Have you ever been inside a US correctional system's prison of any kind (as a visitor, not criminal)?
610898
I am a regular visitor at a California State Prison and at a County Jail.... At the Prison, things are both better and worse than I had imagined before this became a reality in my life... In order to visit, I had to fill out an application, and consent to a DoJ background check... once approved, I was pleasantly surprised at my first visit at how orderly the process was and how pleasant the visiting area is.... except for the Correctional Officers and the fact that the men were all wearing the same thing, it seemed more like a cafeteria than what I'd thought a "Prison Visiting room" would be like.... Some things that troubled me: At the prison I visit, there is a program that allows visitors to purchase poloroid photographs and the proceeds go to support things like keeping toys and games in the room for visiting children and helping to fund the prison library... There is an inmate who is assigned to take the pictures,(he is also responsible for keeping the room tidy) and I was shocked to learn that it was not allowed for me to buy this fellow a soft drink as a way of expressing my appreciation for the wonderful job he did both with the pictures he took for us and keeping the room looking so nice.... Seems to me that being able to reap some reward for a job well done is a key part of the rehabilitative process, not to mention the value of a moment of normal, polite, social interaction... and it's pointless to forbid such courtesies...what could it possibly hurt?\nDuring another visit, I observed a couple at a nearby table... I had been chatting with the woman while we were waiting outside and knew she'd recently had a death in the family.... At one point during her visit, she was crying and her husband touched her face, wiping away tears... The CO reprimanded them for "Inappropriate Contact".... How is it in ANYONE'S interests to teach a man NOT to express concern or compassion? Anyone could see that there was nothing "intimate" about that gesture, it was simple kindness...a thing that should be fostered, not forbidden.\n\nThere are other examples of pointless little meannesses that seem to me to be counterproductive, but I'll leave it here... except for a detail that the public is doubtless unaware of... In California's prisons, inmates are subjected to a strip search each time the enter or leave the visiting area...even to visit the restroom. I can see why a search at the beginning and end of a visit might be reasonable, but 4 or 5 in as many hours when the visitors were already searched before being allowed into the room? (No, not strip searched, but their belongings examined, shoes inspected, pockets turned out and a pass through a metal detector and, at random, a pass throgh a an ion drug scanner)\nFor anyone interested in learning more about the realities of our prison system, take a look at http://www.prisontalk.com\n\nPopular media paints a very unrealistic picture and before you form opinions about the system, it seems like a good idea to find out more about what really goes on.
142737
http://prisontalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=56\nThere's a lot of information there about Texas prisons
689869
Hey,\nMy brother is in prison so I know how you feel. I typed in inmate profiles, in the search engines and got some list.
9254
Just wanted to add that there is a wonderful support and information group at http://prisontalk.com\nThere is a forum dedicated to just Ohio questions and discussions.\nI've got a "someone special" locked up, too, and this group has helped me a great deal.
89833
Look here http://prisontalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=102\nand may the time pass swiftly
221145
Yes. In prison... it's standard issue...
424142
If you don't have friends or family members in this prison I would highly recommend that you do not locate this prison and do not contact anyone from the inside...my sister did this once and had a correspondence with an inmate and was conned out of hundreds of dollars for this person's commissary....please don't get mixed up into that....you'll regret it...that's why they call them CONS !!!!
1156005
I believe there is a correctional facility there.
229166
This is nothing I'm proud of,out of my life i've spent 11 years in prison.A prison cell is usually 8ft.x 8ft. That cell becomes your home.A bed,desk,sink,toilet,maybe a chair.Every decision you used to make in the world is gone.Now their made for you by the state.A person who is naturally a surviver,will adapt,one who isn't will have a rough way to go.It's not a life,it's excistence, one day at a time.You can make it easy, or you can make it hard on yourself.It no where, or way to live.
354350
Ever been in prison?  Do you have to register as a sex offender?
413511
go to the prison's website, or call them...i guess?
