Home › Forums › FEDERAL BUREAU PRISON › Letters From Inside › Ten Things I Learned In Prison — for Newbies
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
-
April 19, 2025 at 3:14 am #9662
Kris Marker
KeymasterMarQui Clardy will never forget what it was like going to prison for the first time and wishes someone could have prepared him. Now he wants to share the “things I learned in prison” with people going to there for the first time.
Being sentenced to prison is like getting dropped onto a bed of fiery coals with no socks on. Like many other first timers, I scorched my feet countless times before learning the safest ways to navigate the danger.
When I was arrested in 2008, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t have any friends or family who’d spent time behind bars to show me the ropes. There was no manual explaining the do’s and don’ts of jail. Now that I’m nearing the end of my sentence, I am honored to be a beacon to others just beginning theirs. Here are a few important things prison newbies should know.Prison Operates on a Different Set of Rules
A lot of the social protocols we followed in the free world don’t exactly translate to this side of the fence. Prison is like an alternate universe where up is down, fish swim in the sky, and 2 plus 2 equals 3. It’s a different world entirely. In society, trusting others is a basic tenet of human relations. We’re taught not to judge people. Being sociable is encouraged. We learn to speak our minds, and if we see something (illegal), we’re supposed to say something.Behind bars, none of that applies. One of the first things prisoners learn is not to trust others. This environment changes people. Those who’ve been incarcerated for a while have a tendency to become con artists, always looking to pull a fast one on someone. For that reason, it’s in your interest to judge everyone around you. Judging other prisoners is crucial to survival in here. If someone looks like trouble and your gut is telling you to avoid them, trust your gut.The first thing you should do upon entering any new unit is stand back and observe, but keep your thoughts to yourself. If you see something you weren’t meant to see, pretend you didn’t. Never speak about anyone else’s business to other prisoners or staff. Doing so is asking for trouble.You Still Have Rights
Contrary to popular belief, we don’t lose all our rights in prison. As American citizens, our rights under the U.S. Constitution are still protected. The First Amendment gives us the right to file grievances against staff misconduct and protects us against staff retaliation for those filings. The Fourth Amendment protects us against strip searches by staff of the opposite gender. The Fifth and 14th Amendments protect us from arbitrary punishment without a formal hearing. The Eighth Amendment gives us the right to adequate medical care and sanitary living conditions.Unfortunately, staff members violate our rights habitually. In those instances, we have a right to sue them.Respect Is Mandatory
Prison is full of egos, so the slightest showing or perception of disrespect can lead to violence. This can be avoided simply by exercising basic manners, like saying “excuse me” if you interrupt someone or mistakenly bump into them, or saying “thank you” if someone offers you something. Prisoners are shown enough disrespect by staff members. The last thing any of us wants is to be shown disrespect by other prisoners.You Don’t Have to Be a Gangster
There’s a saying that “real recognizes real.” Real also recognizes fake, and no one likes fakeness. Don’t be someone you’re not, just to try to fit in. Being true to yourself in prison is the best way to gain acceptance and respect. If you’re a square, be a square. If you’re an academic type, be that. There are plenty of prisoners who play Dungeons & Dragons, Magic the Gathering, World of Warcraft, etc. There are those who take college courses and spend all their time in the library reading. Some guys hold yoga classes on the rec yard, some are in religious communities, some are peer recovery specialists and mentors. Long story short, whoever you are, just continue being that.
The Smaller Your Circle, the Fewer Your Problems
One of the codes in prison is that if you get into a situation, your homies are expected to have your back. For this reason, a lot of prisoners get suckered into aligning themselves with cliques and gangs. What they fail to realize is that if/when their homies get into trouble, they’re also obligated to have their backs. The more people in your circle, the higher your chance of getting into trouble for fighting someone else’s battles. To avoid that, keep your circle small and with only like-minded individuals.
Credit? Forget It!
Owing money is a major cause of prison fights. Other prisoners will loan you things, usually for a small fee (e.g., someone loans you three packs of Ramen noodles and you agree to repay them five packs at a later date). When you’ve just received a letter from a loved one promising to send you $50 “next Friday,” it can be tempting to go and borrow items from someone with the promise of paying it back when that $50 hits your books. But what if that money never comes? What if an emergency pops up and your loved one isn’t able to send it to you? You don’t want to be in the position of owing money that you can’t repay. Don’t borrow anything on credit.
People Aren’t Getting Raped in Prison
Apparently, in the ’80s and ’90s, rape was prevalent—and even acceptable—behind bars. That’s no longer the case. In the 17 years I’ve been incarcerated, I’ve never heard of anyone getting raped at any of the seven prisons I’ve been housed in. (News of noteworthy events, such as fights, drug overdoses, corrupt officers getting busted, etc., spreads through prisons like a wildfire. Had someone been raped, everybody and their mama would’ve been talking about it.) In actuality, prison is a very homophobic environment. Raping someone wouldn’t be met with approval at all. If anything, a prisoner who does something like that would be shunned, ridiculed, or even attacked by other prisoners for such behavior.
Prison Drugs Are Mystery Drugs
Some years ago, another prisoner I knew smuggled some small baggies of marijuana into the facility by boofing them (hiding them up his butt) during a visit. When he went to retrieve them later that day, the baggies had burst, and feces had gotten mixed into the weed. If you think he threw it away, guess again. Not only did he sell that weed, everyone who bought it complimented him on its “potency” and wanted more. From that day forward, every time he smuggled weed into the prison, he intentionally put feces in it, and guys kept buying it. Of course, none of them ever knew about the secret of its potency. Only a handful of us who were cool with the guy knew. My point is that you never really know what’s in prison drugs. One day it’s feces, the next day it’s fentanyl, one day it might be crushed-up glass. It’s not worth it.
You Don’t Have to Be Dependent on Your Loved Ones
Having support is important, but you’ll quickly learn that your family and friends won’t make your priorities their priorities. Being too dependent on outside help—whether it’s financial dependence, emotional dependence, or relying on others to run errands and handle business for you—will only cause you unnecessary stress and frustration when you can’t get that help. Minimize that dependence as much as possible by working for your own money, using the law library to do your own legal research, ordering books from free book projects, enrolling in free college courses if they’re available, etc. There are tons of resources available to prisoners. Only go to your loved ones as a last resort.
If You Stay Ready, You Won’t Have to Get Ready
In February 2009, I was sentenced to more than five life terms in prison, with none of it suspended. The previous year, my homeboy Travion was sentenced to more than six life terms, with none suspended. Together, we had more time than everyone else in the entire jail combined. The other inmates would often say things like, “Man if I’d been given that much time, I would’ve been wilding out.”
But Travion and I both knew better. Had we been “wilding out,” both of us would probably still have those life sentences. We both understood that there’s always hope, and when that hope comes, you have to be ready. We both stayed out of trouble and worked hard to show that we weren’t irredeemable monsters who deserved to spend the rest of our lives behind bars. And it paid off. Travion went home a few years ago. I had my sentence reduced, then last year I earned an extra 11-year reduction in “good time.” I go home in five years. Criminal justice reform advocates lobby tirelessly to help get second chances for those deserving of them. It’s up to you to show that you deserve it.
MarQui Clardy #1404630
Lawrenceville Correctional Center
1607 Planters Road
Lawrenceville, VA 23868The post Ten Things I Learned In Prison — for Newbies first appeared on Prison Writers.
-
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.