I don’t consider myself to be a big talker, but my family might disagree. Even with a journalism degree and a podcast, I feel like I do most of my talking through the written word instead of speaking. When I do have conversations with my friends, I prefer going deep on an interesting subject instead… Continue reading What Do You Talk About When Visiting Someone in Prison?

I recently celebrated the third anniversary of the day I walked out of prison. I spent four years at the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic, and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Missouri, for a first-time, non-violent, marijuana offense, and my time behind bars opened my eyes to the realities of the United States prison system. I have… Continue reading Why Do Inmates Get Free Food?

Ever since the drug war began in the early 1970s, prisons have been filled with non-violent drug offenders who have problems with addiction. Many of these are people who are victim to themselves and their families. The sad fact is that prison doesn’t usually help people with addiction issues. Unless the inmate has a strong… Continue reading How Does a Drug User Get Clean if They Are in Prison?

Today’s question is a difficult one to answer. I was so upset and beat down after I was put in prison, that happiness wasn’t even a thought. I’ve got to be honest – I didn’t think I deserved to be in there.  The common joke is that everyone in prison will tell you they are… Continue reading Can You be Happy in Prison?

When you are living in the free world, there can be numerous reasons why you would move to a new home. People move because they get a new job, or get a raise and can afford a larger home. Or, on the flipside, people can downsize due to job loss or retirement. Other people move… Continue reading Why Would an Inmate be Moved to a Different Cell?

Today’s blog post will be a little bit different than what we usually do here at Prison Insight. Instead of answering a specific question about life as a prison inmate, we wanted to create a guide to the Presentence Investigation (PSI) Report. The Presentence Investigation Report is a document that gives you the chance to… Continue reading Guide to The Presentence Investigation (PSI) Report

I’ve never been a big holiday person, so when I was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a first-time marijuana offense, I was surprised to find out just how much being incarcerated on a holiday affected me. I realized on the inside that when I was in the real world, holidays were pretty great.… Continue reading What Are Holidays Like in Prison?