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There was some "how to survive your time in prison" advice for Elizabeth Holmes that I read somewhere, that pertained to this: Your time on the phone is strict

There was some "how to survive your time in prison" advice for Elizabeth Holmes that I read somewhere, that pertained to this: Your time on the phone is strictly limited, and it's illegal to buy someone else's. So another convict will "helpfully" offer to trade his for something you have, and then rat you out. Don't do it! After they report you, the prison guards offer you the choice of time in solitary, or transfer to a higher-security prison.

hippich 4y ago
What another convict gets out of ratting you out?
- mschuster91 4y ago
  Usually ratting out fellow inmates gets you bonus points for "good behavior", meaning better chances of getting out on parole or a reduced sentence. Basically, you're being an arse for your own gain - which is the reason why cooperating with the wardens usually makes you the lowest of the lowest on the rungs, even below pedophiles and child/wife beaters.
  - ROTMetro 4y ago
    Huh? You only get bonus points if you do something big like help build a case against someone and I think that's like an actual program that you have to join in advance not just be like 'hey I found this out'. They can't be bothered to care enough about this petty stuff, in fact it's my opinion they encourage a lot of petty scams and hustles as an outlet for people's energy. Source: ran the food service warehouse and cellie ran a ticket.
    - mschuster91 4y ago
      At least here in Germany, your behavior while in prison definitely matters for early release, parole or commuted sentencing. (Source: good friend of mine served five years for dealing industrial quantities of pot)
      - WirelessGigabit 4y ago
        Meanwhile the USA is rapidly legalizing weed.
  - josephcsible 4y ago
    > cooperating with the wardens usually makes you the lowest of the lowest on the rungs, even below pedophiles and child/wife beaters. If they really believe that cooperating with wardens is worse than sexually abusing children, then I have zero sympathy for them and zero desire to see their living conditions improve.
    - Dylan16807 4y ago
      I bet it's more that it's something you're doing right now. Also it's more personal.
    - jgerrish 4y ago
      This comment has bothered me the past few days so I'm returning to it. More than thorny and interesting problems with indexing modes and building blocks. Which is frankly sad. I don't know how many kilometers of neurons I've lost to these discussions. Trust me, it's not just your comment. I understand if you feel the purpose of inceration isn't rehabilitation. Maybe some classes of prisoners should stay in prison forever, due to their threat to others. I just know that it's tough to resist pressure when you are in a helpless and powerless situation, like I suppose prison might be. I don't think you should also have to resist pressure for phone scams. There are multiple scams that can be run, and cooperating with wardens can hurt those who were too weak to resist say, giving up two minutes of their authenticated and tracked phone time to an inmate who just needs two minutes with their "daughter." Is the inmate who shared time at fault? Technically yes, but why does the scam succeed? Would cooperating with a warden possibly destroy a person's life in that case who may not be a pedophile? Most wardens are probably good people, and cooperation is of course probably legally required. I wouldn't want to advocate breaking the law. You just hope there is slack once the paperwork train starts rolling. Making us stronger is a philosophy on its own. In the same sense, this post is a larger win for government authentication methods. And I didn't want to be a part of it, regardless of the benefit to the incarcerated. I hope I don't have to be dragged into it in the future. To some people, these discussions may be interesting philosophical debates about justice, rehabilitation and control models that are just as interesting to them. They may have built their life around them. That's awesome, but it's tiring on the other side.
  - hippich 4y ago
    And what warden gains from catching such person? Is there just warden's personal satisfaction in it, or such diligence encouraged by the prison system?
- Cupertino95014 4y ago
  (Disclosure: never been in, although I know someone who was) I imagine it's not so much as actually ratting you out as, "now I have something on you, so do this for me. Or you'll be sorry."
ROTMetro 4y ago
Yeah no. If dude ratted you out he's the one that's going to have to check himself into the SHU. And if you get caught you just lose your phone privileges for like a month. Now if you get caught with a cellphone that is considered an escape attempt, and yeah, your points go up, you get a new charge, and you get shipped to a higher security yard so probably don't do that even if you really want to facetime with your gf.
- justinclift 4y ago
  > if you get caught with a cellphone that is considered an escape attempt That sounds really bizarre. :(
  - bryanrasmussen 4y ago
    I doubt this is the case universally in American prisons given that on the state level there will be rules per state and at least different rules per security level. It may be the case for Federal rules - don't know. Finally depending on system there may be a great deal of leeway for the warden to set rules on their individual prison.
- rootw0rm 4y ago
  so much this. i've shared phone time plenty of times, standing right there at the phone so the guy can read my inmate id off my bracelet. i've honestly never even heard of someone ratting someone out for this. if anything the guards wouldn't give a shit because they don't want to be bothered with the paperwork. (unless they have a particular grudge against someone) but yah, being a rat means extreme violence every yard you get bounced to until you end up in SHU. there's a perverse sense of satisfaction from telling the guards that your race can't protect someone anymore.
  - Cupertino95014 4y ago
    Is this Federal prison you're talking about, or state? Holmes will be in Federal.

