Ask Layzie about Heroin Addiction/Doing Time In Prison

[Layzie]

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Prison in Cali is a whole different situation in several ways. You can't smoke anymore so cigs are out. In several pens you can't lift weights so that is out. There is much more conflict between the aryans and the black gangs. Also rape isn't nearly as uncommon as it sounds like it is in Virginia. I think this might all just be a difference in demographics honestly. I have never personally done time in prison, as I sobered up/got my time in jail done when I was younger, but I have at least 50 friends who have done time in San Quentin/Fulsom/ Soledad/ Chino. I would say.... don't go to prison.

And congrats on 2.5 years sober, I don't know many people who have made it that far without a program.

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Thanks.

[Layzie]

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if someone wants to rape you, they could (unless you were really tough or had connections inside with other people).

it just seems out of your control.

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Well, obviously.

[Layzie]

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How often do you get to use the phone? Are they pay phones, or are they free?

Did you get stuff like pencils, pens, or newspapers?

Did you get calenders in your cell?

Did you celebrate holidays?

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When I initially got to Sussex, I was in 22 hour lockup, so we got an hour a day inside the pod to use the phone. But it was 6 phones for 88 inmates. When I was moved to a lower security section, there was a phone available anytime between 8am and 11pm.

Yeah you get pencils and pens, and you can subscribe to the newspaper, which I did.

You can have a calender, but you have to buy it.

Holidays were celebrated with slightly better food.. that's about it.

[Layzie]

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Layzie,

How hard is it to tattoo a map of the prison and its ventilation system onto your body?

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Well, you can make a tattoo gun out of a walkman. Getting a map of the prison might be a little harder. Also, there's a fence 30 feet high with razor wire all over it, and inside of that there's a fence of barbed wire, that when any kind of pressure is applied to it, will release the barbed wire so it coils around you. If you can get around that, you're then surrounded by 5 miles of swampland in all directions. After that, you're home free.

[Blarg]

How bad was the food really? Could you give us some examples, including the best and the worst of it?

Was any one meal -- breakfast lunch or dinner -- usually much worse than the other?

Was being hungry much of a problem? Did you get decent portions and all? If not for you(I don't know your body type), then was hunger much of a problem for others?

I can skip meals pretty easily myself, often, but if I get a small meal it makes me get super hungry.

[Layzie]

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How bad was the food really? Could you give us some examples, including the best and the worst of it?

Was any one meal -- breakfast lunch or dinner -- usually much worse than the other?

Was being hungry much of a problem? Did you get decent portions and all? If not for you(I don't know your body type), then was hunger much of a problem for others?

I can skip meals pretty easily myself, often, but if I get a small meal it makes me get super hungry.

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Everything is made out of turkey. Turkey hotdogs, turkey burgers, turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey salami, turkey sausage.... you get the idea.

It's pretty bad at first, but you start to get used to it after you've gotten all the real food out of your system. The portions were pretty small. The best thing they had was once a month there was a real beef cheeseburger. Also, the pancakes were good, because those are hard to screw up. The worst was some kind of turkey patty, which was probably supposed to be salisbury steak or something. Other things they had: hot dogs, waffles, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, fish patties, beans and rice.... there's more but i'm kinda drawing a blank.

There were people that lived completely off of their commisary (the food they bought with their own money). You can get pretty creative with some of the stuff they sold you. For instance, you could make a ramen noodle soop, and load it up with crushed crackers, sausage (like a slim jim type), and other assorted stuff. They also sold tortilla wraps, which can also be used for a wide variety of things. Also, alot of sweets like honey buns and candybars.

[Blarg]

Small portions? So then probably most people felt they needed to buy extra food, right? As much as wanted to?

[Layzie]

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Small portions? So then probably most people felt they needed to buy extra food, right? As much as wanted to?

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Yeah, it is really tough to go without buying food. I believe the law is that they have to give you a certain amount of calories in a day. This doesn't necessarily translate into alot of food.

[KaneKungFu123]

is their pressure from other inmates who dont have as much money as other inmates?

[Layzie]

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is their pressure from other inmates who dont have as much money as other inmates?

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Yes, people will often ask others for food/cigarettes, or steal from them.