Ex Inmates Share Shocking Insights After Release
Regardless of the reason for facing time in prison, there’s no arguing the fact that being behind bars is an entirely different way of life. And even though most of us can vaguely imagine what it’s really like, inmates are often stunned by the change after release.
Ex Prisioner
Returning to society can be a challenging adjustment for many ex-inmates. And if you’re wondering what some of these challenges include, then read on to hear the stories of over 45 ex-inmates and their experiences.
The Color Of It All
Not many people out there genuinely appreciate or even notice just how colorful society and the world really are; or how life behind bars is nearly void of color altogether.
The Color Of It All
Sadly, when life behind bars is pretty colorless, and as a result, prisoners tend to forget about the vibrant blues, the bright reds, and the deep yellows that exist beyond the prison fence. So, many ex-inmates often feel stunned by the overflow of colors when they are released from prison, even if the overwhelm is mostly subconscious.
Losing Touch With Tech
It’s no secret that technology is developing at rapid rates. And as a result, even a few years in prison can have a person lose complete touch with the technology after their release. Because technology and fancy smartphones aren’t a part of their everyday lives, some inmates can battle to keep up with digital advancements. Learning to adapt to new tech after being in prison for years can be a massive challenge for anyone.
Losing Touch With Tech
It can be difficult to not have used a phone for several years and to re-enter a society where touchscreen smartphones are all the rage, and phones were attached to cords just a few years ago. This cultural adjustment can be pretty tricky for anyone.
Emerging In The Future
It might seem like a bit of a bizarre concept, although being released from prison can feel a lot like emerging in the future for an ex-inmate. Imagine entering a place when the iconic Nokia 3310 was all the rage, and emerging in a place where most people have touch screen tablets. The massive jump in times is a massive impact to come to terms with.
Emerging In The Future
Because nothing changes while an inmate is in prison, they remain unaware of most tech advancements, unless visitors keep them entirely up to date. However, they still can’t become accustomed to such tech while in prison.
TV’s Talk Now?
Imagine going into prison when televisions were still large boxes with rounded screens that made that bizarre and annoying buzzing sound. And then several years later you emerge and suddenly, TV’s are flat, can connect to the internet, and many models can even talk to you. This is yet another time travel experience felt by inmates that have been released.
Tvs Talk Now
In this article, you’ll read about many individuals who experience the leap of technology when being released from prison. And as a result, you’ll probably realize just how fast tech has evolved in a few short years.
Cars Are Much Faster Now
It might not seem like vehicles are that much different now from a few decades back, although, road car speeds used to vary from about 15-20 miles per hour, and these days, cars can reach speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. And that’s not even all that impressive anymore if you haven’t been behind bars for several years.
Cars Are Much Faster Now
And even for prisoners who have only been behind bars for one decade, the advancements in the speed of road vehicles are definitely still prominent. Not to mention, even electric cars and hybrid cars are fast becoming a new norm on the roads worldwide. Of course, maybe it wouldn’t last very long once you got used to it again, but at least for a little while, it would be something you missed that excites you. There’s not much wrong with that since you should always enjoy your freedoms when you make it out.
An Absence Of Water
You might not think of it all that often, but society is surrounded by so many bodies of water, whether a lake near your home, a pool in your backyard, or the nearby oceanfront. None of this exists in prison. And so, inmates can eventually forget the shape of water and what it’s like to swim. The only forms of water in prison are showers and drinking water, and that’s not much at all.
An Absence Of Water
When we realize just how much of an absence of water there is in prison, it makes perfect sense why ex-inmates would develop a great longing for being in or around water. Water and swimming, more specifically, provide an exceptionally freeing experience for anyone, and that’s a feeling that’s pretty easy to miss.
A Sudden Lack Of Walls
One thing that we do all know about life in prison is that there are high walls everywhere. Inmates eventually become accustomed to being surrounded by walls completely. So much so, that it eventually starts to feel pretty normal to live a life encased by unclimbable walls.
A Sudden Lack Of Walls
And with that said, it’s perfectly understandable how suddenly adjusting to a new life without all the walls can be a bit bizarre at first. No longer being surrounded by boundaries is quite a change.
