How to help those in prison. Behavioral characteristics of a person in places of deprivation of liberty

In my last one, I talked about one curious and revealing incident at work and shared my thoughts about “respect in the zone.”

For those who haven’t read it, read the text of that article first - it will help you better understand today’s one. After the publication, I received several questions from friends, of which the most interesting seemed to be: “I’m interested in the reasons why these particular “concepts” began to be valued by prisoners, and why life in the zone changes a person so quickly and greatly?” This is where I want to stop today.

It has long been established that staying in prison for more than 5-7 years is ineffective for correction. Rather, it is effective in locking a person into a prison mentality. And do you know why? Because it is after 5-7 years of continuous stay in a correctional institution that irreversible changes occur in the prisoner’s psyche (any relevant textbook will confirm): prison values ​​from those imposed by the situation become truly “one’s own”, accepted by the person. This is due to the monstrous aggressiveness of the prison environment, its ability to “penetrate the subcortex.” In one article I read the opinion that prison is for a psychologist what the hadron collider is for a physicist: human relationships reach extremes. Any fresh prisoner experiences tremendous stress from the state of lack of freedom, a sharp reduction in personal space and the need to build relationships with people whom he did not choose to be around. Make laws or you will be punished, humiliated, or even killed: by guards or by prisoners like you. The psychology of the group subjugates the individual entering it; he has no choice but to accept local values, and the sooner he does this, the greater the chance of remaining safe and sound. This is neither bad nor good - basic survival has no time for moral issues.

About the reasons why certain values ​​prevail in prison.
In correctional institutions, a caste system reigns, almost like in classical India, which we were told about in history lessons: there are leaders (thieves, lads), there are workers (men) and there are untouchables (roosters, offended). It is relatively easy to slide from leaders or workers into untouchables, but to become even a simple worker from untouchable is almost impossible. Hence the increased prison caution, balance, politeness, pedantry - after all, just one mistake, even in a careless phrase, can cost a lot. Any experienced prisoner knows that if people placed together in a confined space begin to conflict, then absolutely everyone will suffer, so conflicts are nipped in the bud, and politeness and calm are in use. What is not forgiven is any hint of homosexuality; even the simple phrase “Fuck you...” is a reason for severe punishment, because it is understood literally, namely as an offer for an unconventional sexual act.

Well, my friends, I hope I answered a couple more questions about the psychology of prisoners. I encourage you to comment and ask any questions on the topic. Perhaps I’ll write a few more posts in continuation, if you’re interested.

“Prisoners are sent to prison as punishment, not to be punished.” This often quoted statement by Alexander Paterson, who served as the UK High Commissioner for Prisons in the 1930s, implies that the deprivation of a person's liberty in itself is a punishment and does not require additional punishment, including harm to his health.

Having a person in the hands of the state should not be accompanied by a detrimental effect on his health. However, unfortunately, these are, to a greater or lesser extent, the consequences of imprisonment in many countries around the world. Is it possible to achieve this by ensuring a “healthy living environment” in prison, not to mention achieving the realization of prisoners’ right to adequate medical care, which the administration of a penal institution is obliged to provide? In answering this question, it must be emphasized that prisoners have inalienable rights, which are guaranteed by international agreements and treaties, and have the right to adequate medical care.

The negative impact of prison on public health

The formula defining public health policy provides for the provision of optimal conditions for maintaining the health of each member of society, so that all members of society are healthy. But prisoners often find themselves excluded from this formula. Prisoners enter and leave prison. They are released if found innocent. If the preventive measure is changed, they leave prison during the investigation and trial. For a number of reasons, they are often transferred from one place of detention to another. Prisoners are in contact with people who visit the prison every day. Prison staff, medical workers, prison supply workers, and maintenance workers, not to mention family members and lawyers visiting inmates, are all present on prison grounds on a daily basis. Prisoners ultimately leave prison after serving their sentences or as a result of early release. With this rotation of prisoners and the constant movement of people in and out of prison, it becomes extremely important to control the spread of infectious diseases in prisons in order to avoid the spread of infections outside the prison.

The rotation of prisoners in prisons varies from country to country. It is not uncommon for the annual turnover of the prison population to be several times greater than the actual number of prisoners at any given time. In a country such as the Russian Federation, where the prison population currently stands at almost one million, the rotation of the prison population is approximately 300,000 per year, as many prisoners “overstay,” particularly in pre-trial detention. Effective solutions to public health problems such as the fight against tuberculosis or HIV infection seem difficult if sufficient attention is not paid to protecting the health of people in prison.

They say that a person gets used to everything. Scientifically, this is called adaptation. But prison itself is inherently stressful. The stress is very strong and long lasting. And not only on the mental (spiritual) plane, but also on the physical (bodily) plane.

There are two possible ways stress can affect a person - it either destroys or even kills a person, or makes him stronger. It breaks some, and hardens others. That is, it either acts destructively, leading to diseases of the soul and body, or constructively, forcing the body to restructure itself to work in a more optimal mode, “hardens”. This is the nature of man. And the choice of these options depends on the person himself, his view of the world, his understanding of his place in the world. To help ourselves, the main attention should be paid to choosing an option (strategy) for our behavior under stress. Solving this problem will be an important step towards preventing the development of the disease and treating it more effectively.

A few words about the stages of adaptation of the body to life in prison.
The first stage is a blow - acute pain - the first days, weeks. Akin to shock.
The second stage - dull pain - months.
A turning point, a crisis - and the third stage is a restructuring of the body and psyche towards either compensation, that is, a more or less comfortable existence, or decompensation - psychological, moral and physical losses, and ultimately - illness.

At first the body resists, then begins to rebuild. The only question is in which direction its restructuring is going. The main traumatic factors, except, of course, the very reason for imprisonment, the disruption of all plans and the usual way of life, are the restriction of freedom, communication, a closed limited team with its own rules, unusual, inadequate and often meager nutrition, and often unsanitary conditions.

Stage one - usually the first 3-4 months. It’s difficult, difficult, but the body compensates for this with old reserves of energy and vitamins. The second - 3-9 months - usually illness - exacerbation of old ones, appearance of new ones. Often these are purulent diseases. Decreased immunity, depletion of reserves, exhaustion.

A turning point is a transition to new operating principles. Cure from diseases, equalization of mental balance, normal weight. There is a joke in prison that if you are in there, you should not leave until a year later - in this case you will not understand anything. In some ways it makes sense. Without going through a crisis, there is no benefit. And a successful outcome of the first psychophysiological withdrawal makes the body much more resilient and less demanding. That is, it makes you stronger. And this can give a person some benefit.

A person can remain in such a generally stable position for many years. Then history may repeat itself - the stage of decompensation and illness will begin again. And again there is a chance for a new perestroika. This happens over a longer period of time - after 3-7 years of a person’s stay in prison. A stressful state often sets in before release - the waiting is very painful, and any uncertainty easily unsettles us.

