"It Is NOT For The Weak": People Who Work In Prisons Are Opening Up About What Prison Life Actually Looks Like

"It Is NOT For The Weak": People Who Work In Prisons Are Opening Up About What Prison Life Actually Looks Like

Alana Valko

Sat, December 20, 2025 at 1:16 PM UTC

15 min read

Content warning: Discussions of abuse and sexual assault.

Over the past year, I've asked both former inmates and people who've worked in corrections to share aspects of prison life that most people don't realize, or might never understand unless they experienced it firsthand. Because so many people who've worked in prisons also weighed in, it seemed only right to compile some of their experiences and shed light on what working in a prison day in and day out actually entails. Here's what they had to say:

1. "I worked in a state prison for 26 years. What I've learned is that 1) Respect works both ways. 2) Listening is more important than talking. 3) You have to treat each inmate as an individual; you can't lump them together as one. Remember, we work there, that's their home, so be mindful of that."

A group of men, some in orange uniforms, engage in discussion with a bearded man in a white shirt inside a room — South_agency / Getty Images

"When I was promoted to sergeant, I was assigned to the worst living unit in the state. Fights and assaults happened daily, including staff getting assaulted. After two years with the right staff, we were able to change the culture of the unit. When I retired, we had gone five years without any incident occurring in the unit. Leadership is very important because we, as staff, set the tone for the living units and the institution as a whole, whether it be county, state, or federal."

—Anonymous

2. "I worked in a state prison for two years, and I loved my job. What I didn't like was what I saw, such as how some officers treated the inmates. I never had any problems with 'my guys' as I called them, and I like to believe it was because I always treated them as human beings. My motto was and still is: 'If you treat them like animals, they will behave as such.'"

"I noticed the employees who had worked there forever were just stuck in their ways, never seeing things from the inmates' side. Bringing up ideas for improvement to create a better environment was never listened to. They thought that it was unnecessary to send inmates to reintegration halfway houses (so they wouldn't get completely thrown out into a world they wouldn't recognize anymore). Sometimes I look for these inmates on the state website, and most of them have ended up back in prison shortly after being released. That's pretty sad."

—Anonymous

3. "I was a corrections officer at a state prison for about 18 months. It was a tough existence for everyone. The 'police' were all the enemy, regardless of how they treated inmates. The physical situation was difficult. Officers are severely outnumbered. In my unit, there were two officers for 128 inmates on two tiers. At any given time, things could pop off. I've had urine and feces thrown at me. Been hit and had my life threatened."

Two women, one in a prison uniform, are separated by a guard in a tense prison setting — ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

"I've seen inmates get beaten because they did something that brought attention to their gang. And yes, our prison had gangs. They didn't wear colors, but they had distinctive tattoos. Female staff at a male prison had to be extra vigilant; male inmates could be especially cunning and manipulative. If the money was right, I may consider doing it again, but I certainly would not want to be on the other side of the cell door."

—Anonymous

4. "Prison staff here. We have a lot of control over jobs inmates receive, privileges, and even how long or short they stay. The best way to make it is to be chill, have a sense of humor, and use every program to your advantage. Also, be friendly to staff — we did not put you there, we are just trying to support you during your time. Do your time, don't let time do you."

—Anonymous

5. "I worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons for 23 years. Some of the staff members can and are worse to deal with than the inmates. I've watched many young staff members over the years get 'turned' by manipulation from inmates. I've seen staff members dismissed and arrested for bringing in all types of contraband. Working in a prison environment is not for the weak or for those who have no moral compass. I've been retired for nine years now. I couldn't imagine the environment now with younger staff members and younger inmates."

–Anonymous

6. "I worked as a corrections officer for almost 11 years. Most of the corrections officers and people I worked with were often equally as bad as the inmates. The inmates, for the most part, just wanted to serve their time and return to their lives. But there were enough dirty guards who wanted to profit. It was super easy to tell who walks among you. COVID changed things for the worse. Less staff and no one wanted to work long overtime hours."

A person in a uniform holds a baton, standing in front of vertical bars, suggesting a security or law enforcement context — Motortion / Getty Images/iStockphoto

"The sexual harassment as a female officer sucks. You don't eat the food if you're smart. In a facility that takes inmates from the streets, there's always a ton of drug users who want to continue handling fentanyl. The inmates were getting worse with the crap getting smuggled in. There were bad fights among gangs. It was not worth it. I never had any issues with any inmates once they were released. They were always polite and thankful for the fair treatment that they received. My mom was right to say, 'Treat others how you want to be treated.' Inmates aren't the only ones doing time, especially when you work in a prison. All the overtime that is required is really wild."

