There are two philosophies regarding an inmate's charges when he goes to prison. Some say to be truthful about it and some will tell you to have a cover story.

The philosophy to use depends on the security prison your loved one will be sent, although as a new inmate, I would never reveal my charges.

I can guarantee you----guarantee----that if a new inmate comes into the pod at a medium security prison, he will be noticed. If that inmate is approached and asked the proverbial----what are you in here for----and he says, "aggravated child molestation" or "first degree rape," he will not likely be there long, certainly not at a medium security prison.

At some point, an inmate or more than one inmate will approach him and threaten him if he "does not get off the yard."

The inmates there are the more hardened convicts and they are not about to allow a sex offender in their neighborhood. It does not matter if the new inmate is Mike Tyson Jr., there will be problems. The guys here are serving long sentences and they look at prison as their home; they don't like sex offenders moving close by.

At a lower security, an inmate can much more easily get by with admitting his charges, but he will be shunned.

I saw what happened to new recruits with sex charges who came into a medium security prison. They were beaten, robbed, thrown off the top run, threatened, etc., it they either had crimes against children or a sex crime.

In the beginning, the inmates know nothing about the new guy on the block. For all they know, he might be a serial child molester. It is best to establish yourself with a cover story until you can show them you are NOT some kind of sexual predator.

An inmate with sex crimes who carries himself well can survive at a medium security prison, but only if he establishes himself after a period of time.

An inmate would have to be a little nuts to try to go into a medium security prison with sex charges and tell the other inmates right off his charges.

rewdiazepam

Hi my son has been inside for over 7yrs in medium federal prisons . There have been some hairy moments but he has managed to survive many hurdles and is now in Petersburg VA where there are other SO's so much more relaxed . I have sent you price messaged as well .

Unless you have a short stay someplace like a transfer center, I would not recommend using a cover story. Most of the violence that I saw toward SO's, was if they were found to be lying.

I have seen CO's tell prisoners that a new inmate was going to join the unit and the prisoner was an SO. Then the new inmate walks into his cell and his cellmate immediately tells him to go ask for PC.

There was also paperwork that would have the term SOMP (Sex Offender Modification Program). Other inmates could see this paperwork, it was on our 1st laundry request, when we received our uniforms, you would give it to the inmate in charge of clothing distribution. It was also on our phone list and judgement and commitment.

If someone decides to use a cover story, make sure you know about your "fake crime". Make sure that your sentence makes sense. Make sure you look the part (if you look like an accountant, don't say you were a crack dealer).

Remember, you're legal name, you're prison ID number and the state of your conviction will be known to every prisoner in your unit. This info is poster daily on the call out sheet. Call outs are everyone's appointments for the next day. With this info anybody can have a firend on the outside check Google.

I don't know if Hank was in a medium security prison or not, but my experience was that you should use a cover story if you are at a medium security prison. I do know this-----at a state prison and in a medium security prison where I was, I saw most every new inmate who was a sex offender have problems. Lots of problems. The great majority of them "caught out" and went to PC.

Maybe prison is so much different these days that the other inmates do not care about a new arrival's crime.

I do know there are several women on this forum whose husband or sons went to a medium security prison on sex charges and they had a lot of problems. Most were threatened and went to PC.

But it is a personal choice. You have to do what you think is best.

rewdiazepam

My husband was in reception for 3 months. That was the only time he was threatened. Fortunately, he is a good listener. He had a celly who was a gang member. He liked my husband because he listened to him nonjudgmentally so he protected him. Otherwise, I am not sure he would have made it through that part.

My husband is in a medium state facility for approx 2-1/2 years now. He has only had a couple minor issues. He stays to himself mostly, has a couple people he talks to and they have almost the same charges as him. He says it's easier to keep to himself and not worry about everything, it can be boring as he puts it.

My son used a cover story. He went in for 30 months in Federal.

Our system here is pretty good in a way. Inmates who have committed similar crimes are put together. There are separate halls for drugs, violent crimes and sexual offences. My husband is in PC and it's an unspoken rule you don't ask anyone what they are in for although the colour of your sweatshirt gives it away.