But the picture described is true if at some point the person did not give up and did not go astray. And moral and physiological decline usually occurs precisely during these periods of crisis. This will later manifest itself as serious illness, psychological instability and inadequacy.

Let's start with how you can help yourself with various manifestations of diseases using improvised means. A few simple recipes that are useful not only in prison.

This article gives advice on how to protect yourself from diseases while in prison, how to try to recognize them, and how to help yourself and a friend if a doctor is not around.

In 1992, the Center for the Advancement of Criminal Justice Reform published Valery's excellent book. Abramkin “How to survive in a Soviet prison” (“To help a prisoner”), in which one of the chapters was also devoted to health, how to maintain and maintain health while in prison. In addition to the materials of Valery Fedorovich, I also used the advice of doctors Irina Ivanovna Avatkova, Valentina Valentinovna Akutina and the experience of people who spent many years in captivity, as well as the book by Yu. Dragomiretsky “Aquatherapy - the healing power of water.”

Healthy body and strong spirit

The ancient sages said: “A healthy mind in a healthy body.” We will return to this aphorism a little later. For now, let us note that the life experience of wonderful, worthy, noble people, who did good, performed feats and great deeds, shows: without spiritual strength there is no sustainable health. Various explanations can be given for this. And here we will give just a few illustrations of the importance of spirituality for human health.

The old prisoners had a belief that lice came from the person himself, as if crawling out from under his skin. It has been noticed that in a cell where several prisoners are sitting, lice first appear on the one who has lost heart, who is desperate, who is “chasing geese”: he has withdrawn into himself, plunged into his own misfortune, or has focused on resentment, on some evil feeling: anger, revenge, irritation. Of course, a simple explanation can be given for this phenomenon. A person who has closed himself off, is frozen, is in a bad state, stops taking care of himself, does not wash, walks around in dirty underwear, and loses sensitivity. By the way, “someone else’s louse”, that is, one that came to you from someone else (from someone else’s clothes, unironed government linen, bed), while it gets used to the new “owner”, behaves very restlessly, bites in vain. So an attentive person will immediately feel it.

Or, for example, scurvy. A terrible disease that, from time immemorial, has been the scourge of people who went on long voyages, on a long and dangerous journey. Later, scientists proved that the cause of this disease was the lack of vitamin C. Experienced travelers and sailors always took with them not only corned beef and flour, but also supplies of onions, garlic, and dried fruits, which contain a lot of this vitamin. Siberian explorers boiled ordinary pine needles and drank this decoction. But all supplies eventually run out, and then the sailors or travelers, one after another, fell ill with scurvy. And here’s what’s strange: folk remedies helped some, but not others. Scientists later found out that among people affected by scurvy, there are many whose bodies stop absorbing all vitamins - even onions and garlic did not help them. This happened to desperate people who had lost hope of salvation, to those who thought only of themselves and chewed garlic “under the covers,” or to those who, far from the land, from their native and familiar places, were overcome by melancholy... But the “spiritual” people survived ", caring about others, not losing their presence of mind under any circumstances. Their body in trouble itself began to produce the substances it lacked.

Svetlana Alievna Gorbatyuk, chief phthisiatrician of the GUIN of the Krasnodar Territory, tells the story. He has been working as a phthisiatrician in the penitentiary system since 1991: “With tuberculosis, a factor such as the person’s resistance to this disease plays an important role. There was a unique case in my practice. We received a patient whose lungs were almost impossible to see on x-rays: somewhere below there was a layer of 2-3 centimeters. He is seriously ill, and for such people we do everything we can, as much as possible. But he doesn’t have lungs, and they won’t grow back! It's not a lizard's tail. And we understood that we couldn’t save him, and it’s not in such severe cases that patients die. But suddenly he gets better and better. He has such a thirst for life! He himself asks: “Prescribe something, prescribe... let's try this or this... let's do it!” And we, naturally, prescribe: procedures, IVs, medications - as much as we can. And the most amazing thing is that he lived for more than a year! According to science, this is impossible, but the thirst for life, the strength of spirit are higher than science. When he died, what shocked us all at the autopsy: there was absolutely no lung tissue, half a palm of a lung was left, almost nothing was left of the bronchi, the bronchial tree. And just imagine, he lived with such lungs for more than a year...”

“But to work for the good of all”

The first advice that can be given to a person who finds himself in captivity: don't despair! Do not despair under any terrible or sad circumstances! Do not lose hope for a turn for the better, remain cool and calm, avoid everything evil and unworthy in yourself. Learn to extinguish irritation, do not give in to the temptation to survive at the expense of others.

“Lord, let me meet with peace of mind everything that the coming day will bring me...” - this is how the wise ascetics who lived in the Optina Hermitage, away from the world and from people, set their souls in a good mood in the morning. This prayer is called “the prayer of the Optina elders.” And then there are these words:

“Lord, whatever news I receive during this day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul and with the firm conviction that everything is Your holy will... Teach me to correctly, simply, wisely treat all those at home and those around me, the elders , equals and juniors, so that I do not upset anyone, but contribute to the good of everyone.”

Practice has proven that this prayer greatly helps prisoners survive all trials with dignity and keep their soul and body healthy.

"Boost" substances

Science finds a simple explanation for the fact that a person’s mood has a strong impact on his health. A living being is designed in such a way that in case of danger, or the need to overcome a sudden obstacle, its body produces “stimulating” substances that are released into the blood. These substances immediately give us new strength, reveal new abilities in us - increase our chances of survival. But when these substances are not spent on fighting the enemy, on overcoming obstacles, when they are in excess, they can cause harm to human health.

The body's actions are based on instincts. Instincts are rules of behavior that are embedded by nature itself in any living creature. The body itself cannot distinguish what excited its owner: real danger or empty excitement, unjustified irritation, causeless anger, hatred. And if the “boosting” substances produced by the body are not used up, they become poison for us.

But besides the body, a person has a mind and a soul, with the help of which he can control his instincts. This is its main difference from animals.

Therefore, this advice can be given here: learn to suppress evil feelings within yourself, and not get irritated over little things. Remember that the strength given to you will be needed for more important things. If something irritates you, do not react as quickly as possible. Say a prayer to yourself, count to ten, take two or three deep breaths. Think, try to understand the other person. Look for some calm and subtle way that can influence him. But if trouble does happen, if you have experienced severe grief, an undeserved insult, or received bitter news, try to use up the “stimulating” substances - and they were released into your body when the trouble happened. Run, jump, work hard - move as much as possible, this is ALWAYS BETTER than freezing from grief.

Home for the soul

Our body is a house that should always be in order.

Let's return to the wisdom that we have already mentioned: “A healthy mind in a healthy body.” Many people think that health is their own business. But it's not that simple. This is not to say that our health is our only concern. Our body, like our purpose, our destiny, our soul, is also from God. One of the most terrible sins is suicide. But there is also an attitude towards one’s health that is tantamount to suicide: drunkenness, drug addiction, indifference to illness. It is forbidden for suicides, it is unclear how drowned people died, and drunkards, for example, to be buried in a common cemetery: after all, they may have committed a terrible sin, and therefore there is no place for them with everyone else, even after death.

