What if you're locked up?

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Billy Roper

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If certain anti-first amendment, gun control, or anti-hoarding regulations are enacted in the future, under crisis scenarios, some of us might face arrest, and if we don't successfully resist or evade capture, imprisonment. With that in mind, I began to write my most recent book, which has the working title "General Population", focusing on what life is really like inside prisons today, and what it might become as society collapses on the outside. I've almost finished writing Chapter Seven, at this point. The second half of the novel explores what conditions are and how things develop in the nation afterwards, written as if Rawles had a scrotum. When it's finished, it'll be available HERE, some time this fall:

http://www.amazon.com/Billy-Roper/e...QC39C0_ntt_srch_lnk_12?qid=1466082265&sr=1-12
 
Depending on the SHTF scenario, would most likely result in a prison riot. Without power, you lose the mag-locks. You lose the lights and a lot of communication channels, which then puts the guards at a disadvantage. Basically, if the grid goes, so does the idea of prisons.
 
In my research, I found that all prisons have backup emergency power generators on site, but of course the supply of fuel to operate them would be limited, as would the security of that fuel and the generators themselves. I also discovered that in the case of a power failure, the prisons would lock down closed, rather than open. In my narrative, guards begin to stop showing up for work, deliveries run late or don't come at all, and eventually "nonviolent" prisoners and those near their scheduled release dates are let loose. Not to give away the plot, but the protagonist and others DO escape, with some help.
 
Makes sense. Just don't make it TOO similar to the Walking Dead narrative when they were in the prison.
I did mean once the generators run dry, because I can't believe it would be more than 48 hours worth of fuel for them.

I also have to think that without the prospect of eventually going back to normal life on the outside, some otherwise nonviolent prisoners would be more violent. I know I'd be a calculating and cruel sonofabitch to get out of there. Nothing to lose, so.....
 
Well, yeah, because you'd be desperate, it'd literally be a life and death struggle. I also thought of The Walking Dead while writing that part, but really now that the first five chapters are over, it's past the prison period of the book, but I've heard from some prisoner's families that there are actually gas lines into cells so that they can euthanize prisoners rather than release them, if it came down to it. That may be just paranoia or urban legend, but the fact that it's a story out there is telling.
 
Well, yeah, because you'd be desperate, it'd literally be a life and death struggle. I also thought of The Walking Dead while writing that part, but really now that the first five chapters are over, it's past the prison period of the book, but I've heard from some prisoner's families that there are actually gas lines into cells so that they can euthanize prisoners rather than release them, if it came down to it. That may be just paranoia or urban legend, but the fact that it's a story out there is telling.
I remember reading a story ages ago where a prison guard decided to let the prisoners go, all but one. The guy was so evil the guard decided to shoot him. I think the book may have been lucifers hammer, a story about a comet slamming into the earth and its effects. I doubt that there are gas lines in any us prisons, but am not sure that in the worst cases it would be a bad idea. I still can't believe we keep people that are so bad alive for decades. It's inhumane on the prisoner, it's really really expensive, and is just stupid. If you're so bad that you need to be locked up for the rest of your life, sorry game over.
 
I've heard from some prisoner's families that there are actually gas lines into cells so that they can euthanize prisoners rather than release them, if it came down to it.

Since prisons do EVERYTHING on the cheap, I'd have to call BS on that one. Simply put, they'd never spend the money on it. Maybe if it was a converted asylum from a long time ago, but otherwise...nah....
 
I dont' want a fictional book, rather I'd like to know what happens to innocent non violent folks on the inside. Some people are in their for things no sane person would consider a crime: gun ownership, taxes, etc.
 
It's a fictional book, but I interviewed dozens of current prisoners when writing it, to combine their anecdotes and stories of real experiences inside. "General Population" is available on Amazon for less than a carton of smokes.
 
Books are always based on unlikely events. If a book is too realistic, it's either a documentary or nobody will read it. So make it interesting!

I spent a couple of years recently spending about 10 hours a week in a low security prison (as a volunteer, not an inmate!).