hippich 4y ago

What another convict gets out of ratting you out?

mschuster91 4y ago
Usually ratting out fellow inmates gets you bonus points for "good behavior", meaning better chances of getting out on parole or a reduced sentence. Basically, you're being an arse for your own gain - which is the reason why cooperating with the wardens usually makes you the lowest of the lowest on the rungs, even below pedophiles and child/wife beaters.
- ROTMetro 4y ago
  Huh? You only get bonus points if you do something big like help build a case against someone and I think that's like an actual program that you have to join in advance not just be like 'hey I found this out'. They can't be bothered to care enough about this petty stuff, in fact it's my opinion they encourage a lot of petty scams and hustles as an outlet for people's energy. Source: ran the food service warehouse and cellie ran a ticket.
  - mschuster91 4y ago
    At least here in Germany, your behavior while in prison definitely matters for early release, parole or commuted sentencing. (Source: good friend of mine served five years for dealing industrial quantities of pot)
    - WirelessGigabit 4y ago
      Meanwhile the USA is rapidly legalizing weed.
- josephcsible 4y ago
  > cooperating with the wardens usually makes you the lowest of the lowest on the rungs, even below pedophiles and child/wife beaters. If they really believe that cooperating with wardens is worse than sexually abusing children, then I have zero sympathy for them and zero desire to see their living conditions improve.
  - Dylan16807 4y ago
    I bet it's more that it's something you're doing right now. Also it's more personal.
  - jgerrish 4y ago
    This comment has bothered me the past few days so I'm returning to it. More than thorny and interesting problems with indexing modes and building blocks. Which is frankly sad. I don't know how many kilometers of neurons I've lost to these discussions. Trust me, it's not just your comment. I understand if you feel the purpose of inceration isn't rehabilitation. Maybe some classes of prisoners should stay in prison forever, due to their threat to others. I just know that it's tough to resist pressure when you are in a helpless and powerless situation, like I suppose prison might be. I don't think you should also have to resist pressure for phone scams. There are multiple scams that can be run, and cooperating with wardens can hurt those who were too weak to resist say, giving up two minutes of their authenticated and tracked phone time to an inmate who just needs two minutes with their "daughter." Is the inmate who shared time at fault? Technically yes, but why does the scam succeed? Would cooperating with a warden possibly destroy a person's life in that case who may not be a pedophile? Most wardens are probably good people, and cooperation is of course probably legally required. I wouldn't want to advocate breaking the law. You just hope there is slack once the paperwork train starts rolling. Making us stronger is a philosophy on its own. In the same sense, this post is a larger win for government authentication methods. And I didn't want to be a part of it, regardless of the benefit to the incarcerated. I hope I don't have to be dragged into it in the future. To some people, these discussions may be interesting philosophical debates about justice, rehabilitation and control models that are just as interesting to them. They may have built their life around them. That's awesome, but it's tiring on the other side.
- hippich 4y ago
  And what warden gains from catching such person? Is there just warden's personal satisfaction in it, or such diligence encouraged by the prison system?
Cupertino95014 4y ago
(Disclosure: never been in, although I know someone who was) I imagine it's not so much as actually ratting you out as, "now I have something on you, so do this for me. Or you'll be sorry."

ROTMetro 4y ago

Yeah no. If dude ratted you out he's the one that's going to have to check himself into the SHU. And if you get caught you just lose your phone privileges for like a month. Now if you get caught with a cellphone that is considered an escape attempt, and yeah, your points go up, you get a new charge, and you get shipped to a higher security yard so probably don't do that even if you really want to facetime with your gf.

justinclift 4y ago
> if you get caught with a cellphone that is considered an escape attempt That sounds really bizarre. :(
- bryanrasmussen 4y ago
  I doubt this is the case universally in American prisons given that on the state level there will be rules per state and at least different rules per security level. It may be the case for Federal rules - don't know. Finally depending on system there may be a great deal of leeway for the warden to set rules on their individual prison.
rootw0rm 4y ago
so much this. i've shared phone time plenty of times, standing right there at the phone so the guy can read my inmate id off my bracelet. i've honestly never even heard of someone ratting someone out for this. if anything the guards wouldn't give a shit because they don't want to be bothered with the paperwork. (unless they have a particular grudge against someone) but yah, being a rat means extreme violence every yard you get bounced to until you end up in SHU. there's a perverse sense of satisfaction from telling the guards that your race can't protect someone anymore.
- Cupertino95014 4y ago
  Is this Federal prison you're talking about, or state? Holmes will be in Federal.