The Cost Of A Burger
Hardly anyone out there is able to remain oblivious to the constantly rising costs of food and drinks. The cost of living is constantly increasing, and this has made life more and more challenging for younger generations. However, if you’ve been in prison for a few years, you would naturally not be focused on the increasing costs of food, so re-entering society and realizing just how much prices have gone up can be pretty frightening.
The Cost Of A Burger
So, for many ex-inmates, adjusting to the new cost of living, and making ends meet can be an understandable challenge. Some prisoners are able to earn a small income from working while incarcerated, and the funds they earn suddenly become insignificant when they are released into a world where everything costs a small fortune when compared to the prices of the past.
Endless Shampoo Options
When you’re in prison, there really aren’t many options available. So, naturally, you’ll probably be using the exact same shampoo for the duration that you are behind bars. And when you are released, you might feel overwhelmed by the sudden influx of endless options.
Endless Shampoo Options
We might not think twice about the convenience of having an endless number of brands on hand when shopping around for things like shampoo or cleaning essentials. Although, for an individual that’s been deprived of even the smallest decision, the endless options can be understandably overwhelming.
Lights At Night
In prison, inmates sleep with the lights on, and while this can be a challenge to adapt to in the first place, one eventually becomes accustomed to the new norm. And sadly, the adjustment back to sleeping with the lights out can be just as challenging for a released inmate.
Lights At Night
The adjustment to sleeping alone and in the dark again can be a massive one. And many ex-inmates struggle to get a good night’s rest when they are able to sleep in the dark again. It may seem strange, although, this can be an uphill battle if you really think about it.
The Changing Landscapes
Even though landscapes don’t change as fast as technology or even cultures, it can be difficult to re-emerge in society and realize the demographics are completely different in a place you used to know like the back of your hand.
The Changing Landscapes
It can be pretty shocking to adapt to new roads, different buildings, or new retail spaces, especially because these are massive environmental changes that can transform an ordinary village into a thriving hub.
What’s Left Behind
Of course, when you go off to jail, you have to leave your entire life behind, and everything in it, which includes your car. And unless you have made arrangements for all your belongings and for someone to watch over your vehicle, you can only hope that your car is trusty enough to withstand the test of time on its own.
Whats Left Behind
Luckily for one ex-inmate, his car made it through the years needing only a push start to get going again. And although he needed new tires and, of course, a service, this is not always the case for everyone that is released from prison.
When Music Is Suddenly Everywhere
We might be so used to having music constantly playing just about everywhere, that we barely notice it anymore. However, it is pretty silent in prison, and there isn’t any music at all.
When Music Is Suddenly Everywhere
And most of us can at least imagine how lonely it must be to live a life without the sound of music. So, for those in prison, it can be quite a surprising adjustment to be released and find music everywhere.
The Internet
Internet crazes that were all the rage not too long ago, like Hotmail and AOL, are no longer around at all. The internet has changed drastically in the past few years, to say the least.
The Internet
It can be quite odd to come back to a life where everything that used to be popular is no longer known at all. Suddenly, you’ll need to find out which internet sites are trendy, which social media apps are being used, and, of course, how to use them. An inmate that has been in prison for several years, might not even know how to operate a search engine like Google, as this wasn’t around back then.
Decisions
It’s pretty normal for most of us to go to the store and choose from a selection of products that we think best suits our needs or expectations; choices are a norm for us. On the other hand, there are no choices in prison, and just like the shampoo situation, going to the store for the first time can be exceptionally overwhelming for anyone that’s recently been released.
Decisions
For those that have never been deprived of choice, decisions can be made easily, and not much is thought of. However, if you have been deprived of making choices for yourself, relearning this elementary skill can be something of a bitter-sweet challenge.
Lacking Healthcare
We can all assume that the healthcare system available for prisoners is probably not world-class. And for this reason, many prisoners go without simple healthcare needs as the costs are simply too high for prisons. As a result, some prisoners go years with seemingly minor healthcare problems, such as the need for glasses or perhaps a dental check.