In addition, each person does not live on his own, he is part of a tribe, people, society, a member of the human community. In the end, we are born from our mother and father. We come to the land developed by our ancestors, to live on it after us - for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There is a connection and continuity between those who have lived, those who are living, and those who will live after us. Therefore, every person has a number of debts. In particular, we are obliged to consider our body as a house that was given to us and in which we are obliged to maintain order. Our soul, our mind, our Self live in it, which came to this world for a task that cannot be performed by any other person. For this task, you need to have enough not only spiritual, but also physical strength, and therefore take care of your health. It is in this sense that we must understand the aphorism “A healthy mind in a healthy body.”

No need to abuse medications

Some people place their greatest hopes on medicines: as soon as a person gets sick - a toothache or a slight runny nose - he immediately looks for “stronger” pills that will work or help right away. And advertising greatly contributes to the temptation to quickly get rid of the disease. Meanwhile, nature has given every living creature and even plant the strength to cope with various misfortunes on its own. And this power (immunity) fades not only from spiritual weakness, but also from drug abuse.

Wild plants, for example, when pests appear, begin to emit a smell that repels this enemy. Wild grass is not afraid of lichen either: as soon as it begins to creep onto the stem, the grass immediately produces an antilichen poison and thereby saves itself. Cultivated cereals (rye, oats, wheat, etc.) have largely lost this ability to resist. And they lost it because man selected for the next sowing of grain only those plants that produce a larger harvest, and these fertile individuals most often have low vitality. In addition, taking care of the harvest, people used various methods to protect cultivated cereals, and in the last century - poisons, similar in their qualities to medicines. So it turned out that the bred varieties of cultivated plants lost their viability.

It should be remembered: swallowing tablets, especially the first ones that come to hand, is not harmless and unsafe. For example, a person who takes an antibiotic 1-2 times to prevent a cold or diarrhea can easily acquire intestinal dysbacteriosis, and the antibiotics will no longer work on him.

Those who abuse medications borrow from themselves. Most tablets weaken a person's vitality. Moreover, your children may inherit a weakened immune system due to drug abuse.

The wisest people act are those who constantly care about strengthening their health, and do not remember about it only when they feel bad.

How to Increase Resilience

In prison, maintaining health is an incredibly difficult task. There is a suffocating atmosphere, overcrowding, monotonous and meager food, forced inactivity, etc. But then man is given the will and soul to be able to survive in the most unsuitable conditions for life.

First of all, try to increase the vitality of your body. The ancients said: movement is life. Try to move more, do simple physical exercises, and load your body with work. True, in a cell, if it’s smoky or stuffy, you shouldn’t put a lot of stress on the body; you can “implant” the heart. But it doesn’t hurt to walk around and do two or three push-ups. Here on a walking trail or in a local area you can warm up properly: run, jump, do squats with a friend on your shoulders.

Toughen up. It is very useful to walk and run barefoot in freshly fallen snow. Here it is only important not to overdo it: you need to start with a few seconds, gradually increasing the time of this most useful procedure. After running in fresh snow, be sure to wipe your feet dry and put on warm socks.

Water procedures, for example, dousing with cold water, are also useful. It is better to start in the warm season. If you are very susceptible to colds, then you can start with partial douches - only your legs. And for the first 2 weeks, do this indoors (for example, in a squad washbasin). Gradually, you can move on to dousing your entire body outdoors, every day, even in cold weather. It is important to immediately dry yourself with a towel, and, upon returning to the room, immediately dress in dry, warm clothes.

Keep your body and clothes clean. A clean body is a protection against many skin diseases. Of course, it is advisable to wash every day, but this is often not possible. However, you can at least wash the parts of the body that need it most with cold water in the sink every day: face, arms, legs, armpits, genitals. It is advisable to brush your teeth twice a day. And change your panties and socks daily.

If you can, don't drink chifir. Regular consumption of chifir leads to a decrease in immunity, depletes the heart muscle, causes constipation, interferes with the absorption of vitamins and microelements from food, forms dependence and leads to other harmful consequences.

Try to quit smoking. Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to health. In particular, the likelihood of tuberculosis, colds and vascular diseases increases due to decreased immunity in the respiratory organs and deterioration of the functioning of blood vessels in the extremities. Quitting smoking in captivity will eliminate the problem of “smoking shortage” and make you the owner of “exchange currency” if your relatives continue to pass on cigarettes.

We can’t help but say something about nutrition. As much as possible, eat healthy. It is known that the greatest benefit to a person comes from living food - raw fruits and vegetables, dried fruits (naturally, all this must be washed well, otherwise expect dysentery or poisoning), honey, nuts. But in prison, all this can be difficult to access. The food here is monotonous, overcooked, and, as they say, dead. And yet, if your relatives or loved ones have the opportunity to send parcels, ask them not for sweets and canned food, but for live foods.

Don't dry out your bread and constantly chew on it. After all, every human organ, including the stomach, intestines, and liver, needs rest. Between meals you need a mandatory break of 2-3 hours.

Take vitamins if possible. Most often, vitamins can be at your disposal only if you receive transfers. A vitamin-mineral complex in tablets can support health better than 3 cans of good stew, although it costs less. It is important not to exceed the dose recommended in the instructions - this can cause serious complications.

Tea contains many vitamins and other beneficial substances. Just drink it without sugar. The greatest benefit comes from freshly brewed tea, drunk 20-30 minutes before meals. By the way, it is better to drink water and any drinks in general (compote, jelly, juice, tea) not after meals, as is customary, but half an hour to an hour before lunch, breakfast, dinner. During meals, it is better to limit yourself to the amount of liquid that is necessary so as not to end up with “dry food”, which is also of little benefit. But there is no need to limit yourself in liquids - thanks to liquids, harmful substances leave the body.

No matter how hungry you are, do not attack food like a wolf. It's not only unhealthy. Most people do not respect a person who eats sloppily and greedily. Therefore, as much as possible, eat slowly.

Some prisoners take their rations from the canteen, dry the crackers and chew, continuously, as long as they can. Indiscriminately and without stopping, another hungry prisoner “sweeps” everything on a date. Remember: every human organ, including the stomach, intestines, and liver, needs rest. Between meals you need a mandatory break of 2-3 hours. You need to be especially careful in this regard on dates. The stomach, accustomed to government food, may be upset by free grub and refuse to accept any homemade delicacies. A person will pounce on food, and then for the entire three days of the meeting, to the chagrin of his relatives, he “devours” the gifts brought only with his eyes. The advice that can be given here is based on research by scientists involved in the issues of proper nutrition. They concluded that different foods cause the secretion of gastric juice for their composition. If we take them at the same time, then our body secretes juices of different quality, and they seem to “quench” or weaken each other. As a result, food is poorly digested, and all organs involved in digestion work under enormous strain, which contributes to the development of all sorts of unpleasant diseases (stomach ulcers, liver stones, inflammation of the pancreas and even cancer). Therefore, it is better not to mix incompatible foods at one meal, especially on a date. Meat or fish are compatible with raw and boiled (stewed) vegetables, but are incompatible, as it may not seem surprising, with potatoes, bread, and cereals.

