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What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

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Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#121

Post by guelo »

dm2 wrote: post #55
ihnorton wrote: post #52

A comment response by the top poster [1] deserves a full read as well, for observations of behavior, motivations, and recidivism by others in the system. On the latter note, there is also this sobering paragraph: ...Here in Colorado we have what is called "mandatory parole" - which is probably not what you think it is. It does not mean that it is mandatory to release you early, it means that even if you are released…

Then why not better train, screen, and pay the parole officers? These people seem to be a key part of the system which would be overseeing people who have a high chance to commit a crime. The parole officers should definitely try to fairly assess the parolee's life circumstances and try to best assist them in finding a job and crime-free life in normal society. I've heard stories of parole officers being hard on paro…

What gave you the impression that it's a problem of training and pay? Parole officers are doing their jobs as they are trained. The system, run by "tough on crime" politicians, prosecutors and cops, is geared towards having as little sympathy as possible.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#122

Post by adrusi »

mjolk wrote: post #8

"I learned that you should go straight to the person you're upset with rather than go to authorities." This is bullshit and dumb advice. If someone steals my bike and I find out who it is, I'm not going to go to his apartment and beat him to death in the middle of the day (smart money on confronting a scumbag not leading to a productive conversation). Fuck that. The reason we have "authorities" is because we have peo…

You misunderstand the intended purpose of the article. You're not supposed to see these anecdotes of prison experiences and morals and interpret them as lessons that you should have learned and didn't. The point is to spread understanding, to offer a glimpse into the minds of those who have experienced prison, especially those whose previous lives were so different from life behind bars.

You're right, directly confronting the perpetrator rather than seeking help from the authorities is often inappropriate in "normal life", but the point is that prison changes people. Before prison, the convict would choose to respond to a conflict as would you and I you and I, and believed that was "correct". But prison changed him in that respect so completely that he recognizes that he changed and fully believes that it's for the better.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#123

Post by mjolk »

johnjay wrote: post #51
mjolk wrote: post #8

"I learned that you should go straight to the person you're upset with rather than go to authorities." This is bullshit and dumb advice. If someone steals my bike and I find out who it is, I'm not going to go to his apartment and beat him to death in the middle of the day (smart money on confronting a scumbag not leading to a productive conversation). Fuck that. The reason we have "authorities" is because we have peo…

I agree 100% with you. The best response is always to call the authorities. I really don't see the benefit of going toe to toe with a criminal. Also, I'm shocked by the responses you are getting telling you that you are wrong. Do people really want to confront a criminal. I grew up in a ghetto in Brooklyn, NY, I'm Hispanic, and my family always calls the police. Getting into an argument directly with someone has too…

Yeah, I don't understand most of the responses. I hope that the responses are either from people that:

a) Don't think that he's saying "here's advice for life" (and if they do, don't realize that this is advice for how to respond to crimes against you)

b) Are scoping his advice to "while in prison, and because you're stuck there with violent morons anyway, don't make yourself a target"

c) Are out of their depth and/or don't realize that criminals are willing to resort to violence over even being told to not yell on a crowded subway. Further, don't realize that even short fistfights can result in serious consequences to both parties.

d) Just have no idea how the world really works and see things from this weird rose-tint of (based on responses to me) "minorities will get often get arrested for reporting crimes, so they shouldn't report them" and don't really understand that "don't snitch" just results in higher crime rates in affected areas due to inadequate police spending.

I'm in Brooklyn too and I've witnessed some pretty aggressive fights over petty (non-criminal) bullshit. Why give a shit if a criminal respects you? I get that within jail, it's more important, but how is the system supposed to improve?