Lacking Healthcare
Fortunately, when they are released, they often receive the healthcare they need with the assistance of halfway houses. And for many, sorting out the issues can be life-changing.
Forgetting Yourself
Being behind bars for many years can change a person in several notable ways. They are no longer surrounded by their friends or family or experience regular social situations. As a result, it’s not at all uncommon for ex-inmates to endure something of an identity crisis after being released.
Forgetting Yourself
Over the years, inmates often feel as though they lose pieces of themselves, forget memories, and develop new personality traits. In most cases, this is simply to survive and adapt to the environment within the prison. However, upon release, it can be challenging for ex-inmates and their loved ones to realize that they no longer identify with who they were before they went to prison.
Scenery Changes
Over the years, new buildings emerge and the scenery is constantly changing. What was once an open field, could now be a massive shopping mall, or perhaps a corporate business park.
Scenery Changes
However, some places change, and others don’t. Regardless, it is often jaw-dropping for inmates to be released into a new era and discover that their surroundings are either completely different or exactly the same.
Fast Food Prices
While we already covered the constantly increasing cost of living, many ex-inmates are shocked specifically at the rising costs of Burger King and other fast-food establishments.
Fast Food Prices
And while those who aren’t in prison are able to gradually note and adjust to constant price increases, those who are in prison have no way of doing so. As a result, the price increases can be a massive shock for anyone that’s been released from prison after several years.
Showering Alone
Even though you do get to shower in prison, the shower situation is not appealing to most of us in the slightest. The concept of a group shower is enough to make anyone cringe. However, in prison, you do get pretty used to the idea of showering alongside other inmates, and this eventually becomes the norm.
Showering Alone
So, showering alone after being released from prison is a freedom unlike any other. What’s more, even the feeling of a carpet underfoot is something that you don’t have and forget about while in prison; concrete floors become the norm.
Smartphone Convenience
There’s no denying the fact that most of the world has the convenience of a smartphone in their pocket at all times. With instant access to absolutely everything and anything right in the palm of our hands. However, it’s not at all the same for those in prison; smartphones simply don’t exist there.
Smartphone Convenience
So, for anyone that went into prison before the emergence of smartphones, the new norm of having a smartphone can be quite an adjustment for logical reasons. We can only imagine how bizarre the world must seem to inmates being released now who were in prison for several years.
Everyday Travels
Traveling every day in a car to work and back, to the store, or anywhere else is pretty normal for most of us. However, it’s not the same for those behind bars, as there are no travel systems needed in prison.
Everyday Travels
So, adjusting back to a life where traveling is incorporated into everyday life can be difficult, to say the least. Some ex-inmates get car sick, or battle to adjust to transit options in other ways. And this is also perfectly understandable.
All The New Experiences
Not everyone feels comfortable inside large shops, and for those that have recently been released from prison, this discomfort is often enhanced dramatically. Big shops can be intimidating, and even more so if you aren’t even used to smaller shops.
All The New Experiences
With all the changes to retail; automatic doors, seemingly endless aisles, an endless range of products, and so many others, shopping can be a challenge for ex-inmates. This otherwise normal errand suddenly becomes a minefield of entirely new experiences if you haven’t been in society for some time.
Mind-Blowing Games
We all saw the sudden rise of the gaming world following the rolling lockdowns that encased the world in 2020. Although, the gaming industry has been growing substantially even before, with some of the most incredible game releases one could possibly imagine.
Mind Blowing Games
Gone are the days of lousy pixelated graphics, game lag, and loading screens that take hours. These days, the world of gaming is entirely mind-blowing, and even more so for anyone that’s been isolated from the gaming industry for a few years.
Time Waits For No One
For those in prison, it often feels as though time is standing still. Not much of the surroundings or routine changes over time, so it’s easy to understand how a prisoner could feel the same is happening outside of the prison.
Time Waits For No One
But unfortunately, time waits for no one, and as a result, many ex-inmates miss important events while they are behind bars, and realize just how much they have actually missed out on during their time away from society.
