For those fortunate enough never to have gone to prison, what really goes on behind closed cells might be something you often wonder about.
Well, thanks to a bunch of lags pouring their hearts out on Reddit, the realise of life behind bars has been exposed. And contrary to what Hollywood – or even just over-dramatic British television shows – might have you believe, it really is nothing like you would expect.
Responding to a threat on the Prison Subdreddit, about what prison is really like on a day-to-day basis, hundreds of users claiming to be ex-lags have wadded in with their experiences, with the most popular replying going straight in with a blunt “boring as f**k”.
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The wrote: “Luckily in the prison system I was in we had tvs in our cells if we bought them. But mostly is just waiting around. It’s super boring, and when it’s not boring, it’s likely because it’s dangerous….don’t go.”
Although none of those responding identified which countries or prisons they were in, a lot of the language used appears to be English slang, so it’s safe to say the majority of ex-inmates are from the UK.
Another recalled: “I’m glad my stay was boring, and agree that’s the worst part of it. Understand if other people saw more violence, but I’d imagine that was short bursts of violence in an otherwise incredibly boring day.”
(Image: PA)
And a third, taking a slightly more well-rounded view, said: “I learned a lot about myself and human nature. I wrote everyday, trained service dogs, participated in the only community outreach program, did an extensive drug treatment program, worked at a Power House, helped others with legal work and prison paperwork.
“Had a daily exercise of patience, tolerance and acceptance. Basically my prison stay was like life, you get out of it what you put in.”
A fourth added: “You spend 26 hours a day thinking about how to fill 12 hours – with about 10 minutes of extreme violence mixed in at random intervals. Could be happening to anyone, including you.”
Hundreds of replies have been made on the thread, all of which tell a similar story.
But as the first story advised . . . maybe it’s best if you just “don’t go”.
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