When a person becomes incarcerated in a prison, his/her life is going to change quite dramatically. Life in prison will be very restricted, for personal liberties that one may be accommodated to or has taken for granted will most likely be stripped. However, prison life will vary depending on the nature of the person’s crime and what kind of facility one is meant to serve out their sentence. Generally speaking, prison life is constructed based upon schedules. Furthermore, every kind of activity, particularly those carried outside of the holding cells such as eating meals. 

A typical day in prison life can be outlined as follows: breakfast, work or school, lunch, work or school, dinner, free time, showering, and finally sleep. This kind of a strict scheduled routine is meant to establish control and order in a prison facility while also promoting a sense of self-control in the inmates themselves.

Much of life in prison spent within the confines of the jail cell, which is usually a eight by six cell. The jail cell will have a sink and toilet and a metal bed that is secured to the floor or to the wall. In some cases, some jail cells will hold two inmates, where a bunk bed may be found in a similar fashion.

However, due to the nature of the inmates and their lives of crime, prison life may not be completely as it intended to be by the correctional system. It is well documented that inmates will often times gravitate toward those they have things in common, particularly those that were members of gangs prior to being incarcerated. Furthermore, many prisons will have networks of commerce among the inmates where certain items–whether illegal or not–are often traded and/or bartered. 

All prisoners in the United States will usually be granted visitation rights, at least when a prisoner first enters a prison. When a person is person first enters the penitentiary, part of the paper work that must be filled out will include a list of family members and friends that are allowed to visit the prisoner during the incarceration sentence. 

Visitation rights will be limited on a monthly basis and each person listed for visitation privileges must be approved prior that actual visitation. Those not included in the list may also be allowed visitation, though they must be approved and may entail a waiting period before visitation rights are granted.

Visitation rights are to be considered more along the lines of privileges due to the fact that they can be revoked. Furthermore, in some cases, visitation privileges may not be granted to some inmates due to the nature of the person’s crime. However, once in prison and visitation rights are granted, an inmate can be limited visitations and even have them suspended on the basis of behavior while incarcerated.

Visiting hours in most prisons will usually coincide with those of a normal work day, typically on a 9am to 5pm schedule, though this will vary depending on the facility. At lower level penitentiaries, visiting hours are held in what resembles a waiting room, with many others having visitors at the same time. In maximum level prisons, visiting hours are done through a glass window with the use of telephones. Such visitations are always supervised by guards and those visiting may be subject to search before and after each visit. 

False imprisonment can be defined as the restraining of an individual within a particular area without any proper justification or consent. False imprisonment is considered to be a violation of both tort and common law in the United States, and can apply to both governmental agencies as well as private parties. False imprisonment can also be viewed in the eyes of the law in terms of the intent to commit such a crime, and is also punishable by law. 

In order for false imprisonment to occur, a person does not necessarily have to be confined to a room or cell. To be falsely imprisoned can be applied in terms of an individual being restricted from their normal actions simply out of fear from suffering injury or harm. An example could be a person that is suspected of shoplifting and is kept within the ground of the business against his/her will. Upon finding no evidence that such a crime has ensued, the person that was involuntarily held can press charges.

False imprisonment that occurs when a government official or agency is involved, such as the local police department, it is considered to be false arrest. This can occur, for example, when a person or suspect is arrested without having the proper warrant issued by the court of law, or by using an invalid warrant. 

A person that is falsely imprisoned can bring about charges against such an agency. In order to have a case, the person that is falsely imprisoned must be able to prove that will detention by the opposing party has occurred and was without the consent of the involved individual, and that such detention is not under the authority of applicable laws.

  

In many criminal court cases, the issue of the defendant standing trial for certain crimes may often times be required to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, which is conducted by a forensic psychologist. The purpose of the psychiatric evaluation may be many, though typically it is to understand the motivating factors that would make an individual commit a crime. 

