:confused: there is good things that happen in prison?

Wherever there are humans, there will be occasional good things happening, no matter how vile the conditions. Last time I visited, a girl had a mini-breakdown in the visitors' ladies room. The COs after a few minutes, let her man go in there and comfort her instead of dragging her out bodily. It's all relative, but when ya see the odd little flash of goodness it helps...That said, I understand your puzzlement.

Brittney- prison is definitely not a "good" thing, however, good things can happen. Like Haswtch said- there are definitely good Co's, good programs (if you can get into them) and good inmates. Doesn't seem so good for us on the outside though does it? Either way- prison sucks- but as long as you can find a light at the end of the tunnel, it's do-able.
Just my opinion of course.... :)

There are some prisons that have teachers that love, help and care for offenders just like there own children. Some prisons encourage offenders to get involved in programs. There's always a Chaplain or a kindhearted nurse to listen to someone's problems. There are some officers who will actually listen rather than thinking that all inmates are ax murders or child molestors or evil people. Everyone and anyone could end up in prison. A human being is capable of anything, either positive or negative. Comming from experience, sometimes things are actually better for people in prison.

My husband has had many good things happen to him in prison.

He met, fell in love and married the love of his life.
He has made good lifelong friends.
He has furthered his education and learned some great job skills.
He has stopped leading a lifestyle that lead him to prison and has no desire to go back to it.
He has found a faith that he can believe in and help him find some peace within himself.

Those are just the tip of the iceberg... If someone wants to improved themselves while serving their time, then yes lots of GOOD can come out of prison!

I don't think prison is a good experience, but it offers many good oppurtunities. It is what you make of it. If an inmate wants it to be bad then it will be, but if they try to utilize all of the resources offered then the time passes faster and they will get more out of it. It isn't anything compared to freedom, but when they make the best of it then it is ok.

I have to believe in my heart that there are good things that happen in prison. If not I could not bear the thought of my husband being there. He has met many people who have been good to him, and that is my saving grace. He is a good man, and while he is paying his dues on a crime that was committed, he deserves to be treated decent. And he tells me for the most part, he is. I am thankful.

Peace....Good thread! Because I believe that good things happened in bad places there must be good things happening in a place called prison. My Beloved has spoken about the people he has taken under his wings, the mentoring, the tutoring and the organizing he and others have done over the years. Programs are started, money is raised and other acts of kindness happen often enough to prove this point. Blessings...

Any "good" things in Florida?? Anyone know????

My Boyfriend is currently taking Parenting 3 in prison which is helping him learn that he isnt trying hard to be a dad he has 2 kids with his ex gf and doesnt call them or write them btu his oldest is 2 and for the first year and 2 months of his life she had a restraining order on him what does she expect?

........my brother wasen't guilty and the physical pain has been heart wrenching.........he knows God has a reason.......he has met some great guys who share his Faith.....he has helped other inmates when he can......have met some kind guards.......has learned our Justice system is really messed up.......he has realized how much his family loves him, no matter what ! He believes in our County but has lost faith in our justice system !.............They can never take away his Good Heart !.......a retired/disabled vet who would fight for his Country to this day !

Prison is not a good place to be. However, some good can come from the prison experience. Many inmates needed a wake up call to get their lives on the right track. It's just unfortunate that they had to go to prison to do it. Also, many inmates develop friendships that last a lifetime. Many of them continue to keep in contact once they are released. I feel that this is a type of support system for them outside of the prison walls that enables them to cope. So yes, something good can come out of something bad.

My son told me of an incident while in prison. He had the job of cleaning the officers cars and this mother cat started to hang around. The mother cat had kittens and brought them to my son.
There was an older gentleman that walked around the prison fences and started to bring my son natural science kitten food.
Well he took care of the kittens and the mother did not take them away from a tree stump close to the fence.
Two of the kittens started riding around on his shoulders and all of the cops and guards let them do it until one day the older gentleman found them homes.
My son felt such a great sense of loss. It shows how much these men treasure the feeling of being remembered and needed.
Luke's Mom This was in the Western Reception Correctional Facility in St. Joseph MO