He's stayed safe by being "invisible" he keeps his head down, speaks to no one except his cell mate, doesn't draw attention to himself. Guards don't remember his name because he stays so quiet. He goes for his meals, eats and leaves quickly. Even though it's classed as the counties most notorious prison, fights that break out are usually between inmates that have known each other on the outside.

Hubby was at a high security level, and he had a cover story. When he was moved to a medium security, people knew where he came from. When people asked, he told them it wasn't any of their business. Hubby has a look of a hardened criminal, but is the nicest guys you could meet. After some time, rumors were going around about what his crime was, and he decided to use it to his advantage.

At the medium where I was, everyone with a sex offense used a cover story in the beginning. If a SO does not use some kind of story in the beginning and lets the other inmates know his true charges, that news will spread like wildfire over, not only the pod, but in surrounding areas. Then, inevitably there will be one or a few inmates who take it upon themselves to confront the SO. Since other inmates will never side in with a new inmate with sex charges, he is isolated.

Everything I mention here applies to a medium security prison, not a minimum facility. Anybody can do time at a minimum.

Even after I had been in for years, I can remember many times a couple of inmates approaching me and saying, "You know that new guy over in cell 13? The one who looks clean cut? Did you know he is in here for child molestation? This SOB is a sex offender against children!!!!! Oh hell, he has to go. Let's get him out of here."

And then the fun starts.

He can be killed, but that does not happen very often. If he decides to give out his charges, he will be robbed, pushed around, threatened, and probably assaulted, but not likely killed. That is not the way I wanted to do my time so I and every other sex offender used a cover story.

Sure an inmate can stand up to them, but that is not practical. Who wants to get into a fight in prison every day? Not only is he taking a chance of getting seriously hurt, he also will be in SHU half the time and if he has any good time credits, they will be taken away from him when he get a misconduct for being in a fight. And after about the second fight, the SO will find himself on a bus to higher security.

Who wants to be robbed often? Who wants to continually lose their canteen and phone privileges because they are in SHU?

The threat of violence toward sex offenders in prison is less than it was when I was serving time. Today there are so many sex offenders in prison that I am sure it is easier, but I still see newspaper articles every day that an SO has been killed in prison.

The inmates in a medium security prison are not rational, nice people. They thrive on respect. For example, my cellmate once owed a debt and he refused to pay. The other inmate was an acquaintance of mine in prison, although I did not run with him in there. One afternoon, after 4:00 count he rushed into our cell and stabbed my cellmate 17 times in the chest, puncturing a lung. What did he owe? A forty cent package of Ramen Noodles. So these guys do not think like the rest of us.

Hell, people out here cannot tolerate a SO, so how do you think the inmates will react when a new guy, a SO, comes on their pod? Many of these other inmates have charges ranging from murder to assault to robbery. They are no stranger to violence, nor are they strangers to resorting to violence.

Regarding a SOs safety in prison, there really is no choice as he is forced to use a cover story or he will be run off the yard if they found out about his charges in the beginning. As time went on, and the other inmates began to like and respect the SO, when the cover story was revealed to be just a story, the inmates will not seem to care as much. They now know he is a nice guy and do not put much emphasis on his charges.

The danger period is either---1) when an inmate first steps foot on the yard and comes into the pod, or 2) if another inmate who knew the SO from the county jail or another institution shows up at the same prison.

My one friend's cover story worked for the duration of his incarceration, which was eight years. After he had been in prison for a while, nobody asked what he was in there for.

My cover story lasted over two years. When a few inmates did find out, they said, "REW is an OK guy. I don't really care about his charges. He's been around here forever and we trust him."

I never saw anyone beaten because they had lied to the other inmates. If the inmates like you, the charges will not matter as much.

I can only relate my experiences and the experiences of others during that time. If I am wrong, and the inmates will welcome another inmate with sex charges----especially against minors---- with open arms, then I am obviously wrong and prison is much different than it was when I was there.

