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The Effects of the Inside The Real TRUTH

TO BEGIN

This webpage titled "The Effects on the Inside" will highlight key points that have seldom discussed in the free world. The points that will be talked about are based on a current insider who is at the Everglades Correctional Institution located in Florida. The purpose of this is to expose the negatives that occur on the inside that we are not familiar with. What are the true living conditions like? Do they participate in everyday activities? How do they handle mental health, and what has their experience been so far?

While reading through this webpage, pretend you are in their shoes. In today's society, the prison facilities have started to become almost unliveable and unfair to the people on the inside, which can create mental and physical issues that might be triggering to some.

A Sweet TASTE of LIVING

These are snapshots of Moishe talking about the current living/food conditions. In my letters to Moishe, I asked to please, in detail describe the room situation, what the food is like and much more so we can get a first hand perspective. Below are the responses:

Speaking for myself and others around the world, we have limited knowledge to what exactly the living conditions in prisons are like. What we think of usually is the small rooms with jail bars as doors, a toilet in the room that you must share with your cellmate, and little to no privacy. Seeing that this is true in some places, many dont actually know whats it like to be on the inside, living and breathing it every single day.

Over the course of my exchange letters with Moishe, I asked many questions about the living conditions. Not just what that room may seem like, but also the true opinion on the food. Coming into these letters, I assumed it wasnt all sunshine and roses and I was correct. For Moishe and many others, there is no sense of privacy, no rights, and you cant choose what you eat and drink. In some of the letters, Moishe explained that the food was undercooked, there was no real meat.. just straight up inedible. For example, Moishe mentioned that he has lost 50 pounds just from being on the inside. Another example about living that Moishe and I spoke about was the lack of privacy his roommate and him have. You must learn to get adjusted to this lifestyle very quickly and if you dont, you will have a very hard time. This puts a lot of pressure on the insiders.

Something that I noticed in Moishes letter was the constant mindset of positivity. In todays society, prison facilities lack the effort in making the food or living conditions better for all the inmates health which is a huge problem. Moishe mentioned that his current room has a beehive and a water leak that leaks everytime in rains or someone takes a shower. This is a big problem, but not in the eyes of the prison workers. Moishe never complains, and tells me that its doable and thats he is never really in there anyway, which seems to be the only right way to get used to it. However, knowing myself I could not do my everyday activties in these living conditions.

Statsically speaking, studies have shown that the prisons living conditions have done nothing but been on a decline. According to prisonpolicy.org, overcrowding prison facilities has led to many insiders not having the ability to have privacy, access to healthcare, and fewer opportunities for inmates to do activities. Especially with the pandemic arising, many people caught the virus fast because there were not places to isolate. There was also a significant food shortage and voilence was not controlled due to the lack of correctional staff.

This photo is a represenation of what the living situations look like for prisons in the state of Florida.
PASSING TIME

Mental health has been an up and coming problem in the prison facilities. Over the years we have seen many inmates come into prison with mental illness or see many develop it. With prisons gaining so much profit, many would think seeking help would be the main priority, but its not. Insiders suffer from this and find themselves feeling as if they have no purpose in life resulting in even some committing suicide. A statistic from the "Political Policy Initiative" states that 1 in every 4 people suffer from mental illness in the prison systems. If society were to see these problems they would upgrade the living conditions and implement health programs so the insiders can live a healthier lifestyle physically and mentally.

RESPONSES FROM MOISHE

As we know, mental and physical health can be a very sensative topic to talk about. I asked, if Moishe was comfortable, to explain how his mental and physical health have been affected ever since being put into the inside. I also asked what exactly he does to help cope with these health issues in which he listed some below.

Now knowing that mental health has developed into a hot topic in the prison facilities, Moishe was able to give us his take on how mental health has affected his experience so far. Moishe explains that many suffer when thinking whether or not they have a purpose in life because of the title they are now seen as. For example, "criminal" or "convicted felon." He states that the the topic of mental health easily catches up to a lot of people on the inside, resulting in many not knowing how to handle it.

In regards to Moishe, things that keep him going and his mental health stable is receiving things such as photos and videos from the people he knows on the outside. Its sad to think that many inmates dont have this which can lead to things like depression or again, even suicide. Not only does staying connected help Moishe, but so does staying busy. He writes that he attends academic classes, religious serivces, serves breakfast, and even tries to take multiple walks outside.

Moishes mindset is one that many do not have on the inside. He focuses on the end goal which is being let out in the outside world. In one of his last letters I received from him, he told me that his focus as of right now is figuring out a way to reduce his sentencing. He has obvisouly had some very bad days, but when he doesnt, he keeps his head held high and focuses on the betterment of himself which is another helping factor in regards to mental health.

Even though, Moishe has many things to keep him busy, what about the others? As said in the statistic above, many struggle with mental health illnesses and do not seek help. Usually when insiders show signs of mental health illnesses, the facilities sometimes will give them perscription drugs that sometimes make insiders go crazy and then they put them in psychiatric hopsitals to get them away. This is not how the prison system should be handling insiders who have this illness. There needs to be a better alternative.

EXPERIENCE FOR MOISHE AS A WHOLE

Moishe has been in the prison system for about 17 years now with a little over 12 to go. Moishe has shown confidence and stability over these years and has been very inspiring to write to. Coming into prison from being aclimated to the free world can be tough for many. The living sitations, everyday activities and much more is super different. Words taken from Moishes experience is to never give up and to keep fighting. What has gotten him through his time being on the inside is staying busy, connecting with the people on the outside and staying focused on the end goal... getting out. Moishe has been very insipiring for myself, and hopefully to others as well.

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