Trip report/ask me about time in maximum (and minimum) security prison

[MyTurn2Raise]

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Other than jobs, is there any other way that having been in prison affects you after you get out? For example, do you get searched at the airport, or do casinos watch you more frequently, stuff like that? More difficult to get a mortgage?

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ummm... a few minor things regarding bereaucratic stuff,
I couldn't apply to certain grad schools who rigorously checked backgrounds.
I cannot go to Canada. Sucks, blew my whistler trip.
Certain other countries won't let me travel to them; it's a country-by-country decision.

It's really the life issues. I've had relationships that were going well end. I had friends who never looked at me the same way once I got out. Stuff like that sucks more

[MyTurn2Raise]

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Great post, so I feel bad asking this stupid question. In an earlier post you called yourself a "convict." I was thinking about this the other day, but I always assumed the term came from actually being convicted. Since you pled out, you weren't really convicted, right (or is that wrong?)? Or has the term just evolved to roll everyone who serves time into one term? Like I said, stupid question, but it came up the other day.

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when one pleads out, the plead guilty to a lesser crime and are convicted. In Illinois, one only goes to prison if they have a year+ to serve, which only happens from felony convictions. This may vary state to state, but everyone who does time in the IDOC is a convict unless they get executive pardon and expungement later in life.

[MyTurn2Raise]

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MT2R:

Great read, very well-written and informative (with pictures! [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]).

I'm sorry you had to go through this experience, but it seems to have helped mold you into who you are now, and from all accounts, that's a pretty cool dude.

FWIW, our drug laws are draconian and I always vote for legalization when I have the chance.

Best TR ever!

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ty for the sympathies and TR love
I'm still pissed you sucked out on me during our donkey mixed game at the Orleans and this doesn't make up for it.

[MyTurn2Raise]

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Something I have always wondered about were prison tattoos.. was there a professional in there that you could see with permission? or was it just other inmates that did it, if so how did they have the utensils to do it?

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definitely not professionals with equipment. The guys giving the tats likely had experience in the outside world however. It's against IDOC to get a tat. I'm not 100% familiar with the process, but I believed they would heat up the point of a pen and use anything they could to get dye from. These were often poorly done and led to infections and whatnot. Not a pretty sight.

[MyTurn2Raise]

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How was Chris Churchill doing in prison? He was younger than all the other prisoners, plus I'm sure he wasn't too popular due to the nature of his crimes.

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He was doing ok. Some people messed with him, but most stayed away. Even violent prisoners are scared by the psychopaths. Most violent guys were driven by money, greed, love, etc. A kid who kills his family with a hammer still spooks them a bit, too. They often refered to the crazy looks of which Churchill was capable. He scared everyone. He wasn't a big name, like a Dahmer, to get harsh reaction.

[MyTurn2Raise]

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turn, good thread. the criminilization of drugs is one of the US's worst social injustices.

what were the circumstances of your arrest?

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oh yeah...my arrest

well, some friends and I were on spring break. It was the second weekend and I had spent it working. They wanted to get a hotel room, party, and check out the state basketball finals. Sounded fine. There were copius amounts of booze and drugs (opium, marijuana, shrooms, and GHB). It was a funtime had by all until the cops came. But, that is jumping ahead.
There was another group of guys our age who were smoking up and drinking quite a bit. They became good buddies with one guy in my group. Apparently, they heard about the GHB and other drugs. They wanted some. I wasn't a dealer and didn't know these guys, so I gave them nothing.
Later, my friends and I go out and about the town. Apparently, the a guy in the other group told the front desk his key wasn't working and that he was staying in our room. The front deskman, of course, then gave him a key to my room without any checking up. This other group goes into my room and takes a water bottle of GHB. One of them take something like 8 to 15X the recommended dosage. Obviously, he knew nothing about the drug and I didn't sell to him, so he didn't know what he was doing. Now, GHB is a pretty non-lethal substance, but it will mess a person up if they take that much. Just think of a person downing over 100 beers. The guy passed out in the a coma-like state. He gets rushed to the hospital. Once he comes to, he sings like a canary to the cops.

Meanwhile, my party had partaken in a boatload of shrooms and had smoked some marijuana laced with the shroom rediment in the baggie. The cops knock on the door at about 2:30 AM and we hide as much of the drugs as possible. I open the door. The cop looks at my eyes, turns to the other cop and says, "his eyes are as big as flying saucers...probable cause," and they enter the room.

Somehow, we survive the interregation as best as possible. It was pretty remarkable considering the carpet looked like sand blowing over their shoes at a beach to my shrooming mind. None of the other drugs were found. Pretty bad police work considering they were sitting at a table with empty baggies marked 1/2 oz and whatnot. They did find the other water bottle of GHB as the kid who ratted told them exactly were to get it. I gave up no sources through the ordeal. The cops didn't think GHB was that big of a deal and left with just our info.

Three months later, on my birthday, a warrant comes down for a search and my arrest on suspicion of manufacturing, delivering, and possessing a schedule I controlled substance.

[MyTurn2Raise]

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The 16 year old who killed his family - Why would no one sit with him? Was it because they were afriad he was Nutso and would shank them if he got the chance? Was he a punk or something like that? Did California have contact with him? What was that like?

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yep...he was nutso. Everyone was scared of a guy crazy enough to kill his whole family with a hammer. Him and California were good friends and would trade meds.

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What was showering like? Did you have to shower with the other inmates? Where do the guards stand to watch for fights/beatings?

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Kind of like a high school/health club group shower with an area for guards to watch. Guards always watched as 30 or so guys would shower quickly. Inmates have small dicks and made me feel huge.


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Did you give any thought to trying to leave the country? If you had $50K in your bank account from poker, would you consider leaving the country?

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the thought crossed my mind as I am not the type to succeed in prison. However, I was broke and it should only be one year. If it was Vienna the whole time, it would have sucked but been ok. It was the max that made it very [censored].

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You said that if someone gets their food stolen and then fights the person who is affiliated, they will become a target? To what extent will this treatment continue? I was under the impression that everyone in prison is afriad of someone shanking them, so they do not mess with people willing to fight back?

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yeah....mutually assured destruction is a good defense. Also, being in a min with everyone near release helps as no one wants to tack on time. Being in a max brings out these sort of issues.

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Did any gang members try to recruit you?

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yes, the arians did

[MyTurn2Raise]

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If you were to join a gang, how does the process work? How do they treat you? What are your responsibilities as a new guy?

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not sure

[MyTurn2Raise]

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I'm not sure you'll have any special knowledge, but...

I drive by the Marion Fed. pen somewhat regularly. From what little I've read, that's where we (the US) puts its baddest-of-the-bad Federal offenders: terrorist guys, multi-state mass-murderers, etc. Its the same state but a completely different system. Do you know anything about it? Any thoughts, rumors, impressions?

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I know pretty much nothing. As you said, it's a completely different system and the inmates have very little experience in both.

[MyTurn2Raise]

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What did California look like? Tats? Age? Was he huge?

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5'8" overweight Mexican who was out of shape, but powerful. About 230 if I had to guess. I think he was about 40. He had plenty of tats.