What Is Prison Life Really Like?

A day in the life of an inmate

As a prison Youtuber, I get asked almost every single day “What is it like in prison? What do you do? Do you work? Can you sleep all day?” Reading all of these questions shocked me. I assumed that just because I knew what prison life like that everyone else must know. That could not have been further from the truth.

I went to prison for the first time at 17. I was a lost kid in small town. My hometown has very little to offer most people. Like many small towns in upstate New York, it has its fair share of problems. Lack of employment being one of them. I decided at a young age that being poor was not for me. I would do whatever it took to rise above the poverty we had lived in my entire life. The answer to my desperation, was drugs.

Being sent to jail at such a young age hardened me. It made me resistant to any kind of drug rehabilitation programs. It also gave me PTSD, a chip on my shoulder and worsened my already intense drug addiction.

So, what do inmates do all day? Well, a lot. Prison runs like a little city and every minute of every day is accounted for. We had a library, beauty shop (which is a nice name for hair cut room) we had a medical wing, a rec yard and a gym. That doesn't sound to bad right? Wrong.