Prison 101 tip #1

I am an author writing a new book about the do's and do not's of surviving a prison sentence and have extensive experience having served sentences in the State of Connecticut with a federal detainer. The first thing you need to do before entering prison for the first time is get your finances in order. You have no access to bank accounts or credit cards once inside. The only way to get or spend money is through your prison commissary account which can usually hold up to two thousand dollars depending on the state or federal facility. Keeping the amount of money you have private so that the corrections officers and other inmates don't know how much money you have is imperative. Drawing attention for any reason, especially financial, is a big no no inside. There is always a commissary or store in every facility that you purchase everything through. From writing supplies to food, everything goes through the store. Nothing is allowed in from the outside world except letters and sometimes a clothing package consisting of two grey or white sweat suits, t-shirts, boxer shorts or underwear, socks, ect. Usually you can also keep the sneakers you are wearing when you enter the prison as well as long as they don't have any colors deemed to be gang related. This is a huge deal as inmates have a very limited selection of sneakers to choose from and a brand new pair of Air Jordans or Nikes can be worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars even in not so new condition. That is enough to feed you for the first six months your in unless you enjoy eating the free prison slop that's served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I will be posting tips from time to time but have an extensive knowledge of this subject and can help anyone who needs it one on one before it's too late. Once your inside that's it. You are entirely on your own.