Psychiatric evaluations may also be conducted in prisons under certain circumstances. Such an evaluation of resident of federal penitentiary may or may not be court ordered, and may not necessarily be related to the person’s history of crime. Psychiatric evaluation of prison residents may sometimes be conducted in order to get a better understanding of the criminal mind for studies in forensic sciences.

However, a psychiatric evaluation of a prison resident or inmate may be required in order to evaluate the mental state or capacity of a particular individual. Such a case will prove to be important when a prisoner may be up for parole. Depending on the nature of the crimes and sentenced served, a psychiatric evaluation may be required of an inmate in order to deem such an individual capable of functioning in the outside world, while also considering the possibility of a relapse to a life of crime. 

A psychiatric evaluation of an inmate may prove to be crucial in the case that a criminal has served the imposed sentenced and is about to be released. Knowing the state of mind of such individual may require extra provisions and considerations of the legal system in order to ensure safety of the public, as well as the inmate him/herself.  

Prison rape is a term that refers to the raping and acts of sexual violence that occurs in correctional facilities that is done either by incarcerated inmates or the corrections staff. Prison rape most commonly occurs between those incarcerated in the prisons, though it has occurred on rare occasion that both the female and male staff has experienced prison rape, either by other members of the staff or those that are incarcerated.

The concept of prison rape, even though naturally a sexually inclined act, is generally thought more about establishing control, power, and dominance within the prison culture and lifestyle. Prison rape is often seen more in the context of a psychological attack rather one that is purely physical in nature, for the effects of a prison rape may be worse on the psychological level for many.

Prison rape is an unfortunate occurrence that happens within corrections facilities, with a total of over 140,000 inmates in the United States experiencing prison rape while incarcerated. Studies have shown that there is a certain correlation between age and race and prison rape as well. It has been found that prisoners that are young in age, particularly between the ages of 18 and 25, are more susceptible to be victims of prison rape. Furthermore, individuals that are being incarcerated for the first time may also be more prone to prison rape due to inmates wanting to establish control and power over those entering the general prison population. 

Most prison facilities will allow for families and friends to send loved ones that are incarcerated certain items that the inmate inside may need. These are generally known as inmate care packages. However, depending on each correctional facility, there are certain regulations in place that will restrict certain items that cannot be included in inmate care packages. 

It is important for those seeking to send inmate care packages that the regulations and restrictions be known in order to make sure that a particular inmate will receive everything that is sent. Correction facility officers and staff will always check the contents of inmate care packages to make sure that illegal contraband such as drugs or weapons will not make their way into the facility.

The materials and items that can be included in inmate care packages will be provided on a list by the facility. However, generally speaking, these items will usually consist of leisure materials and items, such as books, magazines, and, photographs. Clothing and food items can sometimes also be included, though these may be more restricted by the prison facility. 

Some penitentiaries will even allow for entertainment devices, such as radios, CD players, MP3 players, and hand held video games to be included in inmate care packages. Items that have either extremely violent or sexually explicit material are not allowed and prohibited.

Along with knowing the particular items that are allowed to be sent in an inmate care package, it is also important to know when such packages can be sent. Many prisons will have a deadline by which inmate care packages can be received, such as on a quarterly basis. Furthermore, inmate care packages may also be restricted to weigh less than the thirty pounds.

  

Careers revolving around correctional facilities will prove to go beyond what is normally associated with the Department of Corrections and even the Federal Bureau of Prisons. There are various types of careers that exist within the realm of correction facilities and prisons.

Jobs and careers in penitentiaries will be overlooked by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the various state Departments of Corrections. Prison jobs will prove to vary in nature, though the most commonly associated with correctional facilities are those revolving around corrections officer positions. A corrections officer position, or prison guard, will usually entail a similar process to becoming a police officer; though the nature of the job will usually not necessarily attract many. However, corrections officers are not the only kinds of prison jobs serving a penitentiary. 

