Dallas County Jail

Closing Advice

Interview with Charles, m ray, Leon, Jean, Accountant, Hot attorney, Gene, Lil Will and Cam

JM: Is there anything else you would want a friend or family member to know if they have a loved one going to jail?
Charles: Good luck, its not easy for most. You will survive if you want too, Its very important to keep up support from friends and family on the outside.
m ray: it f*in sucks
Leon: Having money on your account is very helpful. Visits would be nice also.
Jean: The first advice I would give them - you do not want to be there without any money.

I would say you need - well, commissary is high. A bag of M&Ms is a dollar. You would want enough money to make yourself a good little trip to Wal-Mart every week for munchies. I would say $25-30. You don't want your money not to get on your books or next time, you're broke. The cool thing is now that Western Union has that QuickCollect. People can put money on your books from anywhere. They actually literally have a section in the Western Union that asks if you need to send money to an inmate. It doesn't calculate until they calculate the books. If a girl doesn't push a button at 5pm, tomorrow morning, you might not have shit.
Accountant: Stay Strong and excersice your faith. And if there are warrants out for your arrest, find out, hire an attorney and take care of this. I was once told that it becomes reality for you once you hear that cell door slam, and that's the honest to God truth. I am an accountant, and I drive an Audi A6, live in a very nice area, and I make good money.........once you go to jail, they treat you all the same-with very little respect. Again if you can help it, stay OUT.
Hot attorney: Bail them out ASAP.
Gene: Pray the elevator cables don't break when they herd you to court. I've seen the elevator sink as far as 18 inches with the over loading they do with those "chain gangs". They pack you in there like sardines.
Lil Will: Most guards dont mess with you but theres a few that do. It used to piss me off but as i get older i see there are those wherever you go. You have more problem wiht guards that just dont give a damn than messing with you. But they will beat some ass if you aggravate them. Its not like TDC where they have to go get a camera first.
Cam: Mail is always a calming part of an inmates time..if they have nothing else, at least they have that..being out of touch with the outside world can really take a toll on someones life and attitude while incarcerated..its as if you feel that no one cares about you and all have moved on without you..Just a little hello on a piece of paper enclosed in an envelope with a stamp and at the front of the envelope is your name on it and everyone hears your name being called because you have mail...If only you knew..Its a sign that someone out there still has you on their mind and not only you know it but everyone in your tank knows it too..Thats a great thing for someone to get when they are at a serious turning point in their life..After all, Jail means record, record means file and file means that it is always there for someone to access. The only difference is that this file is a file of wrong doing, and when you try to build a future that file can alwys be accessed and could be used to shatter your dreams, expectations, goals and most importand your way of life..My life will never be the same due to my stupid actions..but i can say this..I have no one to blame but myself..

JM: Is there anything else you would recommend to a future inmate?
Charles: if possible, plan things out before hand, turn urself in, do things on your schedule, not theres.
m ray: do what u have to do just dont act like a dumbass
Leon: Stay clean and don't get arrested to start with is my best advice. As they say don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Try to get assigned as a trustee they are treated better. Don't give the officers problems they just work there but they can make your stay harder than it has to be.
Jean: Jail does suck. It's the worst thing you'll ever go through in your life. So take money with you and try to get some books in there - you can receive books, but it has to be packaged by the store, and only by the store. They'll open it in the mailroom before you ever get it. When I was there, when I got busted, I didn't have my glasses with me in my purse, and it took four months to get my glasses, and they had them the whole time, they just didn't bring them to me. My boyfriend had to go through some awful procedure just to get my glasses there. Now, what the hell are you going to smuggle in with a pair of glasses? The other thing is you get mail once a day, which is cool. That's the other bit of advice. You have to get mail. If you don't get mail in the daytime, it's like a slug in your heart. You need pictures. You can have pictures, but they're going to open them. You don't want anything risque or anything. They'll give you what they think you can have. You need pictures, you need money, you need pictures from home, and you need a Bible. People can send you bibles. They will pass out bibles, but by the time they get to your floor, they're gone. And if you do the church thing, you might ask the chaplain. They have all different kinds of church. They have Jehovah's Witness on Wednesday night; they have Catholic Mass on Saturday night. They have church on Sunday. Most girls don't go to church on Sunday because that's visitor's day. You don't want to miss your visitor. They won't pull you out of anything. If you're not in your room, you're just not there. They're not going to run around looking for you. If I had all the money in the world, I'd have a billboard that says "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda". I'd have an 800 number telling people what not to do.
Hot attorney: Hold your stuff! This is a very bad place.
Gene: What the hell is a "future inmate"?. Any person who gets a traffic ticket and forgets to pay it becomes one. A jail is the wrong place for "crimes" like this. Jails should be used for the single purpose of protecting the public from physical harm by an unruly person. They are primarily used for the generation of revenue for the cities. Money, or the lack thereof, is the main difference between an inmate and a free person. Who said there is no such thing as a debtor's prison?
Lil Will: turn yourself in on your own time, after you get paid and get laid.
Cam: Always try to have money on you books..You will need it..The food is horrible.. When you see trouble stirring up, just turn your head ans walk the other way..never try to be a witness to anything cause if that person gets into trouble they will always assume its the new gut that ratted them out..And remember the title "RAT" is something that will stay with you even after you get out for jail..Its a small world when your free but its even smaller when your locked up..