You can, for example, first eat some meat dish with vegetables, and three or four hours later eat potatoes separately with the same vegetables (they are also compatible with potatoes). For the third meal, you can limit yourself to sweets or flour. And if you really want it, it’s better to leave meat pies or dumplings until the very last moment, then if any trouble does happen, it won’t be in front of your relatives.

Below are tips that may be useful for some ailments. They should be taken as recommendations for providing urgent, first aid to yourself or others.

About some ways to combat various diseases: what to do if you feel unwell?

If you feel that you are seriously ill, we advise you to contact the medical unit. It is in every colony or pre-trial detention center. If the medical staff cannot provide you with effective assistance, they should refer you to a medical institution of the criminal justice system or even to a free hospital. “Convicts have the right to health care, including receiving primary health care and specialized medical care in outpatient or inpatient settings, depending on the medical report (clause 6, article 12, clause “6” of the Criminal Executive Code of the Russian Federation).

It is not always possible for a person to cope with a particular disease on his own; in such cases, it is imperative to consult a paramedic or doctor. This applies in particular to fractures, dislocations, head injuries, purulent processes in any part of the body, pain in the abdomen and heart, breathing problems and other cases. If you suspect a fracture, you should not move the person until the doctor arrives; you can displace bone fragments and worsen the situation.
But in milder cases, a person can help himself.

Ulcers, abscesses. The main thing is to drain the pus. To do this, you need a so-called hypertonic solution, which draws on the less concentrated liquid that accumulates in the cavity. In the wild, all sorts of ointments, such as ichthyol, are used for this. Well, in conclusion, it can easily be replaced by sugar syrup (3-5 spoons per third of a glass of water), or salt (about 2-3 spoons), or soda (similar). This solution is made, a bandage, gauze or simple cotton cloth is generously moistened with it, applied to the abscess, and fixed with a bandage. Change 2-3 times a day. For the same purpose, a baked onion or thoroughly chewed brown bread crumb can be used. Thickly diluted laundry soap - it contains a lot of soda (our usual brown laundry soap). These substances are simply applied to the abscess and fixed. It works especially well with various boils, felons (abscesses under or near the nail), that is, when there is pus inside.
Additionally, it is a good idea to squeeze out the pus with your fingers. All this works if there is a channel for the outflow of pus. If it is not there, then you can wait until it appears or make it yourself. You can use pressure (not the best way), you can use a needle or a blade. Usually, by the time the abscess matures, it is no longer particularly painful and you can do it yourself or ask someone to do it.
If it is a type of streptoderma, that is, an open purulent surface, then such methods will not help much. You need to wash it with an antiseptic - furatsilin, for example. From available means - the same laundry soap. If possible, expose to direct sunlight. Keep it open if possible, do not bandage it.

For toothache It is good to rinse the sore tooth with a hot soda solution. Or a lukewarm solution of salt, soda and iodine (1 teaspoon each of soda and salt, 0.5 teaspoon of iodine per glass of boiled water).

Lice. Lice come in body lice, head lice and pubic lice. The most effective way to combat head and pubic lice is known to everyone: the easiest way to get rid of hair is that, after cutting, it doesn’t hurt to collect it in newspaper and throw it in the oven. Body lice are more difficult; they are transmitted through underwear and clothing. First tip: try not to use other people's underwear and clothes. The sheet or pillowcase you receive from the laundry should be carefully inspected, especially the folds and seams. Although bed linen in pre-trial detention centers and colonies is supposed to be “frying”, sometimes due to someone’s negligence it does not get there or is not “frying” for the allotted time. If you notice lice or nits, you should ask the laundry to be fried again or thoroughly ironed with a hot iron. To combat nits, you can use a heated metal rod, spoon, etc.

Scabies. Happens frequently. Transmitted by touch, shared towels, bed. Often through linen washed in the common prison laundry, so prisoners, despite all the inconveniences, try to wash their linen themselves. Scabies is caused by the scabies mite, which lives in human skin. This tick is so small that it is impossible to see it with the naked eye. The female mite moves inside the skin and lays eggs. You can see the traces of her moves: they are short, straight as threads, similar to cat scratches. Blisters appear on the skin, and terrible itching occurs in this place. But by scratching the skin, we only worsen the disease. There is no need to be embarrassed or hide the fact that you have scabies.
It is impossible to cope with scabies on your own. It is treated simply - with special ointments (for example, sulfur) or solutions. The sooner you go to the medical unit, the faster you will get rid of this unpleasant disease and will not infect others.
So, if symptoms appear (itching and characteristic spots on the arms, abdomen, penis), you should urgently look for ointment and contact the medical unit. Patients must be isolated. With massive damage, streptoderma is possible - antibiotics and antiseptics are needed.

Itchy skin may also arise from other reasons, for example, from allergic dermatitis, i.e. your body's reactions to some substances that it cannot tolerate. In people prone to allergies, this reaction most often occurs in spring or summer, when plants are flowering. It is recommended to gargle with plain water 3 times a day. If this does not help, you need to go to the medical unit for suprastin, diphenhydramine or other medications.

For a variety of pains Hot and cold compresses help. To prepare a compress, take a piece of cloth, a towel, a scarf, fold it 8-10 times and soak it in warm or cold water.

Bruised place rub with cold water for half an hour without stopping, and at night apply a bandage soaked in cold salt water to the sore spot.

For muscle strain, tendons, joints or dislocation, a leg or arm should be lowered into a container of water at room temperature and kept for one and a half to two hours. You can also apply a cool water compress and hold it on the joint. Bandage a joint or part of the body so that movement is impossible, but not too tightly. A day later, you need to apply a hot compress on the same place.

In case of injury, bruise It is best to apply something cold to the bruised area, press against the cold, make a cold water compress for at least (but not more than) a day.

For headaches If you have trouble sleeping, you should drink a glass of hot water at night, and then apply a cold compress to the back of the neck and the back of the head, or make a circular bandage with salt water on the forehead and the back of the head. If you have constant pain all over your head, you can wet your socks, wring them out, put them on your feet, and put on another pair of dry socks on top and sleep without taking them off.

Insomnia. Weak tea - a teaspoon per liter of water. Drink at night, not bad sweet (if you have sugar).

For concussion Before providing medical assistance, the victim must be laid down and a towel moistened with cold water applied to the back of his head.

For nosebleeds You need to apply a cold water compress to the back of your head. You can inhale cool salt water through your nose from time to time. In this case, snow or a cloth with cold water applied to the bridge of the nose helps.

When cut bleeding can be stopped with a cold compress. The compress should be changed every 3-5 minutes until the bleeding stops. You can apply a tight bandage, but for no more than 40 minutes.