—Anonymous

7. "Some people are very power hungry. They're just someone outside of work, but inside, they're there to determine how miserable certain inmates can be. It's shitty. ALSO — how many people are dumb enough to sleep with inmates and think they won't get caught with a rape charge?"

—itssnaggletooth

8. "I worked in a women's prison. I always said, 'Going to work was like going to the theatre and not knowing what the featured film would be for the day (comedy, rom-com, suspenseful, dramatic, etc).' Get my point. Never a dull moment."

Two people in orange prison uniforms sit on a bench, smiling at each other. Each holds a water bottle — JoJo Whilden / Netflix / ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

—Anonymous

9. "I consulted with women inmates at our state penitentiary. 1) The lifers wanted peace and quiet. They would descend on any fresh meat that caused disturbances because they didn't want guards cracking down on them, too. 2) They go 'gay for the stay.' It's more about affinity than actual sex. 3) Some women take testosterone, lift weights, grow beards, and tape their breasts. They apparently are in demand."

"4) Actual fights/substantial injuries are rare, but slap fights and rolling around on the ground are more common. 5) They snitch on each other constantly with guards. And they definitely have sex with guards. 6) Mostly, it's like being back in high school with cliques."

—MidwestAmMan

10. "I worked at a state prison back in the '90s, where prisoners worked the fields when it was a plantation. Most inmates were there for life, and the majority of the inmates were Black. It was honestly like getting into a time machine every time you came through the front gate. When I was working there, there were approximately 5,500 inmates and 350 guards."

A person tends to a garden with rows of green plants, leaning over while using a hoe. Fenced area with barbed wire is visible in the background — WIN-Initiative/Neleman / Getty Images

"There were good guards and bad ones, along with good inmates and bad ones as well. It all comes down to mutual human respect. Treat people the way you want to be treated, and you will do just fine, whether you are an employee or an inmate. As a guard, you learn to leave your own problems at home. Soon, you understand that these inmates can't do that. Everybody has good days and bad days. Keep the respect you would give any other human being."

—Anonymous

11. "I work at a maximum security prison [as a therapist]. It's…okay. Depends on what you like in your job and your personality. You have to be extremely assertive. Lots of punitive punishment (obvi) but even the therapists have to either write negatives or tickets… You can't build too close a relationship. If you value connection in a therapeutic relationship, this isn't the place for you. You have to keep your patient as distant as possible."

"You're not allowed to disclose a single personal thing about yourself. Not an opinion, not an experience, nothing. I highly value the ability to be my authentic self, and I can't be my authentic self there. I feel like I'm a robot. It's definitely not for me personally, but I won't s*** on it because a lot of people are successful in that environment and really like it. Just for me personally, I'm a very flamboyant, goofy dork, and I like to always be my authentic, flamboyant, goofy dork self."

—Character-Spot8893

12. "I used to work at a juvenile detention center a couple of years ago, but I was a case manager at the time. The for-profit system and lazy, crooked administration made it awful, as well as burnt-out and severely underpaid staff. However, I did like working with the kids. There were absolutely a few who just seemed unreachable, despite best efforts, but there were also a lot more who were just lost kids struggling."

Person in an orange jumpsuit sits with arms crossed facing another person holding papers in an office setting — DragonImages / Getty Images

"They were interesting to talk to, and felt amazing to help. It was hard, hard work; it often felt like two steps forward and one back at the best of times, but I do miss the kids. Some could be violent, destructive, and scary, though, when things didn't go their way. With some kids, it felt like it was just at the drop of a hat. A lot of trauma, usually. Tough gig, but when things work, it's pretty awesome. About four out of five times, though, they end up reoffending, or worse. Also, you can NOT reveal pretty much any private information, and have to be very careful."

—Wikeni

13. "I worked in a jail in mental health, and it was a challenge, especially feeling sometimes like you're standing between the deputies/corrections officers and the incarcerated people. I've seen plenty of naked people, have stood in pee doing suicide assessments, and have watched mentally unwell people eat and play with poop. The list goes on and on. And yet, there are plenty of days I miss it."

"I've heard prison work is better than jail because the people have been sentenced and generally there for a chunk of time. In my opinion, jail mental health was about teaching grounding skills, listening, apologizing that the nurse practitioner hadn't adjusted their meds, and forwarding those requests on again. Hard work to say the least."

