I worked for the California state system, starting as a Correctional Officer and retiring as a Lieutenant in 2005. I now write for the PacoVilla blog which is concerned with what could broadly be called The Correctional System.
The only one I felt even a little bit sorry for was a young fellow who was more than a little mentally deficient who had been manipulated by a older girl to kill a younger girl so the younger girl could not testify against the father in a child rape case. Other than that, not really. It is VERY HARD to get into prison. Almost nobody goes to the joint the first time around.
That is very hard to say as it is quite subjective. Some people just hated the feeling of being locked in. The noise could be bad. The constant undercurrent of hostility was bad for some people. Dealing with idiot staff, some of who were your boss, or dealing with really irritating inmates who didn't give a shit could also be bad. Its kind of all in how you look at it.
There is always the mission downtown, but I don't think their WiFi is as good as the library.
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While I was working there were a lot of good vocational programs at the prison. They had an auto body and paint program, and auto mechanics program, office machine repair and an FAA certified Air Frame and Air Engine program. There was also a very small program for waste water treatment plant operations and a map making program that made maps for CalFire. Those programs went away when the prison went to a total reception center operation. Now that the RC program is gone and the prison is going back to General Population some of these programs MAY be coming back. Or not.
I was never offered a bribe. Not once. Various staff members have been caught for dealing with prisoners. Mostly smuggling cigarettes or cell phones. It is very dangerous because too many people find out about it and eventually you will get caught. Then you get fired and probably prosecuted. .
A few. Ronald Regan once (when he was Governor of CA). Jerry Brown a couple of times, when he was Governor and I was on the Board of Directors of the Correctional Officer's union. Father Kelly, a well-known child molester who was a prisoner at the prison I worked at. A couple of members of the Bechtel family (the construction people). A few higher ups within the DOC in CA. Several other famous (notorious) prisoners a time or two.
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