My relationship with my girlfriend was good, don't get me wrong, but i'm not always positive how long we'd have lasted had she not gone to prison. I can't really explain this, but we were polar opposites. I'm almost a boyscout posterboy and she was quite the hellion. Now, i don't think for a minute she'll change too much. I don't want her to. What i'm saying though is that since she's been in, we've connected so much more deeply through our letters and phone calls and visitations than you can imagine. We'd only been together for six months and a lot of times i thought the relationship was purely physical. Our intimate encounters are off the charts, but when we were out of the bedroom, there was so much different about us that i found it hard to connect with her. She'd been through a lot in the past in relationships and swore she'd never marry and I was going through a 5 year bout of depression after my marriage and family broke up. We were basically keeping each other out a lot. Now, i don't think we'd have broken up had she stayed free, but i know for a fact that she has learned to trust me since this happened. When she'd first been arrested for her matter, she didn't even want me to help with the bail. She wanted an old boyfriend who she was now "best friends" with to take care of everything. She didn't want me involved because of how i've been so clean of anything all my life. Well, needless to say, he struck out before really getting to the plate and i wound up getting her out, which i was committed to do anyway. The month she was out before she got put back in and sentenced was incredible. She'd learned how much i truley Love her and i could see her defenses finally start to lower. Now, it's been 7.5 months and I did everything for her. Her lawyer, fines and everything she's needed since she went in (commisarry and phones), i've taken care of. She wanted to let me walk and get away from her, but i told her that wasn't an option for me and she now knows how much i love her and what true love really is. We've grown closer than two people could possibly be (IMO of course). Yes, the whole ordeal has been hell, but when it's over in 7.5 more months, we are getting married. Something she SWORE she'd never do, and something i never even thought i'd consider again. So i guess that's pretty much a good thing, huh?

This is possibly an old thread, but I will put my 2 cents worth in.. My son did 18 months in prison and yes, some good came out of it. He was 20 when he went in, and 22 when he came out. He gave up smoking cigarettes and drugs, (he is still off them 2 years later). He talked to the older men and listened when they talked about their experiences, and learned to respect other people as a result. When they gave him the same advice his father and I had given, he actually paid attention and learned from them.

He learned the value of money and he learned the value of rest after a hard day's work. He learned how to love and take responsibility for the welfare of two horses and about life in general. His dad and I had tried to teach these things to him when he was young, but the message was reinforced during his time in prison.

I am proud of the man my son has became. I just wanted you to know some good does come out of being in prison.

Morina

Along with all the programs and furthering of education...etc..I really think that people change for the better.

Atleast a lot of them do.

i think one of the best things that happen in prison not ann the time but sometimes is these people find themselves....they find were they want to be and they do everything to make sure when the walls no longer hold them that they can get out and be somebody...not all but some!

Good things happen in bad places, it has always been the case, from the crucifixtion of Christ, to the holacaust, to Hurricane Katrina. I hate that my love is in prison, but i have seen it change him, he's been down a long time, and though he's not perfect by any means, it has matured him and made him a more loving, caring person. It's also helped he realize what is important and what isn't. But that may not be prison, but the love of a good woman!!! lol.

Prison like all aspects in your life is what you make it. You go thru life with a bad attitude, and you will be a miserable person. You go thru life with a good attitude and you will enjoy life much more and others will enjoy being around you. I always kept a good attitude when I was in prison, even the day I got sentenced, my dad was upset and I told him "dont worry, the waiting is over now we just have to deal with this short time". My family told me that they don't know how I did it going thru that being so positive and happy but they couldnt have gotten thru it any other way. Not one day did I call home crying or upset. Even though I was put in there even though I didnt commit a crime. The judge sentenced me to my minimum and let me out in 6 months and appologized for doing that but because of how long he was going to give my co-defendents that he didn't want their attorney to hold over his head that I didnt get any time. The "victim" of my mother in law said I had nothing to do with what happened and that I tried to help her and that she didn't want me to do any time or even have any charges against me but a week before all that happened an article came out in the paper saying that the prosecution was being too leanent. Bad timing, huh? But I actually had fun in prison. The "victims" sister was in there and she took me under her wing because she knew I had nothing to do with her sister getting beat up. I couldn't take it to trial because I could have gotten complicity to every charge. I get my record expunged in 5 months. So it will be like it never even happened. Good things happen in prison, good things happen everywhere, bad things happen in prison, bad things happen everywhere.

