The Top 5 Questions I’ve Been Asked About Being in Jail

Inquiring minds want to know a little bit of everything.

Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash

I’ve been incarcerated about a month now and have been asked all sorts of questions about my posts here and general information about what it’s like being in jail. A number of these questions have been asked multiple times, so I wanted to put the answers somewhere central for anyone who may be curious. I appreciate the kind words of support you’ve all written. If I didn’t get to your question or you have something you’d like me to write about, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and I will get to it as quickly as possible.

1. How are you writing blog posts from jail? Do inmates have internet access? — My wife, Demeter, is who actually composes and posts every article on my account, since October 6, 2021. We talk as much as we can (it’s financially exhausting for sure), I write her handwritten letters, and until recently, we had access to a messaging system within the jail. No, inmates do not have internet access. I would imagine the messaging system through Securus runs on an intranet system, where my outgoing messages are screened by correction officers (COs), then sent via the internet or a data stream. Same for incoming messages, they’re reviewed by COs then distributed to my account.
2. Do you have access to a library or book cart? — When I was in county lock-up there was no library or book cart available any longer. Other inmates had books from before they stopped distributing them within the jail, so they were passed around. You also could not receive a book in the mail in any way. The county where I was jailed stopped all reading material coming into the facility in 2020.

That should change once I’m housed somewhere more permanent. Most state facilities have libraries, and if they don’t, you’re allowed to have certain reading material shipped to you.

3. Can you earn money? How much? — In the county jail there is no way to earn money. There are inmates called trustees, who have a little more freedom than a regular inmate. Trustees do most of the janitorial work, keep the grounds of the jail clean, and help prepare meals for the other inmates. Being honest, it is nice to have more room to move, but what you’re really benefitting in…