How to Survive in a Virginia Department of Correction Facility

Prisoners who want to know how to survive in a Virginia Department of Correction facility should never be another inmate’s girlfriend. Male prisoners are separated from female prisoners. Men who want to have girlfriends choose male prisoners who don’t look tough enough and make them their girlfriends.

Male prisoners who agree to be other prisoners’ girlfriends may get some favors, but in the long run, they are abused, punished, and sometimes even given to other inmates as gifts. Those who want to survive prison must ensure that they stay away from relationships that may place them in complicated situations. It would be best if they stay away from temptations of getting favors in exchange of being another prisoner’s girlfriend.

Prisoners who want to know how to survive in a Virginia Department of Correction facility must make sure that they create achievable and realistic plans. They can start by maintaining a clean record. They must never attempt to escape prison or be part of any plan to escape prison. Possession of escape plans and paraphernalia is illegal. Possession of illegal drugs and stealing other prisoners’ possessions are other violations that prisoners must avoid. They must also avoid keeping objects that may be used as a weapon.

Having false hopes is way different from hoping and aiming for a better life. Prisoners must understand that they need to complete their sentence before they can go back to their families. Truth is, it may take years or even decades before they can be released. Prisoners must keep in mind that no matter how long their sentences are, they need to do good every day. They need to behave well and do what is right.

Prisoners who want to know how to survive in a Virginia Department of Correction facility must inform the prison guards and staff if they are not feeling well. They are more susceptible to various illnesses and it is important that they consult a nurse or doctor if they feel sick. The prison has facilities for mental and physical health care. They also have optometrists and dentists. Prisoners who need glasses may fill out requests so that they may undergo the necessary procedures and obtain the glasses they need.

Registered nurses take care of the inmates within the first 48 hours. Inmates whose medical conditions don’t improve are transferred to the hospital. The nurses provide the physicians with the necessary records.

Prisoners who want to survive must make sure that they have all their prescribed medicines when they enter the correction facility. Their families and friends can’t send them medicines even if they have prescriptions from their doctors. The medical facility in the prison house provides medicine for pain, colds, allergies, and other simple illnesses.

However, medicine for serious illnesses such as heart, kidney, and liver diseases, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, cancer and pneumonia need to be ordered from a pharmacy outside prison. Of course, the prisoners need to undergo thorough medical examination before they are given any kind of medicine.

Learn from the Life Skills Program

One of the effective methods of how to survive in a state’s Department of Correction is to participate in life skills programming that the Virginia Department of Correction offers to the inmates. The year prior to the inmate’s release from prison is crucial, and the reason for the Life Skills Program.

The inmate who is about to set free could learn a lot from the program. The Life Skills offers a 19 session curriculum that the Department staff managed to create. The curriculum addresses necessary information that will benefit the inmates regarding how to live once more in a community.

The topics covered in the curriculum include finding a job, keeping the job, efficient and effective budgeting, and locating an ideal residence to start over again. Family responsibilities are also included in the curriculum of the Like Skills Program.

The program aims to give the inmates a new lease on life, and give them true hope that they, too, can have a normal life – without prejudice. The most common reason that an inmate chooses to live in a different place is to keep away from the prying eyes of people and avoid being the topic of gossips. Living in a different place also gives the freed inmate a chance to start again without worries.

There’s also a program that aims to help the inmates recognize their unproductive or useless habits and do something about them. The program can help the inmates create positive and attainable goals, and replace the useless habits with productive ones. They need to accept the truth that their unproductive habits are dragging them down, and the only way to correct it is to leave those bad habits behind.

It might take time before the inmates would be able to adjust, and with a bit of patience and discipline they will surely pull it off without much trouble. It is also important that the staff of the correctional facility remain supportive and patient while teaching the inmates. The staff needs to make sure that the inmates grasp the importance of each lesson, and make everything they’ve learned works for them. It may not be as easy as it sounds, but it is doable.

There’s also a topic that teaches the inmates on how to become a productive citizen. The inmates are provided with basic information that they need to know in order to successfully adjust to their newfound community after their release. Aside from the lessons that were previously mentioned, the inmates also learn the legal obligations that they need to uphold. They will also learn how to make themselves comfortable and at ease while dealing with the different individuals outside the prison walls. They will eventually learn how to speak with confidence and act without feeling any awkwardness.

It is not that difficult to learn how to survive in a Virginia Department of Correction, and they need to remember everything that they have learned and use all of it to their advantage.