Families of Prisoners Support Group
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My dad is in county jail in Texas now and about to be transferred to the state prison in Beeville. He is 65, never been in prison before. He was convicted of child pornography. I'm just so worried for him. Anyone have any experience in that facility? Any idea what it's like for a sex offender there? Anything I can tell him that might help him before he goes?
If your dad can stay out of debt in there he should be ok.
He is an older guy and has never been in prison before, so he probably does not understand the atmosphere and the environment of a prison. You need to know that sex offenders are at the bottom of the totem pole as far as popularity is concerned. Most inmates do not like sex offenders or any person with a crime against a child, since many were abused themselves when they were children.
He has child porn charges. What was his sentence? How many years did he receive for his sentence? This is important since a sentence of just a few years will usually send an inmate to a minimum security prison, but a lengthy sentence will send them to a medium security prison.
The difference is important, as the inmates at a medium security prison and a minimum security prison are much different in how they act and think.
At a minimum security prison, the inmates have shorter sentences and are closed to their release date. As a result, they have only one thing on their mind----to go home. So they are on their best behavior and the last thing on their mind is beating someone up b/c of their charges. Violence against another inmate would result in a misconduct, which would set their release date back up to a year. There is very little violence at a minimum security prison.
At a medium security prison, the inmates there are usually violent with longer sentences. In fact, some of the sentences are so lengthy that the inmate knows he will never see the outside world again. As a result, they have no incentive to follow the rules of the prison. A misconduct for battery on another inmate means nothing to them since they are not ever getting out anyway. The medium security prisons are where all the “bad” guys are. I was at a medium security prison and some of the things I saw were not pretty.
I doubt that simple CP charges will get him sent to a medium, but I am not privy to his case.
If he is headed to a minimum, there is little to worry about. The inmates there do not particularly like inmates with sex offenses, but they won’t physically attack them. They will do nothing more than possibly shun a sex offender.
At a medium they will do more than shun; they will either threaten a sex offender they do not like by telling him he "needs to get off the yard" or they may attack him. In other words, they don't want him around. Since many inmates in a medium security prison will never go home, they look at their area in prison as their “neighborhood,” and they don’t want sex offenders in their neighborhood.
Sex offenders can do reasonably well in prison if they are liked and respected by the other inmates, but if they find a sex offender creepy or weird, they will attack him not only b/c he is a sex offender but also because he acts strange. Inmates do not like creepy or weird guys. Since your father is 65 years old, if he acts normal, the other inmates may see him as a "kindly older man" and leave him alone.
His age will help him, also. Most of the time inmates do not want to attack an older guy.
Now, don’t get too frightened. I can help you and your father if you want me to. He will get through this, but having a sex offense while in prison can be problematic.
I believe Beeville is Garza, with both an east and a west unit. Garza West and Garza East are temporary holding prisons---transfer facilities--- and he eventually be shipped to another prison in Texas. The inmates are housed temporarily after their transfer from county jails and are held no longer than two years.
He will probably be classified at Garza and then shipped once classified. I am fairly certain that the security at Garza will be tight as it is close to being a maximum security prison.
For now, here are some basic rules he must follow----
Don’t EVER snitch on anyone.
Don’t borrow and get in debt. Snitching or getting in debt and unable to pay are the two main reasons inmates get badly hurt in prison.
Keep a low profile. He does not need to hide in his cell, but he does need to be inconspicuous and not do anything that would raise a red flag. Fussing with the other inmates is also not recommended.
He needs to mind his own business. Inmates get very jittery when another inmates starts asking them too many questions. Your dad can learn a lot of what to do and what not to do by watching the other inmates.
He should not be talking to the guards unless they ask him something. Other inmates get really nervous when they see another inmate talking to prison staff too much. It will make them wonder if he is a snitch.
He needs to be VERY respectful, as respect is paramount in prison. Don’t be playing the radio too loud or making a commotion as someone may be trying to sleep.
Don’t be a loudmouth or instigator. Act like an “OK” guy.
I don’t know how he is handling his offenses in jail, but he does not want to talk about his charges or blurt out that he is there on CP offenses when asked.
He will get the hang of serving time, but in the beginning, it is rather difficult.
Anytime you have a question or your dad has any problem in prison at all, message me. I am around this forum a couple of times a day to collect my messages.
God bless you, your family, and your father.
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