Maintaining contact with your family is very important. If you have any problems once you’re incarcerated, whether with prison staff or other inmates, let your family know immediately. It might be difficult, but you will need to put on a “brave face” while you’re locked up. This will help your family and it will reduce the risk of being victimized while you’re in prison. Avoid trouble. Avoid confrontations. Stay out of trouble and work towards the goal of an early release. Get into educational programs or anything positive that will help you pass the time and even become a better person. Avoid gangs. Don’t take sides. Stay neutral in any conflict. Look out for yourself first and foremost. Keeping in constant communication with your family will play a role in helping you find a job when you get out. Take advantage of any educational programs that present themselves.

“I spent much of my prison time reading. I must have read over 200 large books, mostly fictional stories about the American pioneers, the Vikings, Mafia, etc. As long as I was engrossed in a book, I was not in prison. Reading was my escape.”
― Frazier Glenn Miller, A White Man Speaks Out