If you were going to prison and could choose between general population and solitary, which would you choose?

Solitary absolutely wrecks most people who stay for a long time. Humans are social creatures – to totally remove any avenue for socialization (not to mention the other horrible conditions, such as an extremely small cell, very little light, little chance for exercise, etc) easily causes more damage than one would receive being confined traditionally (and it’s mental damage too, not physical – it’s much easier to recover from a stab wound than to recover from six months of isolation). General population wins, hands down.

solitary, because i don’t want to be shivved and i don’t want to be raped, you know, in the butt. true, it might cause some mental instability, but odds are, so does shower rape. solitary.

I wouldn’t hold up in gen pop. I think I could handle being alone better than being harrassed by the community. Solitary FTW.

I hear your points, @dynamicduo , but I think that I’d rather take my chances on getting warped by loneliness as opposed to the prison system.

What if solitary confinement meant no human contact, but you had an internet connection? And the only site you could surf was disney.com – would that be cruel and unusual punishment?

Solitary.

@steelmarket something tells me they don’t let prisoners anywhere near anything that has to do with Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers.

they’re supposed to get rehabilitated, not abused

I’d go with solitary confinement. If they gave you the choice to go there, it wouldn’t be a punishment so you wouldn’t be denied privledges and you would still get, among other things, recreation time and reading materials.

In general population, it can be a much more animalistic and dangerous environment (this could depend more heavily on what prison you are sent to also) and I’m like others here, I’m not going to take the chance of being maimed or killed or subjected to possible sexual assaults or rape.

I worked for two years as a Detention Officer for the Maricopa County’s Sheriff’s Office and life in jail is just like the stories you hear – it’s all horrible for the most part.

Solitary for all the reasons stated above.

Eh, I would like to say solitary but I know being alone will drive a person insane. I mean solitary confinement means absolutely nothing, White walls, no windows, white sheets white out fit, white door, white floor, your food gets slipped in through a slot in the door, no human voices. It would be tough, I mean I could entertain myself for awhile by singing or something but I can’t remember that many lyrics or sing very well. So I would take my chances in the general population. I might get shanked or killed but its not like everyone gets killed in prison. Besides if i was in a prison for a life sentence, Id rather die on my feet than live on my knees anyways. (no rape pun intended)

Solitary!

Gen pop. I’d probably make myself the jailhouse lawyer, so who’d shank me? Oh, maybe the guards. Eh, whatever.

Solitary. My butt’s too juicy for genpop.

Solitary, you’re allowed books and I could sing my days away. I’m sure the acoustics are fantastic.

@PupnTaco I know, no one is ready for this jelly. <wiggle> <wiggle>
really, solitary in my case is for the good of everyone else.

@asmonet See – that’s what i’m thinking: i get to read the collected works of every author, learn new languages, etc. In GenPop, i’m trading looseys for the opportunity to not get blunt force trauma with a cafeteria tray.

I’m already insane lol I choose solitary (at least I would get a padded cell) and I would have a great time,but once I was in they would never let me out and I wouldn’t be alone

Gen pop. I’m not about to get lost in my head and I’m not about to become somebody’s bitch. Man-up, everyone. Start looking at this a different way: if you’re going to hypothetically go to jail, why don’t you hypothetically run the fucking yard? Set up gambling rings, keep the guards in your pocket, and don’t be that bitch who gets his/her juicy bootie violated. Run that joint. It’s make believe.

only if I can still keep my paded cell

Keep the padded cell and devise some hypothetical plot that you masterminded that led to that priviledge, of which all the other inmates are jealous.

@gimmedat. Yeah, that’s exactly what I want to do. Go to prison to violate the rules, become an even worse person that when I went in, and perpetuate worsening an already failing correctional system. Um, no.

Im to pretty for general pop and I am afraid that is what I would turn into, everyone’s general “pop”.

Solitary for me.

I didn’t choose solitary for fear of what the other inmates would do to me, I chose it because of fear of what I would become…..I’m not normally a calm, relaxed person, and in that stressful situation my mental health would decline rapidly, I would become more of a danger to them then they would be to me and in the end I would have so many life sentences I would never be allowed to leave(which would make it worse), in solitary my mental health wouldn’t change much and there would still be a chance I could leave eventually.

also “Jealous”??? you can’t run a prison on inmates being jealous, inmates respect power they need to fear you… and that is not a good thing.

@Bluefreedom, I don’t want to go to jail. Period. If I did, I would be the best criminally minded person to get stuck in the pen.

@gimmedat. Sounds good. I’m glad we cleared that up. And I’m with you on the whole incarceration thing – I never, ever want to go to jail or prison.

ya, jail would suck.

Free food and rent? That doesn’t sound so bad.

Being that I’m only 5’ 6” and incredibly stunning to look at, I opt for solitary.

I’m perfectly fine with my own company, so long as I can have books. Solitary for me!

Solitary. Think of all the reading I’d get done.

Poor Chuckie would be the belle of the ball.

i hear that in jail you have to join a gang because you must have the security and affilitation and protection.

i would choose solitary myself. i would have books and write letters and just do my thing.

Are we talking like a minimum security Martha Stewart type prison or are we talking about a Folsom/Chino/Leavenworth type prison? I could totally go for a nice little minimum security prison. Cable and someone else cooking. HHMMMM But, if we are talking heavy duty prison, they would never take me alive! I am waay to pretty for some place like that! I would have to be some womans wife. I am already a wife, I don’t need the extra responsibility!