Former criminals spoke about prison habits that are very difficult to get rid of (26 photos)

We have seen such a plot in movies more than once: a man leaves the gates of prison, he is met by someone from his past life - and a whirlpool of exciting adventures begins. Real life, alas, is radically different from what we see on the screen...





Some people very quickly return to crime after being released from prison. And those who sincerely try to live by honest work face a lot of difficulties. Simply because prison is a completely different world, and it leaves its mark on everyone who has been there. Members of the Reddit forum familiar with this topic spoke about prison habits that invariably accompanied them or someone they knew even after release.

1.



“I served almost seven years for drug trafficking and have been out for two years now. I'm from Wisconsin and I'm 35 years old. In prison, I was used to waking up at 5 am for roll call, which was arranged by the guards every morning. In freedom, only six months later I learned to sleep at least until six in the morning, but even now if I sleep a little longer, it seems to me that I am doing something wrong. Well, this habit has helped me: I am never late for work and have become successful. I was just lured away by another company who offered me a 150% salary increase. Within two years I became a model parolee.”

2.





“After leaving prison, I didn’t use a fork for several weeks. I ate everything with a spoon without thinking.”

3.



“It was strange for me to look at piercing and cutting objects in the public domain. I remember when someone tried to give me a knife to cut vegetables, I was afraid to touch it. But the worst thing was the glass: all the bathrooms have mirrors. I could smash that shit and end up with a jagged shard! I couldn't help but think that there was such a dangerous thing in the restroom of any restaurant. It's hard to stop seeing everyday objects as potential weapons."

4.



“The habit of “running in circles.” In prison, every time you have time in the yard, you walk in circles. Seriously, almost everyone does it. When you get out of prison, it's hard to break the habit."

5.



“I found myself hoarding toilet paper under my bed. Sometimes I do it without thinking, I look in there, and there are already 10 rolls there.”

6.



“It’s so strange that you can stand in the shower as long as you want. After I got out of prison, I took a shower in less than 5 minutes for a long time.”

7.



“A woman’s view: after prison, I developed the habit of stocking up on feminine hygiene products in large quantities. We were given very few pads and tampons. Women in pre-trial detention cells were not given anything at all. There was dried and fresh menstrual blood on the floor and concrete benches, and there was a sewer drain in the middle of the room. To just hose down the room.”

8.



“I still have the habit of constantly looking over my shoulder. Constant pessimism and very cautious optimism. Constant readiness for disappointment. Inability to show strong emotions - surprise, joy, etc.”

9.



“I don’t smoke, but every time I was offered a cigarette, I took it and put it in my pocket. There's this 'barter' thing sitting inside, and it took me about a month or two to break it."

10.



“I knew a guy who served 15 years. He had to call a friend to come and let him out of the apartment. They would go out, go shopping or something, and then his friend would "lock him up" for the night. The dude couldn't open the apartment door on his own and leave it without irrational fear. After a few months he got better, but I heard that he still had difficulty doing things on his own.”

eleven.



“A close friend of mine spent several years in prison, and the only habit he could not get rid of was distrust of people. He says that there are no “friends” in prison, and if someone suddenly tries to be one, it means he has an ulterior motive. He still doesn't trust people who are nice to him (too generous, offering help, etc.).

12.



“I can’t get rid of the habit of preparing a quick snack from everything I can get my hands on. Everyone around me thinks it's disgusting to throw sausages, pickles, cheese, Cheetos, etc. into instant noodles, but I just can't stop myself. But I’ve been free for five years already.”

13.



“A couple of guys I know who have served 5-10 years in prison grab their plates with both hands and stuff food into their mouths at the speed of light. They are also very protective of their food. When I first met them, I jokingly stole a piece from one of their plates, and he swung his fork at me and demanded that I return the food, scaring me a little.”

14.



“It’s unusual to realize that I can just get up at any moment and go somewhere. That I can make plans for tomorrow, choosing from a thousand different options. It's hard to break the habit of checking everyone who appears in my attention zone. I need to scan everyone and mark them as non-threat."

15.



“My ex, after he came out, slept very unusually. It seemed to me that he was sleeping as if in a coffin, crossing his arms over his chest and not moving all night. It's like being on a very narrow bed. This went on for a couple of months."

16.



“My uncle was in prison for a while and we talked a little about his experience and how it affected him:

“It’s hard for him not to be aggressive.” You'd never guess because he mostly just sits in the corner and smokes, but he's been free for almost ten years and he still has a hard time resolving conflicts with words.

- He does not tolerate authority over himself. It is difficult for him to obey his superiors because he believes that he is smarter and tougher than any of them. He knows that most people feel the same way, but he just can't ignore it. He took up professional wood carving to become his own boss.

- He speaks very little, he is mostly silent. He prefers to spend time not with people, but in nature, in some wilderness. This way he’s calmer.”

17.



“I had to completely change my sense of time. I used to care about sharing pleasant things as much as possible so that they seemed to last longer. If I ate, I concentrated completely on absorbing the food. If I watched TV, I concentrated on what was happening on the screen. Now I can eat and watch a movie at the same time, because the sense of time has changed and there are fewer hours in the day.”

18.



“The most difficult thing is to eradicate the habit of swearing in every word.”

19.



“When my father came out of prison (more than 10 years ago), we nicknamed him Martha Stewart because he was obsessed with cleanliness. His house looks like an IKEA catalog, he has glass containers for shoes, he gets up early to iron/wash/clean everything. I lived with him for a year and he punished me a hundred times for leaving drops of water in the sink."

20.



“After leaving prison, you can no longer go to the free hospital if you are sick or injured. You have to get used to it.”

21.



“I spent 72 months in prison for a fatal car accident that I caused. After I was released, I continued to tell my wife exactly what I was doing, even without her knowledge. She thought it was funny at first, but after a few weeks it started to really bother her.”

22.



“The habit of “rotating your head 360 degrees,” obsessively protecting your personal property and judging everyone around you has persisted. I was released a year and a half ago, but I still do this, whether in a store or on the street. I analyze everyone I meet and think through the best course of action in case we have to quarrel with him.”

23.



“What I had to get used to again: not wearing shoes in the shower, eating with a fork and knife. Availability of salt and pepper for food. You don't need to constantly monitor who is behind you. The ability to get food whenever you want, the ability to go outside at any time, get in the car and go somewhere.”

24.



“I served several months in county jail. It was customary for us there to trade or exchange food. When I went out, I once asked my girlfriend to trade her chicken wings for my pasta. Purely out of habit. After all, I could just go to the kitchen and get myself some more wings.”

25.



“I can’t get over certain thoughts and feelings. For example, what can I do with someone who crosses my path? How much I can hurt him physically and mentally. You have to remind yourself, “No, this person probably has a family, he probably hasn’t done anything wrong in his life, don’t hurt him just because you can.”