I can't speak to prison.
I can speak to being terrified for my life off and on till I was 17. I can speak to being socially awkward b/c of the terror of screwing up and its consequences (at home, they were often severe).

I observed. I watched what got results I'd want (kindness, etc.). I did those things. I was a klutz at first. but I kept trying.

I do not know why you were in prison, nor do I need to know. Observe. Learn. Practice. Admit mistakes. Try again. But first, decide what you want out of human interaction. Casual courtesy? Friendship? Invisibility? That's all I can advise, looking back at my very clumsy social life as a young person.

Long road since then. I've got friends now I made then. So... For me, it worked.

I can talk to that but for me, it is not a prison but the military. There were definite rules of how to act, how people ranked in the social order, and cues on a person, their quality, experience. It is just like a prison but without the bars. I am still having a hard time learning to adapt as these civilians have very different rules (if there are any). You need good friends to help show you the ropes and tell you when you have broken one of the civilian rules. Try to socialize as much as possible as practice makes perfect. Were there any classes on how to reintegrate? There are some in the military but largely they were useless.

Welcome and a big hug for you Irash

I haven't been to prison however I volunteered for some time for a wrongful conviction assoc in Canada and I have seen many people who have been in prison for years

Do you have any access at all to some therapy??.... I have no doubt that you have PTSD

Are there agencies like the John Howard assoc where you are or any agencies to help people to find their way back to functioning in society again

Right now it's such a strange world that you have a lot to try and cope with

This is a good place to come... I'm glad that you're here

At first I have seen so many people really excited to be out but within a very short time I know that the world can be overwhelming...

Another hug..... xo

I ran a halfway house for 40 men who were discharged from Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, Irashunal1917. I was in and out of the Penitentiary a lot interviewing guys I got to select to come to my halfway house.

Our work at the halfway house involved making that transition you mention here in your post. It isn't easy adapting to the world at large again after having adapted to prison life for years. Most of my guys made the transition, though. It helped that I created a support group inside my halfway house that met every Thursday night. Kind of like the support group here where people's peer counseling one another really helps.

I'll bet there's a support group offline where you live now, and if not I'll bet there's a support group online specifically by and for others making the transition from prison life to life after prison. There was one right here on Daily Strength years ago.
https://www.dailystrength.org/group/families-of-prisoners/discussion/life-after-prison

Either you can seek to revive that group or find another one that's already current.

Look up the word "institutionalized" on the web, seriously, and my suggestion is to attend a self-help prisoner group to help you reintegrate into society. A prisoner outreach program can help. Check with your parole officer.