Different Manners
It might seem a bit bizarre that those behind bars could possibly have better manners than those in society, although this is a factor that shocks ex-inmates when they return to society. Seeing how differently people treat each other is definitely a challenging culture shock.
Different Manners
And even though everyone is definitely not without manners in society, this could also be the simple fact that there are fewer people in prison. And suddenly being surrounded by so many strangers does change the social rules a bit.
The Standards Of Society
When you’re in prison, the general rules and ways of life are different; the general norms are entirely different from that of society. From behaviors and ways of greeting others to dining manners and everything in between, things are pretty different.
The Standards Of Society
Unfortunately, learning to adjust to the standards in society when being released can be a bit tough. In prison, fellow inmates don’t simply ‘brush things off,’ for example.
YouTube
For everyone that hasn’t been in prison, YouTube is an everyday streaming app that we’ve grown to adore in a very short time-space. Most of us use YouTube daily, whether to let the kids watch Peppa Pig’s newest episode on a loop, watch a variety of YouTubers, or indulge in the world of adorable cats and the strange things that they do.
YouTube
On the other hand, for those who have been in prison, the concept of a streaming platform where one can both watch and upload videos of just about anything is pretty intriguing.
How The Times Have Changed
Things tend to change over time, and sometimes, societal norms can also change. For example, ten years ago, people would pay for gas after filling up their cars. Although, things work the other way around now. And along with this change, the development of tech has left original inventions useless. As a result, we no longer have a need for things like payphones.
How The Times Have Changed
So, along with changes in costs of living, people, in general, have changed their ways for various reasons over time; creating gradual new norms over time. For an ex-inmate, adjusting to this can be pretty rough.
No More Payphones
Not too long ago, payphones would be on just about every street corner. They were convenient and frequently used as people needed a means of contacting their loved ones on the home landline when they were out and about. Smartphones did not exist back then, so payphones were the only option.
No More Payphones
As you can imagine, an inmate that’s been behind bars during the period in which payphones were gradually removed would naturally have a bit of trouble navigating their way without them.
Self-Checkouts
For anyone that’s never been to prison, or accused of shoplifting, the concept of self-checkouts is pretty exciting. And because this is a fairly new addition to the world of tech, those who have been in prison have never even heard about it, unless visitors have mentioned it to them.
Self Checkouts
It can be pretty nerve-wracking for an ex-inmate to try and not look nervous and act natural while using a self-checkout point. Of course, they would feel as though they may look suspicious. And when you really give this a bit of thought, it’s actually exceptionally heartbreaking.
Flat Screens And Touch Screens
Back in the day, phones had buttons, TVs were large squares, and screens were preferably not supposed to be touched. These days, screens are flat and touch screens are everywhere.
Flat Screens And Touch Screens
So, for an ex-inmate that’s been behind bars for quite some time, the concept of using a touch screen phone can be quite peculiar and taboo, to say the least. Some battle to adjust to this change, as the extreme advancement in technology can feel untrusting.
Mysterious Changes
Automatic soap dispensers and other such ordinary devices have also been modernized by technology. These days, you can simply wave your hand to open a tap and the same is suitable for soap dispensers and even towel dispensers.
Mysterious Changes
However, these seemingly small changes are massive mysteries to those who haven’t had the time to get used to them. For this reason, there are programs designed to help reintegrate inmates after release. These programs help inmates adapt to new technologies.
Absolute Privacy
Something that most of us take for granted on a daily basis is privacy; in prison there is none. Unfortunately, you have to become accustomed to using the bathroom, showering, and sleeping without any privacy at all.
Absolute Privacy
So, it goes without saying that the concept of having complete privacy in these areas of life can be a pleasant surprise. Although it might feel somewhat strange for ex-inmates at first.
Siri: Your Own Personal Assistant
The release of Siri was amusing and exciting for just about everyone. Although, we have grown used to the concept, and it’s no longer anything of that much interest. Siri has become an integral part of many people’s days.
Siri Your Own Personal Assistant
But if you’ve just come out of prison, you might not know what Siri is. And even if you do, you would never have used such technology before. As a result, ex-inmates get to experience that thrilling excitement that we’ve already grown bored of over the years.