1157886
Go to the forum for your state at http://www.prisontalk.com to learn all the details of the corrections system in your state.\nAlso, such visits are usually called "Family Visits" now, not "Conjugal Visits"... someone figured out that it was dumb to call it a "Conjugal" visit when often it is an inmates parents, children and or siblings spending the time with him, not always a spouse.
234593
GO INTO FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS WHEN IT COMES UP PUT YOUR STATE IN AND HIT INMATE SEARCH
328254
I'll tell you as best as I can:\nUpon entrance to jail (called booking, if it hasn't already been done, you will be fingerprinted, photographed and processed into the system.  They may do it immediately, or you might have to wait in a large room with seats or benches and sometimes a TV to watch.\nYou will then be asked about your medical/psychological history, usually prefunctory, basic stuff to assess that you are not suicidal, pregnant, addicted to drugs etc.  Also if you have a condition, you need to tell them so that you can get your meds.  If you have money, you can put it into your inmate account so you can get things at the commissary. They usually put a plastic bracelet on you as well.\nYou will then be escorted to a tiled room with a shower and asked to disrobe.  You will also have to take off all your jwewlery, includng earrings or body peircings.  You will be told to take your contacts out, if you wear them (be sure to bring your glasses, contacts are not allowed in jail) You will be searched.  Sometimes, they will just take a glance at you, make sure you are not hiding a gun, or drugs.  Sometimes it is a little more invasive: they might look into your nose, peel back your eyelids, or do a finger wave of where the sun never shines.  They might ask you to squat and cough.  You will then be made to shower, usually with delousing shampoo.  They will usually spray you down after.\nYou will dry off, then change into the jail attire.  It is usualy a blue or onange one-piece jumpsuit, sometimes it is two pieces (top and bottom).  Some jails actually use striped suits, and some use hospital type gowns.  Most likely, though a one piece jumpsuit.  You'll usually get flip flops or non laced sneakers.  Usually sentences inmates wear a different color from unsentenced.\nYou will then be given bedding (usually a pillow and case, thin mattress two blankets and two sheets), toilet paper and soap and led to the houising area.  This can be a dorm, or a single cell.  It will most likely be a cell you share with one or two inmates.\nTypically, it has a bunk bed,some shelves to store your stuff, a steel sink and toilet, usually in one unit.  Your cell might have a barred front with windows outside the cell, or a solid door with a small window and then the cell has its own window.  Natural light is not a requirement, though, so you migt have a cell/cellblock with no windows at all.\nThe cellblock (sometimes called a pod)has anywhere from 8-30 cells and usually has tables and chairs to eat at or play games etc, maybe some excercise equipment, and a TV.  There are usually a couple of showers you can use every couple of days.\nYour time in jail will be boring at best, miserable at worst.  You will grow tired of watching TV.  There will be little variety in your diet.  You will usually consume about 2300 calories per day (no seconds).  A lot of white bread, processed meat (think 70s style TV dinner).  You will get Kool Aid, but no juice (they don't want inmates making wine out of it)\nThe best advice is to not take sides, keep to yourself, but be amiable.  In other words, no harm in playing a game of cards with someone, but think twice before giving out personal info.  Avoid the race card.  Be respect ful of the guards, but not chummy. Don't do anything to appear aggressive, or anything to look like easy pray.\nYour day will involve a lot of boring TV (usually no cable), card/checkers games.  If you read, you will go through a lot of books (there is usually a limit to how many books you can have in your cell)\nGenerally speaking, your visits will be done through a window (like at the movies)where you will speak through a phone (sometimes monitored).  By appointment you can have a contact visit, however you cannot touch except for an initial embrace, and the table has a 2 foot plexiglass screen bisecting it, so it is kind of pointless.  Also, contact visits involve a strip search.\nIf you are nonviolent, you are not likely
269569
It's legal when entering jail and or prison
1072422
Maybe you should be asking  Adrian Lamo, or Kevin Mitnick.\n\nI'm sure that they'd love to share their prison experiences with you, too.
784607
You could either contact your local law enforcement and get as much information from them or you can check out this website and see if this helps you at all.\n\nhttp://hrw.org/doc/?t=usa_prisons&document_limit=100,20