—Pineapplecheeks5

14. "It's a dating pool for the married and unmarried corrections officers. I could not count how many times someone started having an affair with a coworker."

—itssnaggletooth

15. "I worked in a prison substance abuse disorder treatment program for three years. I grew a lot as a clinician and met some really great clients. I wouldn't go back to working inside a facility like that, though. The lack of sunlight, vicarious trauma, long commute, and unrealistic job demands made me quit. It's hard to bring in a trauma-informed program to an environment that is not trauma-informed by design."

A healthcare professional in gloves holds a thermometer near a patient's hand in a medical setting — Mindful Media / Getty Images

—[deleted]

16. "I've worked in many prisons across two states in Australia as a psychologist. I have a different opinion, clearly based on my country and experiences, but I have seen prison be a very rehabilitative experience for so many."

"To remove people from their antisocial peers and environments, remove drugs (or as much/many as possible), and provide routine, structure, and good food, safety (for lots), and work on top of education and rehabilitation/treatment programs, means that they often are given the pause they need to reflect on their lives. Our prisons aren't perfect, and many come back, but overall, they're pretty good and can provide the opportunity to change lives."

—brainwise

17. "I was a correctional officer in Canada. I've worked in places with both male and female inmates, and I've worked in both maximum and low-medium security areas. For the inmates where I worked, the food wasn't the worst. Three meals a day with access in between meals to water, instant coffee, and any snacks they bought from the commissary. They had access to toiletries, pads, and tampons when they needed them for free and had access to buy brand-name stuff (toothpaste, lotions, shampoo/conditioner, etc) through the commissary."

Three pre-packaged meal trays on a cart, covered in plastic wrap, showing assorted foods like vegetables and meats — P_Wei / Getty Images

"They could make phone calls through an approved list of family/friends. There were also spiritual care workers who tried to visit every unit once a week to spend time with the inmates in group settings and one-on-one. There were jobs available, and they were encouraged to get one, especially if they did not have family to send them any money (which most of them did not). Visits were allowed, but strip searches were required before returning to their unit."

(Cont'd) "As a CO...it's not an easy job, and you learn fast that everyone has strong opinions on what you do without having any idea what it's actually like. I stopped telling family/friends/partners about my day because people either didn't understand, didn't want to understand, or tried to turn everything into some sort of debate. I can't speak for everyone, of course, but I've seen this happen to many others as well. Almost everyone I worked with started out on the job somewhat hopeful and wanting to make a difference."

"You see a lot of shit that you can never unsee, and it's not long before the optimism fades. I've been called heartless before for cracking some jokes. But at work, we all did it; it's part of how you cope. COs don't get the support they need, and it is an incredibly thankless job. It's a revolving door of employees coming and going because many new staff members don't last more than a couple of years. I was there for about five or six years myself before moving on to do something else, still in a similar field, but I wanted more opportunities to move up in my career."

—jewelrider

18. "One of my very first jobs within my company was supply chain efficiencies at our state's maximum security prison, so I spent about 2.5 days a week working inside. So, I'm far from a guard or resident, but what struck me is how crazy regimented everything was from both sides, and how difficult it was just to get into the little conference room where they set me up."

"I had to park, walk probably a quarter mile, get a badge, get wanded, then a metal detector, a quick interview to see if I had contraband or had close associates either as prisoners or guards, my work bag was inspected, then I had to wait for an escort. And once I was in the conference room, I couldn't just get up and go to the bathroom; I had to buzz someone and tell them that I was moving. What also got to me was how sterile everything was; it was metal, cinderblock, and paint."

—madisonpreggers

And lastly:

19. "Prison is dehumanizing and traumatic, no matter how many modern conveniences are available. I've worked in a juvenile correctional setting for the last five years. I've learned that the differences between right and wrong, good and evil are not as stark as we would like to believe. That good people can do bad things. That bad people can do good things. People are far more complicated than I ever could have imagined."

Person's arms resting on jail cell bars, suggesting confinement or contemplation — Twenty47studio / Getty Images

—canquilt

"I am so glad you said this. I am a juvenile probation officer, and it is SO complex. We do our hardest to keep kids OUT of the system, which nobody seems to ever believe. Detention and correction facilities are our LAST resort, but sometimes you just have to use them (at least that's our agency's philosophy). There isn't really a black-and-white answer to most things. As weird as it sounds, that's probably why I love my job. It's so challenging even if you see so much negativity—it's worth the one positive you get every once in a while."

—ChunLeah

Have you ever been incarcerated or worked in a prison? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments or at this anonymous form.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 (HOPE), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.

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