Conjunctivitis(eye inflammation), eye injury. Apply a hot, damp compress just below the back of the head. You can also rinse with cold, freshly brewed tea - lower your eye into the saucer and blink.
If you feel that a stye is about to pop out, you should apply a swab, a clean cloth, a cloth moistened with hot boiled water or saliva to your eye.

For fractures, if you have available means, apply a splint. For example, if the phalanx of a finger is broken, place a spoon under that finger and tie it with a bandage to the finger so that it does not bend.

If the pelvic bones are fractured, the patient needs to take a frog pose - bend his legs at the knees and spread them in different directions as wide as possible. If the femoral neck is fractured, do the same: spread your legs to the sides, so it will be easier for the patient to lie down.

There is no cure for rib fractures. The ribs heal on their own. You need to take painkillers and something for cough so as not to injure the lung tissue. You should also try not to make sudden movements. You can make a tight bandage around the chest using a wide towel.

Sometimes, when rib fractures occur, lung tissue is damaged. In this case, the patient feels severe shortness of breath. He feels that this side is, as they say, congested, and it is difficult for him to breathe. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor. If the lung is not damaged, then, although it is difficult to breathe, there is no shortness of breath, there is no feeling of lack of air - the person simply breathes not as deeply and more often than usual. And with real shortness of breath, the patient finds it very difficult to breathe and lacks air.

Flu epidemic usually occurs in late autumn - early winter. Therefore, at this time, it is best to wipe yourself with a wet towel every day in the morning in order to avoid catching an infection. It is useful to wipe the temples with circular movements of the fingers, and the nostrils, making a movement from the nostrils to the bridge of the nose. After this, you can wipe in a circular motion behind the earlobes. Most often, the flu begins immediately with a high fever, with almost no symptoms. Some people experience abdominal pain, aches in large joints, and pain when touching the skin. If you feel these symptoms, you should consult a doctor.

Cold, runny nose. At the very beginning, rinse your nose with a weak saline solution or even just clean water. Alternately close one nostril, and with the other, quietly draw in water from a cup or saucer so that it passes through the nose and flows down the throat. The procedure is very unpleasant at first, but very effective. Repeat every 1-2 hours. Do not use antibiotics under any circumstances - this can usually be done only for 4-5 days, if the temperature does not subside. You can also treat sinusitis - you need more salt and (or) soda - about a quarter of a spoon in half a glass of warm water.
A cold begins with a runny nose, cough, and watery eyes. Your throat may also hurt. Often a cold occurs after hypothermia. You can rinse your nose and nasopharynx with tea or drop onion juice diluted in half with boiled water into your nose. Just remember: pure onion juice can burn the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx.

If you have a thick runny nose, you can also put a piece of garlic clove in your nose and breathe in it. And in case of a viral infection, when your nose drips every second, you need to rinse your nose with diluted garlic juice: drop a whole pipette or pour a teaspoon into your nose.

For colds, people sometimes drink strong tea with condensed or whole milk. This is additional nutrition. The tea itself has a tonic property, and milk is a protein product, it also contains calcium. This maintains strength and improves well-being.

For sore throat the throat hurts, it hurts to swallow, the temperature rises, and the patient feels swelling in the throat.
You need to gargle with a saline solution - a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water. This is the most basic rinse. You can add soda, if you have it: half a teaspoon of salt per glass of warm water. Rinse every hour. Do not swallow the rinse, but spit it out. If you see a lot of pus on your tonsils and feel very unwell, you should consult a doctor immediately. This type of sore throat does not go away on its own.

To prevent colds, you need to rinse your throat, mouth and nose with water more often.

Constipation. A mixture of half a glass of boiled water and half a glass of raw water, drink warm. A more strategic way is to drink a sip of water every half hour for several days or weeks.

Diarrhea. Strong tea.

Various types of gastritis, colitis, cholecystitis - as a rule, such diseases do not bother prisoners, even those who were bothered by their own free will. Regular meals, the absence of fatty, fried, hot, spicy food, and just a small amount of it - is just a sanatorium for gastrointestinal diseases. And as the experience of the fascist and Soviet camps showed, people there stopped getting sick, especially with such diseases. They died rather than get sick. An important factor is that often one cannot count on full medical care, and this stimulates one’s own defenses.

Tuberculosis- one of the most terrible diseases of prison. The scale is catastrophic. There are special tub zones where sick people are taken. Despite somewhat enhanced treatment and nutrition, a lot of people still die - those who managed to return from there told terrible things. In prisons, patients with tuberculosis are kept separately. The very conditions of modern prisons are the best way to promote the spread of this disease - dampness, darkness, dirt, lack of ventilation, overcrowding of cells, poor nutrition. Tuberculosis most often affects young people - after 35, the likelihood of getting sick is low. And at 20-25 - just right. From prevention - good nutrition, vitamins, walks, sanitary condition of cells and barracks, quitting smoking. It usually doesn't help much. It seemed to me that it occurs primarily among those who have not come to terms with their situation.

HIV- It’s quite difficult to catch it in prison, except during anal sex. No transmission is transmitted through shared utensils, towels or touch. There is a possibility through shaving machines. It is also not transmitted through blood-sucking insects (bugs, lice, mosquitoes). Unfortunately, a medicine that can defeat HIV, as well as AIDS, the disease that this virus causes, has not yet been invented.

Soul of man

As for prevention, the main thing can be called the psychological state. Don't give up. Life is not over yet. Food, sanitary conditions, hygiene are in second place, I won’t dwell on this, things are clear to everyone. It would be nice to remember one of the definitions of wisdom - the ability to distinguish between what can be changed and what cannot be changed. And act accordingly - show humility in some matters and perseverance in others.

For example, you cannot actively influence the course of a case. As a last resort, you need to write some kind of complaint or other paper. We made a decision, wrote it, forgot. Many bring themselves to mental and then physical exhaustion through senseless repeated thinking, worry, and grievances against accomplices, fate, friends, police officers, and the government. These are things that cannot be changed while in the cell. But which can “change” you - even drive you to death or insanity. Worrying about the family - as a rule, nothing can be done either. Unless you limit yourself to some expensive delicacies that are passed on to you by your relatives and make do with only the essentials. I often observed when a family used their last penny to buy cigarettes for their housekeeper, but he couldn’t refuse it.

What you can definitely influence is your health. Regular walks, exercise. A minimum of exercises can be done in a cell, although there are cells where this is basically impossible to do due to overcrowding and lack of air, but this is already a factor that is difficult to change. There are no problems with this in the camp - you just have to do it. You can douse yourself with water in a cell and, even more so, in a camp. Quit smoking. Do not abuse chifirem, although its moderate consumption may well be beneficial for some time, supporting the body with vitamins and stimulants. Think about your life, your goals, plans, ideals, mistakes, stupid behavior. Chat with smart people. Arrange your life, learn something. Think about helping your family, at least in terms of putting less pressure on them. It would be nice to earn some extra money in the camp (for those who have any idea), but in our time it is almost impossible. Although some people succeed. In any case, do something interesting for yourself, don’t fall into apathy, don’t count the days. Life goes on and there will be no other.

