Ask a Correctional Officer anything

454 Questions

Last Answer on February 10, 2022

How do prisoners get tattoos in prison?

Asked by MOOAAR almost 12 years ago

It isn't hard to make a tattoo gun. A broken guitar string and a motor stolen out of a tape player will do it. They use blue or black ballpoint pen ink. A lot of guys get Hep C or HIV from dirty tattoo needles.

1040 Votes

What is the psychological evaluation like?

Asked by Lolop over 11 years ago

I have no idea. They did not have a formal psych screening when I started with the department.

1037 Votes

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Who cleans prison cells - the prisoners or some janitorial service? Also, how do prisoners do laundry?

Asked by mitchfork almost 12 years ago

Prisoners do their own cell cleaniing, unless something REALLY messy happens, like somebody gets killed in there.

Generally speaking the inmates turn in their clothes in bags on one day and get them back the next day. The bags, with the clothes in them, get run through the wash and dry in the laundry bags with number tags on the bags so they get back to the right place. Individual clothes are not labeles to individual inmates, at least not in california. They are responsible for washing their own personally owned clothing, which they are allowed to own in General Population. Landury is a major expense and a major logistical headache in the system.

1036 Votes

You mentioned prisoners making wine, weapons, tattoo guns and such, MacGyver-style. What's the most inventive thing you've ever seen a prisoner make?

Asked by McGillis almost 12 years ago

one guy made a fairly good looking but fortunately non-functional, Sten gun in the furniture shop. that was clever, scary, also terribly stupid.

1005 Votes

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Why do so many prisoners become Muslims while in jail?

Asked by qwerty almost 12 years ago

On a numerical basis it isn't so many, but the numbers can become meaningful. When you get somebody who is disaffected, probably feels dumped on and discriminated against, finding a group of like-minded people who are willing to tell you that YOU are ok and the SYSTEM is what is wrong is personally validating.

1003 Votes

Do jail inmates get to vote?

Asked by Luca almost 12 years ago

In some states some prisoners get to vote in some elections. I admit my memory is foggy on this. It also depends if you mean JAIL or PRISON. Inmates in jail, if they have no other convictions, are not felons. They can vote. It is technically difficult for them to do so and they seldom bother, but they can. In many states convicted felons can not vote, in some they can, and it sometimes depends if they are voting in federal or state elections. As an aside, Al Franken, the senator from Wisc, voted for Obamacare. It passed by one vote. Franken won his seat by about 400 votes. It is KNOWN that over 1,100 ex-felons registered and voted illegally in that election. Information indicates that ex-felons overwhelmingly vote Democrat. So, in one respect you could say that Obamacare is a direct result of (possibly unintentional) voter fraud by convicted felons.

999 Votes

How do inmates shave in prison, assuming they can't have blades?

Asked by OC Blake almost 12 years ago

generally they use disposable type BIC razors. it is not hard to break the blades out of them, melt them into a tooth brush handle and turn them into a pretty decent slashing weapon. except in Adminsitrative Segregation razor blades are not that tightly controlled, it just isn't practical.

998 Votes