My probation officer visits me twice a month to check on me and see how I’m doing. Yesterday he stayed for an hour, and we talked about his experience working in prison as a counselor.

When I asked if rape is common, he said that in the ten years he spent working within the prison system, he had never personally witnessed it and said it’s less common than people think. The only sex-related situation he recalled ever dealing with was a lesbian love triangle at a women’s prison.

As I talk to more people from both within and outside the prison system, I become more confident that I’ll be able to be okay. My PO says prison is no more dangerous than society. If you go in looking for trouble, you’ll find it. If you mind your own business, treat people with respect, and keep yourself busy, you’ll do fine and time will go by quicker.

A common complaint among inmates, my PO says, is the abundance of free time. “A lot of inmates get bored and zone out. The smarter ones fill their time with hobbies, further their educations, and work on a plan for after their release.”