And gaining benefit from being in prison is possible only if you have a holistic worldview, when the world is not divided into two poles, two colors, when a person knows how, can and sees the meaning of extracting benefit from deprivation, pain, suffering. In this regard, prison is an ideal place - there is deprivation, suffering, and time for thinking, reading, and communication.

1. Don't despair! Do not despair under any terrible or sad circumstances! Do not lose hope for a turn for the better, remain cool and calm, avoid everything evil and unworthy in yourself. Despair often leads to various diseases of the body.
2. Don't get stuck in trouble. It is important not to withdraw into yourself, not to plunge into your own misfortune, not to focus on resentment, on some evil feeling: anger, revenge, irritation, not to let the same thoughts spin in your head. As soon as you feel that you are “stuck”, try to distract yourself: move around, talk with someone about an unimportant topic, wash your face with cold water.

3. Learn to control and express emotions. It is harmful to keep feelings to yourself; you need to “let off steam” more often. You can direct your feelings to non-living objects - beat a pillow instead of an enemy. Putting your feelings on paper helps a lot - after reading, the problem may not seem so significant. The best way is to come up with your own way.

4. Don't view imprisonment as a personal disaster. This is not a disaster, but a test that can be overcome with dignity or not. The choice is yours. And all trials come to an end someday.

5. Don't consider prison your new home. Even if you have to spend many years in this place, it’s still not your whole life. The day will come and you will find yourself on the other side of the gate. It will be much easier to learn to live on the outside again if you have not fully immersed yourself in prison life.

6. Don't lose touch with the outside world. Follow the news in all areas of life. Read newspapers. Maintain active correspondence with friends and family. Write not only about events (of which there are not many), but also about your feelings and thoughts. It will be difficult at first. But if it becomes a habit, you will find another remedy for melancholy. Don't be offended if they don't always answer you. It is difficult to write letters to the zone.

7. Remember, there are no meaningless situations in a person’s life. There is a meaning in everything and a person must search for this meaning, and what is important is not so much the purpose of these searches as the process itself, which opens up great and simple riches for a person - the same, for example, as the ability to see, hear, walk, think and feel.

8. From any life situation - fateful or everyday - there are at least two ways out. And a person spends his entire life, every moment of his life, learning to make the right choice and improving in this skill. Learn to see these opportunities - to make a choice, to make your own decision. It gives you a feeling of inner freedom that no one can take away.

9. Don't let your brain rust. Read books, newspapers, magazines - whatever is available. If you can get a specialty, do it. Learn a foreign language - if possible. Try making crossword puzzles. Think about the consequences of any of your and other people’s decisions, analyze the advantages and disadvantages of different options. Keep a diary.

10. A person does not have to tolerate himself. Every person has the right to change himself, to change his attitude towards what he considers misfortune, misfortune, unnecessary experience, or what seems to him wealth, benefit, achievement.

11. Find your way to faith. Sincere faith helps a person go through any trials and find meaning.

Many prisoners suffer from various mental disorders. In a sense, mental illness in captivity is the norm. That is, a normal reaction to abnormal living conditions.

It is incredibly difficult to get help from a psychiatrist or even a psychologist in prison. Prison medicine is accustomed to treating certain diseases with suspicion, and mental illnesses with special suspicion.

Like any other, mental illness requires an individual approach, direct contact between the patient and the doctor. It is impossible to give any preventive recommendations in this regard. Therefore, the authors simply decided to talk about some ways to treat mental illnesses that do not require any medications. We are not talking about all mental illnesses, but only about one type of them - obsessive, unreasonable fears and phobias.

One of the ways to treat obsessive fears is to search for its causes, remember the origins of this fear and become aware of it. If obsessive fear was caused by a reason that is actually not scary at all, then awareness of such fear can lead to its disappearance.

This is a very difficult task, but a person, in principle, can remember any moment of his previous life. Human memory is like a piece of paper - once crumpled, it cannot be made smooth again. But the process of remembering itself can lead to the most important thing - it will be established exactly: what exactly a person is afraid of.

And a person obsessed with obsessive fear is, as a rule, not afraid of what seems scary to him. Very often, the cause of obsessive fear lies in the impressions of early childhood. It is in childhood that we experience the most intense fears (primarily because we do not yet know how to distinguish dangerous things from non-dangerous ones). And having been frightened in childhood by something that was not actually dangerous, we, as adults, re-experience this fear without external reasons. Or we invent reasons for fear when we want to explain attacks of our causeless fear.

The patient’s task is to find in his memory the source of obsessive fear, to realize the insignificance of the reason for this childhood fear, which continues to invade his adult life. Unless, of course, from the point of view of an adult, this reason was really insignificant.

And in conclusion, we will talk about the personal experience of the Austrian psychologist Viktor Frankl, author of the book “Man’s Search for Meaning.”

This book also has the following chapter: “Psychologist in a concentration camp.” Viktor Frankl wrote it, as they say, with knowledge of the matter - during the Second World War, he was a prisoner in Auschwitz for several years. Frankl's main conclusions, drawn from his terrible experience, can be formulated as follows.

1. The greater his spiritual wealth, the more difficult it is to destroy a person in a camp.

Frankl witnessed how bankers, owners of factories, shops, and former government officials brought to Auschwitz from all over Europe occupied by Hitler were killed in no time. That is, people who, when free, were concerned primarily with current affairs, and most importantly, went through the school of rivalry in the struggle for a place in the sun.

The other prisoners of Auschwitz - priests of all faiths - were strikingly different from them. In the same extermination camp, these people amazed everyone with their resilience.
The reason for this paradox is obvious to Frankl.

Due to the nature of their previous activities, priests, more often than ordinary people, thought about the meaning of the events that took place around them and within them. They did not perceive the imprisonment as a personal catastrophe, because they always knew about its possibility, and even about the predetermination of such a development of events. They knew how fragile the world was, they knew that any society is susceptible to diseases, including such a disease as fascism. But they also knew that sooner or later any illness passes.

The main reason for the viability of the priests was that they perceived Auschwitz as God's test. Moreover: this test was welcome for real priests, as for all truly believing people. For example, not daring to compare themselves with Christ, Christian priests still could not help but draw analogies between his fate and their own destinies. In theory, martyrdom in the name of God would be the best outcome of fate for them. THEY WANTED TO DIE, BUT DID NOT DIE.

And first of all, people died who had spent their entire lives aimed at success and survival in a competitive environment - industrialists, financiers, officials. THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DIE, BUT THEY DIED FIRST. They were the first to slide to the bottom, despite the rich experience of successful struggle for the blessings of earthly life.

Psychologist and man of science, Viktor Frankl, based on his camp experience, developed a rather complex theory, which he then tested for a long time. And finally, he established such a pattern.