When I went to jail for a short time for my DUI, I brought something with me that turned out to be not only valuable but possibly life-changing for some of my fellow inmates. I'm college educated and have a lot of book knowledge in useful subjects: business, languages, world travel. In the short time I was in, I was able to sit down and have little seminars with guys who wanted to listen, and a lot of the underprivileged and unfortunate guys who had great minds but just hadn't had the luck I have had really wanted to learn business and a foreign language and such. It felt great to sit down and share this, and almost made my short sentence feel like a little mission. I think there are more than a couple guys from there that have taken some new roads, and I'm so glad. I made sure of one thing from the start that I think was good. I made sure never to come across as better than anyone. I know that a fellow inmate (much richer and more privileged than me) always acted like he didn't deserve to be in jail (he was actually in for his SECOND DUI) with what he considered crooks. Honestly, I always told myself: we're all criminals (well, most I suppose) and we all need to be in jail, so why not act the part and try to get something good out of it? And that's what I did.

Adam, thanks for sharing your story. You went in with the right attitude and humility, and it worked for you. i am sure those who were in with you appreciated your help.

Wherever you are in life, whether it be in prison or elsewhere, you have to look for the good. If you will look, you will find plenty of good. My son in law says that if he hadn't gone to prison, he is convinced he would be dead today. His lifestyle didn't make for a long life, much less a happy one. Today, he has found the true meaning of happiness, a relationship with God. He has made some wonderful friendships in prison & talks about the unending love expressed by ministry volunteers who come in to share God's love & forgiveness with the men. Sometimes God has to literally "pen" us up to get our attention & teach us a better way to live. My son will forever be thankful for his prison experience. It saved & changed his life! As for CO's, he has found that if you treat them with respect and kindness, it will come back to you. He says that there are very few inmates that are nice to the CO's. I would think that wouldn't make for a very pleasant work experience if people cussed you, spit at you, etc. for just doing your job to protect them.:o

prison is not a good place to be, but good things can and do happen there.

i would think so

ive been out form 3 years and i often miss the good times i had with my freinds inside and i miss them dearly

I sure hope the Colts win the Superbowl. They better beat the Patriots tomorrow.

ive been out form 3 years and i often miss the good times i had with my freinds inside and i miss them dearly


Hmmmm.....friends/good times in prison? and miss them dearly?

Hmmmm.....friends/good times in prison? and miss them dearly?

The one good thing, if it can be called that, about prison is you have the time there to form a few true relationships. I'm not talking about "friends" like your drinking buddies outside.

I know I experienced some heavy late night conversations that I feel would be almost impossible to imagine on the outside. You live 24/7 with some guys for years on end, and you come to know them better than most people know their own brothers.

I still think fondly of some friends forty years later...

Prison can be good and bad.. I'll tell you one thing that has changed.. Steven is a whole new person b/c of the exprience he's had while in prison.. although it's not the greatest place to be, he's learned the lessons of his life.. and he knows he wants to do something with his life.

I thought more people would more to say on this?

I've not been in prison so I can't speak on it. I'm sure there have been good things for some. It's like Ghotti said, you make some friends that are more than brothers.

I know that when we have an execution it's hard on all the guys. My husband's best friend was executed in 2003, and it was very hard. I made friends with one of the old guys on the row (he was 78) and he was like a breath of fresh air. We always made each other laugh. When he died of natural causes it was terrible. He was a good thing for me, and I know I was a good thing for him. God Rest his Soul...

i spent some time in prison in pa. i was so scared going in, i bawled my eyes out. once i got there, i met some of the nicest people i will ever meet in my life. all walks of life, from the deepest depths of poverty they resorted to armed robbery and prostitution to (while definitely not rich and famous) well off. and every got along and played nice. i'm not sure how it is in all places, but where i was at, everyone got along and was there for each other.
not that i ever want to go through that again, but the support system within the inmates was incredible.

The one good thing, if it can be called that, about prison is you have the time there to form a few true relationships. I'm not talking about "friends" like your drinking buddies outside.

