I've heard some bleak prison stories over the years. One guy I met was an avid reader (and I guess you could say a bit of a hacker). This was in the 80s, so thi

I've heard some bleak prison stories over the years. One guy I met was an avid reader (and I guess you could say a bit of a hacker). This was in the 80s, so things have changed. Once he would get into a book, the guards would come in and confiscate it. He would try to find a way to piece together the story before the guards would take the book (3 hours to a couple of days from getting it). That went on for 3 months, he said. Imagine spending every waking hour thinking up, trying and evaluating methods for the fastest way to consume a book. Another guy I met once who is still in prison said that he spent 6 months in solitary. He spent his entire time strengthening his fingers so he could climb brick walls with just his fingertips. An odd thing to do but when you have nothing but your body in a cell you can only spend time getting fit or wasting away. Most prisons have outreach programs. You can go and teach someone to read (or program). It is a very interesting experience and you may even get someone interested in a topic enough to save them from the system (or themselves).