It seems like it is safe to say that no one would want to live in a prison because living in it means they don’t get to do whatever is outside the prison. Basically, those who live in this facility cannot do a lot of things, such as playing football, watching a movie at a cinema, eating the things that they want, hanging out with friends, and even having a me time.
As the activities in prison are limited, it is not surprising that the residents are dealing with boredom, which can lead to psychological disorders such as depression and suicidal tendencies. In order to stay alive, they need to know how to get rid of boredom in prison. Then, what are the different ways to kill time in prison?
There are a lot of ways to get rid of boredom in prison. Some of them are as follows:
1. Read Books
To feed their minds, prisoners can read books. Apart from that, it can also broaden their horizons while in prison. They can ask their family or friends to bring or send them some books or magazines to read. Not only that, some facilities also allow tablets such as JPay Tablets and SecureView Tablet from Securus where the prisoners can access ebooks from it.
2. Write
The prisoners can pour out all the things in their heads through writing. It is especially good for those who regularly write a journal or just a diary, or for those who used to share their daily life with someone but they have no one to share their story now as they are in prison.
Read also: Funny Things to Write to Someone in Jail
3. Learn a New Language
For anyone who wants to improve their memory, their ability to make decisions and overall cognitive health, they may want to learn a new language. There might be prisoners who know other languages so they can learn it from them. Aside from that, they can also learn it from something else. Actually, it is not always a new language as they can also learn a new dialect, slang, and so on.
4. Learn a New Skill
There are a lot of new things that the prisoners can learn and some prison facilities provide things for that. One of the things that they can learn is sewing or handcrafting. In some facilities, there are sewing machines, which are good for those who want to try sewing.
5. Attend School
According to some studies, those who continue their education in prison benefit greatly. Not only can they kill time, they can also get recidivism reduced, and sentences shortened. Plus, it is also great for the facility as the cost of providing education to the prisoners is lower than the cost of keeping them locked up.
29 years ago, a law that overturned the ability of prisoners to get Pell Grants to further their college education was passed by Congress. 20 years after that, a pilot program was launched by the Obama Administration to give grants to those prisoners who are eligible for release within five years.
6. Work Out
Exercise or working out has been known as a way to keep the body fit and healthy. By working out, the prisoners can also be more focused on something. Even though they might not have access to fancy machines, they can still do simple things such as stretching, aerobics, and resistance training exercises.
7. Try a New Sport
If the prisoners are allowed to get out, they can try to participate in a sport. While participating in such a thing, it is better for them to avoid competitive games as it can cause conflict. Just join the fun ones. Aside from killing time, trying a sport can also boost their positive energy.
8. Watch TV
Some prisoners have small or large TVs in their cells. Watching TV is one of the most enjoyable things to kill time, even though it is limited to broadcast networks. Not only TVs, DVDs may also be available, though usually nothing R-rated.
9. Play Chess
If a prisoner likes playing chess, they can play it in a prison as well to kill boredom. If they don’t like it, they may want to try it. Who knows they may love it after trying it. An inmate at San Quentin State Prison in California named Christopher Schuhmacher had something to say about chess in prison. He said that during the first few years of his incarceration he played hours and hours of chess to pass time. He has been playing a game with his father through the mail that has been going on since 2006.
10. Talk to Others
Even though prisoners live in a facility, it does not mean they are anti-social and don’t have people to talk to. They can talk with some people such as fellow prisoners and even the staff. With the other prisoners, they can talk about many things, including sharing their stories. By having a conversation about such a thing, they can also build a friendship in addition to making their hearts easier.
11. Clean the Cell
Prisoners are responsible for the cleanness of their own cell. When they have a lot of time, they can clean their cell.
12. Sleep
Sleep is one of the best things to do. It is quite effective to recharge everything and to forget reality for a while. While it is true that prisoners have schedules that they need to follow, they still get time to sleep, which time is during lock-downs and any times when they have spare time and do not do anything else.
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.