I know I experienced some heavy late night conversations that I feel would be almost impossible to imagine on the outside. You live 24/7 with some guys for years on end, and you come to know them better than most people know their own brothers.

I still think fondly of some friends forty years later...
Thank you for validating that for me, Ghoti.

Not as if I really doubted that I had friends on the inside when I was there, but since everyone on the OUTSIDE who knew my story just couldn't fathom it, I came to second-guess those relationships. The last 18 months of my relatively short three years in the NY system was the best of my life. I learned more about myself and why I think and act the way that I do/did than at any time previously. Sure, some people are BORN with that self-intuition... but some of us need to learn it.

Life in this dorm-style Max-B brought laughs, cooking meals together, a LOT of those deep conversations - some that the COs actually chimed in on, and a real sense of family that, as mentioned before in this thread, some guys never really had. (We're just ignoring the bad apples in this one, kids. :D )

Some of my fellow inmates would say that you can't truly make "friends" in prison... but when you really bond with another human being over that common life experience, there's no denying that a friendship has been created. In fact, once I cleared Parole, I began going back to visit a guy who was still there, and staying in contact with his family in Missouri. (He went sour on his release, which sucks... but I can't say I didn't do my part to support him.) Following his release, I continued to make the trip to see a second fellow - this one with 30 years in on a 20-to-life bid. We sit around, eat lunch, laugh about the old characters, and talk about that one dawn he looks forward to... still... at 63, having lost both his parents during his bid, and in sketchy health himself. You can still see the twinkle in Jack's eye.

I'll be there the day he crosses the threshold, and both of us men will have a good cry. :o

So, yes, good things do happen in a bad place.

There's also a bond that develops with people you've never even met. On this forum, alone, there are about two dozen people (ex-cons) with whom I feel a kinship.

When almost any subject is broached, I instinctively know their reactions and deeper feelings. As they do mine. This is not to say that we don't disagree on some issues. But for the most part, we know one another because we've lived their lives.

does anyone know what it is like at allenwwod low for innmates..

I would like to say that these stories are very inspiring ... seeing that my son was sentenced to 50yrs he is only 19yrs old. He is in the process of an appeal hopefully it will be approved and he will be able to come home sooner.. this has been the hardest thing I have ever had to go thru in my life. I believe my son should have been found not guilty under the castle doctrine of florida for self defense. It is very hard to know that he is not guilty and may spend most of his life in prison. It is hard when you have never been involved in the system and all that you have seen of prison has been on tv but thru this site it has eased my mind a bit although as a mother I am always worried about my baby.Thank you all for making me feel better.

My husband has had many good things happen to him in prison.

He met, fell in love and married the love of his life.
He has made good lifelong friends.
He has furthered his education and learned some great job skills.
He has stopped leading a lifestyle that lead him to prison and has no desire to go back to it.
He has found a faith that he can believe in and help him find some peace within himself.

Those are just the tip of the iceberg... If someone wants to improved themselves while serving their time, then yes lots of GOOD can come out of prison!
Good post!:)

I have seen the better in my son since he has been locked up and I pray it continues. He has matured made some friends and has a new out look on life. I just pray it contiues to all go well. I'm not sure when he will be home. He got 5 years and has been in prison since June. We pray he can get shock probation next month but I'm not holding my breath. I'm still devastated over all this because he was only involved in an accident but made a bad decession. So as someone said before anyone can end up in prison, you just never know what path in life has in store for you. God bless all the good people in prison that bad things happen to good people.

I came into his life, while in there, and he tells me that ever since, he's been a lot better.

If my man was not in prison he would have been dead by now so it SOBERED him up off of COKE, got him into rehab, got him to find god, and made him realize that he should have been with me all this time...instead of goofing up. He has few friends he trusts and he is NOT happy there but he admits it is better than death which he was headed toward when he got locked up..SO I am thankful he is where he is FOR NOW, as I would never have been able to find him!

my story is like ohwhatacruise. my hubby would have been dead soon from the drugs. it got him off drugs and into a good rehab program. he appreciates me more and sees what a waste of his time the drugs were. he misses all the times he could have been playing with the grandbabies instead of out getting high and then there's all the money he spent foolishly. i hate having him gone but i'm glad for the timeout.