In Pennsylvania there are over 5,100 inmates serving life sentences. In the book Life without Parole (living and dying in prison today) by Victor Hassine. It tells a tragic story of one inmate for has faced life in one of the worst prisons in Pennsylvania in the 1980s. Many parts surprised me about this book. As a criminal justice major I have watched many documentaries about prison life. The documentaries only tell what prisons are like now, but none talk about the prison life in the early years. I was surprised for the lack of consideration for the mentally ill inmates. I never knew that mentally ill inmates were put in a room and given medication to keep them sedated. Another surprising fact was the lack of programming for rape victims. Hassine’s friend David was raped twice and the only thing that the staff members did was check to make sure that the rape did occur and sent him to pc. This caused him to become…show more content… The first thing I learned was about prison subculture. I learned that many prisons have their own little code of conduct. The inside of prisons runs like its’ own city. With different rules and regulations. Failure to comply with the rules of the prisoner and of the officer will result in violence against you. Fear is also something that I learned every prisoner has. Not just for prison it’s self, but the everyday life. You hear stories about Big Bubba and how he waits for you but, that is not true. In prison the fear isn’t just getting rape but, saying something wrong or even looking at someone the wrong way. The last thing that learned was that the prison system has been discombobulated since it was first developed. Many administrators carry on as if they are trying to figure how to fix the spiraling damage that is the prison system while prisoners are stuck inside begging for help but not receiving it. Everyone else is watching everything but, not doing anything at