2. The greater a person’s desire to achieve a goal, the less likely he is to achieve it.

What in human life looks like a pre-planned success, like the fulfillment of a conscious (conceived) desire is, at best, a random coincidence. Usually, “wish fulfillment” is a fiction in which a person himself sometimes sincerely believes and of the veracity of which he seeks to convince others. In fact, those of our desires are fulfilled in life, about which we ourselves have a vague idea (and which of us can say that he is firmly confident in his desires?). This is fate.

The teachings of V. Frankl touch on quite complex psychological and philosophical problems. What interests us about this story is this.

Based on the theory he discovered and substantiated, Viktor Frankl also developed a method for treating phobias, that is, obsessive fears - a very common ailment in psychiatric practice.

In general terms, treatment using this method is quite simple: a person must force himself to want exactly what he fears to happen to him. That's all. When this desire becomes conscious, a person will not be able to fulfill it, because conscious desires do not come true, or come true by chance, no more often than winning the lottery.

We repeat: any treatment requires the presence of a doctor. Mental illness, including obsessive fear, can be a symptom of a physical illness - and in this case, self-medication is especially dangerous.

But no one has the right to prohibit a person from experimenting on himself. After all, Viktor Frankl himself discovered his method not in a clinic, but in Auschwitz. By the way, he lived for more than 80 years, already in freedom he was a visitor to American prisons and enjoyed the trust of prisoners precisely because they knew: he was a doctor who had been imprisoned himself.

There are quite a few cases of successful self-medication using the Viktor Frankl method. There are many more of them than unsuccessful cases.

And since we have tried to understand the teachings of this wonderful psychologist and philosopher, let’s name his other points.

3. There are no meaningless situations in a person’s life.

There is a meaning in everything and a person must search for this meaning, and what is important is not so much the purpose of these searches as the process itself, which opens up great and simple riches for a person - the same, for example, as the ability to see, hear, walk.

From any life situation - fateful or everyday - there are at least two ways out. And a person spends his whole life, every moment of his life, learning to make the right choice, improving in the ability to make the right choice. The only way to check the correctness of your choice is to compare it with your conscience.

A person does not have to tolerate himself. Every person has the right to change himself, to change his attitude towards what he considers misfortune, misfortune, unnecessary experience, or what seems to him wealth and a useful thing.

This is how a person fights for his mental health. And it returns to a person when he seeks meaning in his life.

Instead of an afterword

It is difficult to return from the camp to the normal world. To a world that did not stand still while everyone served his sentence in a country saturated with the prison spirit, surrounded by barbed wire, fenced off inside with all kinds of “locals” - registration, rations, bureaucratic arbitrariness.

Let's be merciful to those who return home from prison hell. Charity, in the end, pays off a thousandfold. Let us honor the rights of others as much as we honor our own. Let's preserve freedom.

Any person who finds himself in prison for the first time experiences outright horror. The mixture of adrenaline, fear, anxiety and confusion is simply deafening. Once the camera is closed behind you, you will have to somehow cope with this situation and begin to plan your survival. Prison life is hard and dangerous, but if you stick to their code and don't get into trouble, you'll get through your sentence without any problems.

Steps

Prison Survival

Find a new instinct for danger. Now you live next to thieves, rapists, murderers and liars. To survive, you must trust your instincts and not ignore them.

• If you have a strong feeling that something bad is going to happen, don't hesitate, act quickly and find a safe place. Don't try to rationalize everything in this irrational place.
• Trust your first impression if you feel something strange is going on. In prison, everything seems different from what it really is.
• If you don't have a well-developed sixth sense, now is the time to develop it. Even subtle signs can mean danger to your immediate environment.

1. Respect other prisoners.“Treat people the way you want to be treated.” This quote is the golden rule for living in prison. Don't swear, avoid confrontation, and respect personal boundaries.

   • Don't insult another prisoner's masculinity or you'll be sent to the infirmary, solitary confinement, or the grave.
   • Don't jump in line at the cafeteria, or you might get stabbed to death.
   • Do not go near other prisoners' cells unless you are invited to do so. If you still call, then sometimes it’s better to refuse.
   • Only fight if you have no other choice. If you refuse to fight when someone disrespects you, then you will become a "punk" or a coward who will live in even more misery than before.
   • Never take other prisoners' personal belongings without permission.

2. Beware of gangs, drugs and gambling. There is a common myth that to get protection in prison you must immediately join a gang. But to get this protection you will have to do the unthinkable. In reality, joining a gang, using drugs, and gambling are the three easiest ways to die.

   • Most often, it is gang members who die in prison. They are also the most likely to get into fights and get stabbed.
   • If you are caught with drugs, you will be sent to solitary confinement, your sentence will be increased, or you will be transferred to a stricter prison.
   • Gambling in prison is a contact sport, especially if you find yourself in debt. Money in prison gives access to various things and necessities. But if you are in debt to someone, expect a visit from your gambling friends.

3. Stay away from solitary confinement. While solitary confinement may seem like an attractive idea when living with the worst people, it is often associated with torture and mental illness.

4. Endure solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is a cell in which it is almost impossible to move, no contact with other people, confinement for 23 hours a day with a minimum amount of exercise, which can cause various forms of mental disorders even in the most resilient people. If you do get sent to this isolated hell, have a plan for how not to go crazy.

   • Maintain a daily schedule for your mind. If we didn’t plan our lives in advance, we would hardly have time to do anything. Don't change your schedule, even while in solitary confinement. Wake up, have breakfast, go to work, have lunch, come home, have dinner, watch TV or do something and go to bed. Do all this in your head.
   • Break processes down into basic components. This is the perfect mental exercise to help you stay healthy and think logically. If you like football or baseball, imagine trying to explain those sports to an alien who has no idea what they are. So you will have to describe and give an example of each small step.
   • Build things or take them apart. Think about the things you will need to build a house and make a shopping list. Go to the store, buy everything you need and take them to the construction site. After that, imagine that you are building a house.

   Physical health

   1. Healthy eating. Prison food, paid for by taxpayers, is not the pinnacle of culinary art. Moreover, it is tasteless and high in calories.

      • Prison food can be supplemented with food from the prison store or canteen, thereby improving your diet.
      • Most convict stores sell foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Try replacing the prison gruel with these products once or twice a week.
      • Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

   2. Exercise regularly. Stretching, strength training and aerobic exercise can be done on prison grounds. This will not only make you stronger, but will also maintain your waistline.

      • With exercise, time will fly faster.
      • Prison is a very stressful place, and exercise is more beneficial for relieving stress than fighting.
      • Physically fit people are less likely to be subject to force from other prisoners, as you will be better equipped to defend yourself.

   3. Keep yourself busy. In prison you will have a lot of free time. Instead of lying in your cell all day, take up exercise, play non-lethal cards, or join a club.

      • Idleness in prison only leads to trouble. Participating in positive activities will distract you from thinking about time and the current situation.
      • By participating in stimulating and social activities, you will forget about fear for a while.
      • Play a game of basketball, lift weights, play cards, or join a walking club.