Positions exist that can range from the medical field to administration positions. Prison jobs in the medical field can include physicians, registered nurses, dental officer, medical officer, and psychologist. Administrative positions may relate more to the processing of inmates and the paper work that is necessary to be kept on record and on file. Because inmates can also obtain an education while serving time, education prison jobs also exist to provide for the necessary education for inmates to obtain a job or career upon serving out their sentences. 

Even though incarceration is meant to put an end to crime, criminal activity continues to proliferate, even with prison walls. One of the biggest concerns in correctional facilities are prison gangs. Prison gangs are defined as groups of inmates that conduct gang activity while being imprisoned. 

Prison gangs will often times conduct same type of criminal activity that they were used to doing on the outside within a correctional facility. Prisons gangs are sometimes in charge of the black market and trade activity within prisons, controlling the trade of items such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. In some cases, prison gangs will also be involved in more serious matters, such as murder, assaults, and prostitution.

Most prison gangs in the United States have formed due to their affiliation with gang groups on the outside. Because gang members will experience incarceration at one point or another, finding known members within prisons is usually not a hard undertaking. Many of the prison gangs will be separated in terms of race or ethnicity, and will tend to continue the gang wars from the outside world within penitentiaries in order to establish power and dominance over the other gangs. In the United States, some of the most notorious prison gangs include:

·      Aryan Brotherhood

·      Mexican Mafia aka La Eme

·      Nuestra Familia

·      M.S. 13

·      Bloods

·      Crips

·      United Blood Nation

These prison gangs can often times be identified due to particular types of tattoos that these gang members have, which affiliate with a particular prison gang. Tattooing in prison is illegal, yet members of prison gangs will find household items and use rudimentary techniques to tattoo each other. Prison gangs can also be identified by the use of certain kinds hands signs that they are known to flash to others as warnings. 

When criminals are found guilty for an extreme or serious crime, a life sentence may be rendered by the courts and legal system. Life in prison entails that a convicted criminal must serve out a sentence in which he/she will remain incarcerated for the remainder of his/her life. 

A life sentence will only be reserved for crimes that are considered to be serious, such as murder or high treason. In certain cases, crimes of a violent nature regarding controlled substances, burglary, or robbery may also carry a life sentence, particularly if a person is seriously harmed or killed. In the case of controlled substances, repeat offenders and large amounts of contraband can also lead a person to be sentenced to life in prison.

In the United States, a life sentence is still part of the punishment that is allowed by law, though this will prove not to be true in the entire world. Among the countries that recognize life in prison as punishment for serious crimes include Canada, India, Finland, and England. 

In the United States, a person sentenced to life imprisonment may request parole after serving a certain amount of time. Generally speaking, the range of time in which a person can request for parole is between fifteen and thirty five years. However, parole can be denied on the basis or context of the crime itself. A conviction of multiple accounts of murder by a prisoner may not be eligible for parole consideration. 

The Prison Fellowship is an organization that exists for the purpose of reforming incarcerated prisoners, ex-convicts, and their families through the help of the Christian faith. It is considered to be a criminal justice reform organization, and it exists in the United States and in other countries across the world through Prison Fellowship International. It was founded by Chuck Colson in 1976, who was also incarcerated at one point during his life. Colson formed Prison Fellowship once he became a born again Christian.

The mission of the Prison Fellowship is rooted in using faith-based programs to target the causes of crimes committed by those incarcerated or recently released. Through the promotion of the Christian faith by mentoring, education, and biblical training, the organization seeks to turn these criminals to the Christian faith to hopefully resolve their problems that may have lead them to a life of crime. Programs such as Starting Line, InnerChange Freedom Initiative, and Angel Tree are all developed to reach prisoners and ex-convicts with the hope of possibly turning their lives around with the positive message of the Christian Faith.  

Prison Fellowship also has a branch organization known as Justice Fellowship, which intends to work with policymakers at both the state and federal levels to change some of the principles of legal system and revert them to justice concepts that are found in the bible.