When Society Is Scarier
Those who have never been in prison imagine the experience to be absolutely terrifying. The thought of having all your privacy taken away, being surrounded by walls and isolated from your loved ones is absolutely terrifying for most of us.
When Society Is Scarier
Although strangely enough, inmates tend to feel that life in society is a lot more frightening. And if you watch enough news stories about things that are happening in the world, it’s no longer that shocking of a concept after all.
Arrows At The Traffic Lights
For most people, things like stop signs and arrows on the traffic lights go unnoticed for the larger part of things. However, these things do change over time; their designs and the basic tech used have been gradually advancing over time without many people even noticing at all.
Arrows At The Traffic Lights
So, for someone that’s been behind bars for a substantially long period, you can imagine that these omnipresent things would suddenly be completely different. Suddenly, traffic lights have flashing arrows.
Cars That Don’t Need Keys
These days, some cars don’t need keys, and they start with a push start sort of function. As mentioned, the automobile industry has changed dramatically over the years. And while most of us have been obsessing over electric cars and renewable energy, we haven’t really paid much attention to incredible smaller changes, such as cars that don’t need keys.
Cars That Dont Need Keys
An inmate that’s been behind years for a decade or longer would naturally be entirely amused by the advancements in vehicles. Cars are nothing like what they used to be a few years back.
So Much Food
It’s no secret that inmates are served food that isn’t entirely that tasty. However, portions are another thing that is somewhat less than suitable in prison. And over the years, inmates become accustomed to the menu as well as the portions.
So Much Food
While the difference of having access to tasty food is definitely new for ex-inmates, so is the available quantity. Many inmates have to gradually adapt to eating larger portions, as their stomachs can’t handle the large amounts of rich food.
Missing Out
Relationships and socializing are challenging for most of us. The dating culture has changed dramatically, and so have social norms and customs. And while we battle with these, you can only imagine how much of a challenge it must be to step out into an entirely new social and dating world after being behind bars for over a decade.
Missing Out
It can be an exceptional challenge to learn to date and socialize again. These things aren’t options in prison; there are no parties, no gatherings, and no weddings.
The Death Of Blockbuster
Most of us look back fondly at the era of Blockbuster and the excitement of renting movies on weekends. However, streaming platforms took over pretty fast as they are cheaper, more convenient, and always available.
The Death Of Blockbuster
That said, ex-inmates didn’t really have the chance to watch the end of the Blockbuster era. They also didn’t have time to gradually accept the change to streaming platforms. So, these platforms can seem alien to anyone that’s been in prison for years.
Legos Have Changed Too
Most of us didn’t really notice how Legos went from being simple and easy to play with kids toys that absolutely everyone loved, to becoming intricate playsets that even adults are fond of.
Legos Have Changed Too
Although, some inmates noticed the change. And just like Lego, there are so many small changes over the years that most of us would never notice unless pointed out by someone else.
So Many Rules
Anyone that’s been in prison hopes to never have to go back; humans are social beings, and we long to be with our loved ones and have our freedoms. However, even laws change over time.
So Many Rules
So, learning these laws can be a challenge for anyone that’s just been released. Everything from road laws to employee laws has been adjusted over the years. And because conforming to the law is vital to staying out of jail, ex-inmates need to adjust to new laws pretty fast.
Sleek Cars
Cars used to be pretty angular and square not too long ago. Ten years back, cars looked nothing like they do now. The new model vehicles are exceptionally sleek.
Sleek Cars
And this can be a sudden shock to an individual that last saw cars as angular and bulky. But it goes without saying that this is likely a pleasant surprise; experiencing sudden advancements can be jaw-dropping for anyone.
Nature
It’s hard to believe that anyone could forget nature or its enchanting and resilient beauty. However, because prison is so void of colors and nature, one gradually loses touch with these things and eventually forgets about them.
Nature
It must be an absolute marvel for anyone to come out of prison and experience nature again for the first time in several years. So, after reading all these stories from ex-inmates, perhaps it could be agreed that most of us take for granted so many beauties and joys that are seen in our everyday lives.