Self-care
Once in prison, many women panic, feel helpless and constantly ask family and friends for transfers. Thus, they become a burden to their relatives. And this is a fundamentally wrong approach.
Despite the fact that the colony significantly limits freedom, it leaves the possibility of satisfying basic needs. In most correctional facilities, inmates can make good money. Some even manage to save money and help relatives.
Most often, clothing workshops operate in women's colonies. In normal correctional institutions, prisoners can earn 10-20 thousand rubles a month. The money can be spent at a local store, buying food, hygiene products, etc. It will be difficult to survive on prison food, so you should not skimp on food.
A woman in a colony is not allowed to neglect herself. The body must be kept clean, otherwise it won’t be long before you catch some kind of infection. It’s not for nothing that soap in women’s colonies is valued no less than cigarettes or tea.
Chronic diseases should not be kept silent. On the contrary, you need to look for their confirmation. For example, examination results, certificates. This is necessary for several reasons:
- you can switch to a lighter maintenance regime (easier work and other concessions);
- Sometimes a serious illness can become the basis for replacing a real sentence with a suspended sentence.
Protecting personal space
This is the first thing you need to do when you are assigned to a squad. And we are talking about both physical and psychological chopping blocks. In the colonies, most women gather in small groups called families. Each family can include two or more people. By running a joint household, it is easier to survive in the zone.
However, you should not join such a community immediately upon arrival in the colony. Naturally, the newcomer is under stress, and therefore the temptation to become part of a small team will be great. In addition, there are many people in the zone who want to make friends and have family relationships. Especially if they become aware that the new girl has money or often receives parcels from family and friends.
The new girl will be constantly invited to drink tea and gossip. However, such offers should be firmly rejected. At the same time, you must try not to offend anyone, because rudeness is not held in high esteem in women’s colonies. Subsequently, having figured out who is who, the prisoner will be able to choose a group and join it.
The naivety of newcomers in the colonies is often taken advantage of. For example, elderly prisoners often gain the trust of such prisoners. First they offer to drink tea, then they begin to help them: cook and wash. And so, from being a friend, the prisoner gradually becomes the dependent of a simpleton. She begins to eat her food, take her cigarettes without permission, call her family on her phone, etc. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to get rid of such acquaintances later - being quite good psychologists, they quickly suppress all the victim’s attempts to distance herself, cleverly manipulating her.
For this reason, the new arrival should clearly define boundaries and warn everyone that she should not be disturbed while reading or doing other things. Also, you should not give out cigarettes to everyone in an attempt to make friends. Prisoners quickly get used to such handouts and sit on their necks. And in the end the refusal is perceived painfully, because before they always gave.
You should also not gossip. Any slander directed at someone else must be stopped, otherwise you may find yourself in the midst of other people’s squabbles. Most likely, personal space in prison will have to be designated more than once. And there should be no slack here, because having received a harsh rebuff several times, the convicts will stop encroaching on someone else’s territory. In addition, people with a strong character are respected in the zone. On the contrary, they try to bypass those who are weak-willed and ingratiating.
Weakness is not respected
In correctional institutions, complaints about life and tears are prohibited. They don't like the weak here. In freedom, many women have a “vest” in which to cry. When communicating with men, the following stereotype often comes into play: if you cry, you can quickly get what you want. There are no men in the zone, and therefore there will be no one to manipulate.
Here everyone is equal, and everyone is not in the most comfortable conditions. That's why they don't like whiners in the colonies. Everyone has their own problems, and therefore crying over trifles is considered indecent here. Instead, if trouble happens and the prisoner needs help, she will be supported. If necessary, they will find money.
For example, there is a known case when one of the prisoners needed expensive treatment. There were no necessary medications in the medical unit, and the woman herself was poor. Funds for treatment were collected by the entire colony. In addition, upon her release, she received help with housing. And this despite the fact that the woman never asked for anything.
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But in the colonies there are also those prisoners who throw tantrums for no reason. No one takes them seriously, and they cannot count on support from other prisoners.
Communication with the administration
The above principles should also be adhered to when communicating with the administration. Ingratiation in this case is strictly prohibited. Many newcomers make this mistake by communicating with the colony staff too politely. However, administration representatives are ordinary people doing their job and should not be cajoled.
Experienced prisoners recommend communicating with correctional officers as if they are not very good bosses. That is, restrained. You should not enter into conflicts or demonstrate your superiority. This is especially true for those prisoners who come from wealthy families. In prison, everyone is equal, and this rule must be understood immediately. Otherwise, life in the colony will be difficult.
Sometimes you can agree on something with the administration employees. In this case, you need to clearly define your rights. If correctional facility employees exceed their authority, then prisoners have the right to complain to regulatory authorities.
You should not strive to cooperate with the administration. Such zeal is not encouraged by prisoners in either the men's or women's zones. At the same time, there are much more “informers” in women’s colonies than in men’s colonies. This is explained by the fact that women love to gossip more.
Some prisoners, unable to refuse the administration, begin to rush between fellow sufferers and employees of the correctional facility. If such a “double agent” is discovered, he will have a hard time.
