What 24 Hours Life as a Prisoner is Really Like in Prison

What is a day in prison like? Is it horrible? And, is it boring? Now, you may want to know what 24 hours life is like in prison as a prisoner. Life as a prisoner is surely a challenging and unforgettable experience. It can vary depending on the specific prison, its location, the security level, and the nature of offense committed by the prisoners. Well, in this guide, we will explain about a general overview of what 24 hours life is like in prison as a prisoner.

24 Hours Life as a Prisoner in a Minimum-Security Prison

As we said before, a 24-hours life in prison as a prisoner will vary depending on some factors, one of factors is the security level of the prison. You will be able to find some differences between a 24-hours life as a prisoner in prison with minimum security level and a 24-hours life as a prisoner in prison with another security level. Now, we will talk about a 24-hours life as a prisoner in a prison with minimum security level.

At 6 AM, all inmates are awakened. They have time to make up their beds, shower, dress, and prepare for breakfast. At 7 AM, inmates eat breakfast in the dining hall. Then, they prepare for work. At 8 AM, the inmates began to work hard. Usually, they do short-term manual labor jobs like painting public buildings, improving community parks, or clearing brush from the ditch. Inmate kitchen workers will prepare their lunch, and the inmates have 30 minutes to eat.

Normally, the inmates finished work and return to the prison around 3-4 PM. But if the job requires, the inmates work up to 5 PM. Then, at 5 PM, inmates go to the dining hall for dinner. After dinner, they have several minutes on the prison yard. Between 7 and 9 PM, inmates can participate in religious or specialized programming provided by the prison such as Bible studies or Narcotics Anonymous. At 9 PM, inmates return to the cells. At the cell, inmates can talk each other’s, play cards, or watch TV. At 12 AM, the cell lights are turned off. All inmates must sleep and stay in their bunks.

24 Hours Life as a Prisoner in a Medium-Security Prison

At 5:00 AM, all inmates are awakened. They have an hour to make their bed, clean up, shower and dress. At 6.00, inmates eat breakfast in the dining hall. At 8 AM, inmates gather for counting and assignment to the road squads. Over the next 30 minutes, they travel to their worksite. By 9 AM, all squads are at work. In the afternoon, they have a 30-minute break for lunch. Normally, the squads finished work until around 3 PM. And, at 3:30, they will arrive at the prison. Begins at 4:30 PM, inmates have time to clean up and prepare dinner.

At 7 PM, all inmates are locked into the dormitory. They are not allowed to go anywhere, except for participating in religious or education programs. At 9:30 PM, all programs end. The inmates return to their cells. They can play cards or watch television. At 11:30 PM, the cell lights are turned off. All inmates must go to sleep.

24 Hours Life as a Prisoner in a Close-Security Prison

At 6 AM, all inmates are awakened for the formal inmate count. At 7 AM, inmates begin for breakfast. At 7:30 AM, all inmate workers report to their jobs. Inmates work in the laundry, kitchen, or license label factory. In addition, the inmates also perform maintenance or cleaning tasks during the day.

Usually, around 3 PM, the inmates check their mails. They spend their spare times on the recreation yard. The inmates also have access to the gym or auditorium after dinner. At 6:30 PM, inmates can participate in religious or specialized programming provided by the prison such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Bible studies, or Narcotics Anonymous. At 9 PM, inmates return to their cells. They are allowed to play cards, watch television, or write letters. At 11 PM, the lights of cells are turn off and the inmates must go to sleep.

24 Hours in Prison

To give insight into prison operations, we also make a table of 24 hours in prison. Keep in mind that prison operations and inmate schedules will vary from one prison to others.

Tia Varborough

A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.