   4. Diseases. Each prison treats inmates differently, but prison healthcare is always presented in the most cost-effective and efficient way that proper care can achieve. Depending on the severity of the illness and the treatment needed, most prisons provide inpatient treatment in the prison itself or in a municipal hospital.

      • If you need medical care in prison, you must make a written request. Once a request is received, it will be reviewed and prioritized.
      • If necessary, the prison also has emergency services available.
      • If necessary, the prisoner may receive surgical, prenatal and palliative care.

   How to keep your sanity

   1. Reading. At the library you can read newspapers, magazines and books on current events, general topics and education. Reading will allow you to enter a fantasy world and forget about prison.

      • A well-read mind will help you deal with tough cases in prison.
      • Once you are free, you can use the knowledge you have gained.

   2. Get an education. Most prisons offer courses for inmates who want to get an education. You will have enough time to go to class and learn, and at the same time get an education.

      • Education will better prepare you for the outside world.
      • Every employer wants their employee to have an education, so having a degree or certificate will give you everything you need to get the job.

   3. Manage depression. Without a doubt, prison is not the best place, and having to spend part of your life there can lead to depression. Moreover, most prisons are overcrowded, filled with boredom, frustration, and sexual predators that make such environments a haven of depression. In prison, you may or may not have access to a doctor, psychologist, or antidepressants.

      • If you cannot get professional mental health care, try to find another prisoner who is willing to listen to you. There is a very good chance that there are other prisoners among you who, like you, suffer from depression.
      • Try to overcome your stress through exercise. Exercise releases hormones that help cope with stress and depression.
      • Stay away from drugs and alcohol as they will only make your depression worse.
      • Try to eat more fruits and vegetables and reduce your caffeine and sugar intake.
      • Make a few acquaintances so you don't have to spend all your time alone. It is possible that your prison comrades will be able to cheer you up.

   4. Manage your anger. Prison can make anyone angry. Anger is quite common in prison because prisoners feel there is much more disappointment than hope. Therefore, when the anger becomes too much and you lose control of yourself, then serious problems arise.

      • Don't make assumptions. Making assumptions in prison can have dire consequences. Never try to read a person. Instead, know exactly why someone bumped into you or stood in front of you in line. A mistake can lead to fatal consequences.
      • Don't impose your own rules on other prisoners without their knowledge. This usually manifests itself in a phrase that begins with the words: “He should have...”.
      • Every prisoner has personal rights which must be respected. If you violate their supposed rights, then be prepared to defend yourself.
      • The more you generalize something, the angrier you will become. For example, if you constantly complain that you are left out or are never taken seriously, you will likely become angrier.
      • Try not to separate everything into black and white. You can survive in prison if you understand that there are also shades of gray. Not all people are only bad or only good.

   Prison Code

   1. Don't trust anyone. This rule applies to everyone, including prisoners, guards and prison staff. Remember, nothing is free in prison.

      • Be suspicious of anyone who treats you well. Ask yourself, “Why do they need this?” Since most prisoners are aware of the “trust no one” rule, it is likely that there is an ulterior motive for them treating you this way.
      • You can talk to the guards and staff, but be careful what you say, because everything said, no matter how insignificant you think it is, can be used against you.
      • The prison guards will not protect you, and even if they do, you will still have to return to your cell, which everyone knows about. Therefore, it is better to remain silent and not disclose information about another prisoner.
      • The main thing is to trust yourself. After all, you are the only person you can trust in prison.

   2. Hide your emotions. Easier said than done, but try not to show fear, anger, happiness or pain. Other prisoners may take advantage of this. Simply put, your emotions are your worst enemy as they expose your weakness, which can be exploited by both prisoners and guards.

      • Since most prisoners are bored, they have plenty of time to use their manipulative skills against you. They will try to provoke your anger and destroy your happiness.
      • It is very important to remember that prison guards and other staff are always right and that they will never be on your side. In other words, treat them well and respectfully so that they don't bother you.
      • Do not challenge or intimidate other prisoners, guards or prison staff. It doesn't matter whether you were right, it is you who will suffer.

   3. Don't stare. This is rude and under other circumstances will not turn out badly for you, which cannot be said if you are in prison. When walking in prison, always look forward and do not look at others, otherwise you may be misunderstood.

      • Don't look at others, but don't walk around with your eyes on the floor, as you might bump into someone, which could cause new problems.
      • Typically, when one prisoner looks at another prisoner, it means two things: sexual interest and hostility. As you can already understand, none of this will end well in prison.

   4. Don't knock. If you enjoy being completely miserable, then tell the guard about another prisoner's infractions. This will almost certainly result in you being beaten half to death. If you see or hear something, walk away and don't say anything.

      • If the guards start questioning you about what happened, come up with an excuse and never answer their questions.
      • Be careful where and how you talk to the guards. If you speak to them in secret or in an overly friendly manner, it will almost certainly be taken as snitching. In this case, it is better not to talk to the prison staff at all.
      • Snitches are hated not only by prisoners, but also by the guards themselves. If you upset a guard in any way, your name will be associated with snitching, whether it's true or not.

   5. Treat security guards with respect. Guards and other prison staff should not be treated with anything other than respect and respect. They manage everything and the last word is also theirs. If you find yourself on bad terms with a security guard, he may become your worst enemy.

      • The prison has its own economic system. This system includes security guards who will use you as collateral without a second thought.
      • Watch who you are talking to and what you are talking about. Even the most insignificant and innocent information can be used by guards to harm, manipulate and betray you.
      • Do not discuss religion, politics, race or personal feelings. There are topics that can quickly escalate into an argument if the conversation is steered in the wrong direction.
   • Try to facilitate conversations with your spouse and children, and talk as much as possible about family life during phone conversations and in letters.
   • Trust your family. Don't let the mistakes of others affect your relationships with family members.
   • Ignore the little things and focus on the main thing. If you get upset and don't talk to your spouse, the silence can last forever.
   • If you have children, let them unite your family, not divide it. Don't let them take sides and do everything in your power to support them in everything.
   • Be polite and don't be afraid to apologize if you're wrong. The fact that you went to prison already works against you.

5. Get the most out of your visits. Family visits can be a great time to reconnect and talk about everyday life. They can also become a total disappointment if you let little things get in your way.

   • Don't forget the sacrifices your family makes while you are in prison. If your prison is far from home, your family will have to travel, stay overnight in some hotel and buy food just to see you.
   • Your family will also have to go through security checks, long lines, bad treatment from prison staff, and other humiliating procedures. Be sure to show them how grateful you are for what they do for you.
   • Although you may be suffering a lot in prison, understand that your family is not going through a good time either and that they probably don't want to hear you complain about your problems. During your visits, focus on your family and their problems.
   • Stay connected with your children. They grow up quickly, their interests change, and they experience a lot of stress from having a parent in prison. Try to find common interests and keep in touch with them all the time.
   • Be aware of what your child is doing and give him advice, ask him to send you drawings, and share in his triumphs and his failures. Do everything a normal parent would do.