Just always keep this in mind----INMATES DO NOT BEAT UP OTHER INMATES THEY LIKE. Period. It just does not happen in real life and it does not happen in prison.

Whichever route your son takes, I wish him well.

rewdiazepam

My hubby is at a medium level state prison. It is one of only 2 (I think) in the state that has the required SO program that most SO's have to go through before being released, so MOST of the inmates are there for sex offenses. Hubby hasn't had too many problems. He's never been hurt or threatened.

Kali,

The fact that most of the inmates at your husband's prison are sex offenders certainly makes a difference.

After all, the other inmates cannot threaten and harm that many sex offenders in prison. The scenario Kali describes here sounds more like one of those SNY yards they have in California. A SNY-----Sensitive Needs Yards----are special prisons or areas of prisons which are designated just for those who would be vulnerable in the general population. This includes snitches, sex offenders, and gang dropouts.

When a large majority of the inmates at a particular prison are there because of sex charges, then, yes it does decrease the propensity of problems for the SO.

Unfortunately, the percentage of sex offenders in many medium security prisons is not that high.

rewdiazepam

But as I say, maybe I am wrong and prison is different than from when I was in. If anyone wants to test it, have a son or husband go into a medium security prison and tell them he is a sex offender within the first week of being there. Maybe nothing will happen, but I know I would never try something like that,.

Ifeel anyone who has been convicted of a sex crime should have a cover story on hand and ready to use in the event it is needed. The person involved is the only one who can make the decision as to whether or not it is necessary, but initially it may be.

My son went through a hellish time while in the county jail when a guy decided to disclose why he was there. He had it in for my son from the git-go, and had his wife google him, and all hell broke loose. Prior to that, no one asked or cared why he was there. My son ended up having to go into PC for the last 3 wks. he was there. It was a total nightmare.

The cover story needs to fit their persona and be in line with the amount of time they are serving.

Prison is a whole different ball game. The people there have a society of their own that we out here have no way of understanding. They don’t think along the same lines we do, and the name of the game is survival.

I would suggest to anyone who is going to prison, because of a sex crime, to be equipped with the biggest bag of lies they can carry, and be prepared to use them as if they were the gospel truth.

Your loved one doesn’t owe anyone there anything, and no one there will ever truly be their bosom buddy. It’s a dog eat dog environment, and the better equipped they are to handle that, the better off they will be.

Unless you have been in prison yourself, there is no way to know these things. Listen to those who have been there, for they have the wisdom of first hand experience. REW saved my son’s life by helping us navigate through the horrible situations my son found himself in.

My son is quickly learning the laws of the jungle, and is doing better.

Thank you REW. Words could never express the respect and gratitude I feel for you and the work you do.

Just remember though, they can always ask someone on the outside to look them up. Many times, there are local news articles on the web giving detailed information about arrest, charges etc.

My case was federal. I was in an MDC (2 months) and an MCC (5 months) and did my time in an Administrative Security Prison ( Devens) Administrative Prisons are the BOP's way of keeping everyone together. I have seen 2 guys share a cell, where 1 inmate has 90 days and his cellmate is serving triple life for multiple murders of DEA agents.

A problem with cover stories is people don't use 1 that is even possible. Either the crime they say they are in for is not a federal crime, Their sentence makes no sense. Or they don't know anything about the crime they are trying to pass off. I watched a guy tell his cellmate that he was convicted of cocaine distribution. His cellmate who was actually in for cocaine trafficking asked "how much does a gallon of cocaine go for these days" Cocaine is not measured in gallons and the SO didn't know that, he also would have had no idea how much kilos go for, because he had never actually seen cocaine. BAD COVER STORY.

Another problem is that an SO could end up with the wrong people. If you say that you are in for drugs and end up eating, sleeping and hanging out with actual violent inmates, they are going to feel very embarrassed and disrespected if it is discovered you are actually an SO and were lying to them. That situation is going to turn out very badly.

If an SO uses a cover story, study your story, memorize facts, know the laws. And if the other convicts aren't buying it, GET OUT and check in.