Most prisons are a designated security level building or site-wide. And every prison has some guards who are massive jerks. Those guys will have no issue putting a bullet in every inmate. First, in a grid-down scenario every inmate will go into lockdown. Many prisons keep mediocre maintenance (other than high-dollar federal prisons), I'm not sure they'll have full fuel tanks to run a generator 48 hours. And prisons pay horrible salaries. As soon as the guards realize the extent of the disaster, they're out the door to protect their family. Leave the prisoners to starve in their cells. There aren't many bleeding heart liberal guards. But an interesting side detail: state run versus private run prisons. State run prisons will likely get guards to stick around longer while private-run prisons pay lower salaries & their guards will have much less loyalty to the prison.

Many low-security inmates are locked up for petty crimes: drugs, theft, etc. But you'd be shocked at how many murderers and rapists are in the lowest security prisons. Shocked. The guards will have a hard choice because they often live just blocks from the prison: release prisoners knowing that their family could be at risk, not release them knowing that another guard could release them and they'd be angry with him, or kill the inmates. I don't think most prisons have thousands of rounds of ammo.

I think it will boil down to this: do the guards fear the inmates roaming their neighborhood?

Oh, and did I mention that low security prisons have LOTS of glass that is easily broken? Maybe a little chicken wire in them. And once the first inmates are out of their cells, the master key will get everyone out.

Of course none of this takes into account local resident preppers who wouldn't mind spending a couple thousand rounds taking out all the inmates once the guards thin out. That sure would put a twist in the possibilities!
 
I continue to correspond with about twenty prisoners in different lock-ups around the country. Some are short-timers and others are in for Buck Rogers stretches. Some of them I'd try to help get free if SHTF, and other people in there, as Texas Freedom said, the local militia might be better off just liquidating, rather than releasing.
 
Well, yeah, because you'd be desperate, it'd literally be a life and death struggle. I also thought of The Walking Dead while writing that part, but really now that the first five chapters are over, it's past the prison period of the book, but I've heard from some prisoner's families that there are actually gas lines into cells so that they can euthanize prisoners rather than release them, if it came down to it. That may be just paranoia or urban legend, but the fact that it's a story out there is telling.

Paranoia will destroy 'ya.
but I've heard from some prisoner's families that there are actually gas lines into cells so that they can euthanize prisoners rather than release them


^^^ totally ridiculous! Stupid. Ignorant....................

Ask me how I know.
22.5 years as a police officer and have been in EVERY penal institution in Ohio, some in W.Va
and Pa. including Federal prisons and NO there is no such plan to MURDER prisoners in the event of a TEOTWAWKI.
MOST humans doing serious time are NOT murderers.
Theft, drugs, burglaries, arson, robberies, vehicular homicide.....................................

Cheesh.
No one has a right to be wrong about FACTS.
Thanks.
 
as far as criminals are concerned I've always been of the thought" lock them up and throw away the key", let them die in prison post SHTF we don't need their sort adding to the general panic.

Really? Let people starve to death who didn't harm anyone, ever.
Most people in prison are not in the joint for killing or raping anyone.
I just happen to know these things having been in law enforcement over two decades.
Been there, done that.
Many of my former friends were ex convicts that learned a lesson and went on to become
stellar citizens.
"Judge not lest you be judged."
That said I ain't no fool either and would resort to any means necessary to protect mine, me,
OR you and yours.
It's what I've done all my adult life and it cost me dearly.
13 serious injuries, months in rehab, p.t.s.d, and associates that couldn't deal with
all the ugly and ate their gun!
r.i.p. friends.
 
I continue to correspond with about twenty prisoners in different lock-ups around the country. Some are short-timers and others are in for Buck Rogers stretches. Some of them I'd try to help get free if SHTF, and other people in there, as Texas Freedom said, the local militia might be better off just liquidating, rather than releasing.

Amen to that brother!
I totally understand.
My beset friends on the street were ex cons, drug dealers, prostitutes, ..............................

THOSE people saved my butt!
22.5 years as a white cop in a city 50% ethic.
Those people were there for me when no back up was even close!
That said I ain't stupid and am armed most all the time.
Legally.
Detective, shift commander, s.w.a.t leader, firearms trainer and a whole lot more!
 

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