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Prison research



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Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:58 am
MarbleToast says...



Right, so, does know how prisons are generally laid out, what materials they're made from?

Plus, what do you call that area, just before a row of cells, where there's a metal gate, with a booth where a security guard records everyone that comes and goes?
Dreams sprout tall so beautiful
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Tue Sep 02, 2014 4:23 pm
Rosendorn says...



In order to answer those questions, please provide:

1- Time period
2- Location
3- Security level

As those influence a lot.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:07 pm
Tenyo says...



^ What Rosie said.

Is this a completely fictional prison or realistic?

If it's a fictional one you could have great fun designing your own prison- consider the kind of prisoners in there and their crimes and imagine what kind of environment you'd want them to live in and what precautions you would take. Some prisons have couches and game consoles, while others have ten men in a 2m x 1m hole in the ground.

Deviating from a stereotypical prison will probably make things more interesting.
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Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:16 pm
MarbleToast says...



I wanted to go for a modern, realistic prison, rather than go too outlandish... Which will happen later on.
Dreams sprout tall so beautiful
to wither and fall off
Old and dusty, creaky and rough
This clockwork will not rest
  





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Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:21 pm
Rosendorn says...



Okay. Now all we need is the actual location and the security level.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:27 pm
MarbleToast says...



I'm going to go for American, and a low-level prison, for repeated petty theft and such.
Dreams sprout tall so beautiful
to wither and fall off
Old and dusty, creaky and rough
This clockwork will not rest
  





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Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:56 pm
Rosendorn says...



Now that that's narrowed down.

Go to Google. Enter in the following key words: "us low security prison"

It will give you a few results, some of which are about the cushiest prisons in the US— you don't want those, because you're looking for general information on prisons. There's also a wikipedia article listing all US prisons, but that would be more a finishing touch, once you've figured out the exact area for that little extra touch of realism by actually naming the prison and making things unique to that location.

You will also find this result: http://www.bop.gov/about/facilities/federal_prisons.jsp

This is a .gov, meaning it's run by the government, and it gives you a general gist of prison life that answers your questions. Bonus points: it actually links to all types of facilities.

Here's the blurb on "low security":

Low security Federal Correctional Institutions (FCIs) have double-fenced perimeters, mostly dormitory or cubicle housing, and strong work and program components. The staff-to-inmate ratio in these institutions is higher than in minimum security facilities.

FCI Elkton and FCI Jesup each have a small Federal Satellite Low Security (FSL) facility adjacent to the main institution. FCI La Tuna has a low security facility affiliated with, but not adjacent to, the main institution.


Poking around the rest of the site should give you a lot of general information you need about prison life.

You can also look up general US sentencing, to find out what type of crime would land your character in what type of prison. Your character could end up in a minimum security prison, one level under "low", depending on the crime.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Tue Sep 02, 2014 10:18 pm
birk says...



On a side note, as someone who has often visited his older brother at work, in Norway's largest female prison, I have to say; some female inmates have no inhibitions.

Word to the wise.
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