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#124

Post by mjolk »

clamprecht wrote: post #98
deftnerd wrote: post #57

I am a developer/hacker who spent 6 months in prison about a decade ago. They had a room of old broken computers that were donated and I offered to fix them up in exchange for increased library privileges. Normally inmates could only visit the library once a week and check out two books, but I read about 4 books a day during my time there. I fixed up the computers and supported them once they got a teacher, read my b…

> You pretty much have to resign yourself to the fact that you'll work at 50% of the salary as your peers or have to make your own future by starting your own companies and projects. Fuck that. If you're going to resign yourself to something, resign yourself to the fact that you will have to work 150% as hard as your peers to make as much money. I know this is saying almost the same thing, but it's saying it in a mor…

Ah, yes, the linear reward to effort fallacy.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#125

Post by jsmthrowaway »

deftnerd wrote: post #116
bjoe_lewis wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was a nice read. How exactly did your "felonious history" affect your career? Just curious, do the world of startups and hackers, actually bias on things like this?

One of the most depressing moments was when I got a high-paid and very desirable job at Dell. I was even upfront about my history with my interviewer (I've never hidden or lied about it before) who assured me that it wasn't an issue. I was working for 3 days and was nice and comfortable in my office and made lots of friends when security arrived and escorted me to my car and told me I wasn't allowed back on Dell prop…

Ah, I see Dell and Google do background checks the same way. Google just waits a couple months.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#126

Post by legulere »

kybernetyk wrote: post #104
deftnerd wrote: post #57

I am a developer/hacker who spent 6 months in prison about a decade ago. They had a room of old broken computers that were donated and I offered to fix them up in exchange for increased library privileges. Normally inmates could only visit the library once a week and check out two books, but I read about 4 books a day during my time there. I fixed up the computers and supported them once they got a teacher, read my b…

> The obvious downside is that prison sticks to you for the rest of your life What don't you move to Europe? There your US criminal records don't interest anybody - only in security relevant jobs. So just don't apply for jobs with banks, etc.

You think that you get a visa for living in the EU if you have a criminal record?

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#127

Post by jcc80 »

johnjay wrote: post #51
mjolk wrote: post #8

"I learned that you should go straight to the person you're upset with rather than go to authorities." This is bullshit and dumb advice. If someone steals my bike and I find out who it is, I'm not going to go to his apartment and beat him to death in the middle of the day (smart money on confronting a scumbag not leading to a productive conversation). Fuck that. The reason we have "authorities" is because we have peo…

I agree 100% with you. The best response is always to call the authorities. I really don't see the benefit of going toe to toe with a criminal. Also, I'm shocked by the responses you are getting telling you that you are wrong. Do people really want to confront a criminal. I grew up in a ghetto in Brooklyn, NY, I'm Hispanic, and my family always calls the police. Getting into an argument directly with someone has too…

"I'm shocked by the responses you are getting"

Because you're reading it different than most people, just like the parent comment.

"I learned that you should go straight to the person you're upset with rather than go to authorities."

Person you're upset with doesn't = potentially violent criminal. It could be a co-worker and the choice is to express yourself to them like an adult or immediately go to HR.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#128

Post by jsmthrowaway »

eplanit wrote: post #60

Hmm. He makes no mention of what crime he was convicted of, and expresses no remorse, either. Although he does seem to be feeling regret (which I think is an appropriate function of prison), he sees himself as being a victim -- no other victim is referred to. It seems he's proud of his murdering, home-invading comrades. This is certainly a testament to the failure of prisons (at least in his case). The education he n…

I would give you $1,000 to make it a week in medium, but I wouldn't want to be party to your murder.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#130

Post by gngeal »

onetimeonly wrote: post #103

I'm a hacker who served 4.5 months of a 9 month sentence 5 years ago. I was in two jails in that time, spending the majority of the time in the second, lower security place. The experience totally changed me, but in a positive way. First of all, I actually had a lot of fun in jail. My education made certain aspects of the prison system very easy for me to navigate, such as legal documentation and debating with guards…

Many, many people in jail were severely mentally ill. There was no support for them.

So UK is getting as bad as the US? Or has it never been good over there? Given how mental health conditions and incarcerations (for whatever reason) go hand in hand, I'd expect any sane society to tackle the former even more ferociously than the latter.

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