Prisoners And Guards Share Their Surprisingly Wholesome Stories From Behind Bars
Prison, jail, juvy and more – whatever form incarceration takes, it’s not a fun place to be. There’s endless boredom, danger from other inmates, sometimes even unscrupulous guards. But even in the darkest places it seems humanity can find ways to shine through, as these people who have been a part of the prison system discovered when, if only for a brief moment, they experienced kindness, care, or hope on the inside.
Vote up your favorite heartwarming stories, and for more tales from the joint, check out ex-cons’ wildest memories and strangest experiences.
When my dad was a guard he had an inmate who got cancer. He was fighting for about five years, and the whole prison (guards and immates) tried to make his life easier because he was told he was gonna die either way.
On his last night, he wished to have a McDonalds cheeseburger. He passed before he could get it, but the guards bought him and everyone who took care of him cheeseburgers. They all sat quietly eating the burgers he wished for.
I was in jail for a while, and there was a book I was reading that the library man gave me. Come to find out, the last like 40 pages were ripped out. This absolute gangster-type dude heard me complaining, and he came over that evening and told me how he’d read that book before and knew how it ended, and he basically narrated the last 40 pages to me over the next two days.
I spent about one month in prison for a DUI… Some people who lived nearby had a cat, and that cat visited the prison every day. We gave it snacks if we had any, and it followed us inside and slept on the sofa in the TV room. The guards knew the cat was visiting us, but they let it stay as long as we treated it well – which of course we did.
I was in prison for a brief period in Dubai before being removed by my consulate… in my wing the head inmates ran a voluntary donation program so that the inmates who had access to cash or family on the outside could help out the poorer ones. It helped remove the stigma of having to beg, and allowed people access to phones, since there were no free calls. It also allowed basic hygiene because there was no soap (which, let’s be honest, made it better for everyone).
Some people were in there so long their clothing would wear out – and we only had one set, so even if you washed them you had nothing else to wear. You could borrow a set and retain some dignity while yours dried. We also had to buy blankets and pillows. The inmates would pitch in to help make sure that each other’s stays were at least remotely bearable…
Also I can’t believe I forgot about probably the most wholesome thing I saw there! Outside the wing was a hallway… tiled about 12 tiles wide; they set up a game of human chess on the tiles. 32 inmates all knew their piece and their position; some of the games lasted a few days if they got interrupted and had to disburse, but they always came back.
I spent a year in prison… when I was a couple weeks shy of going home I almost got into a fight with this skinhead dude over a dumb misunderstanding (only altercation I ever had). My cellmate interjected, took the wrap for something he wasn’t even involved in, and defused the whole thing. Later on he told me he wanted to make sure I got home on time. Solid f*cking dude… passed not too long after he eventually got out. Won’t ever forget that guy, RIP celly.
My husband was in for two years. He said there were bunnies in the yard and the inmates would name them and some were friendly and would come up and liked to be held… Everyone especially loved spring when the baby bunnies were born.
Another one was when my husband’s case was overturned but they weren’t letting him out right away for some reason. We couldn’t get an attorney to help us, so one of the other inmates said f*ck that and filed a habeas corpus petition from prison with the federal court system. Got my husband out in like a week.
My dad was in prison for a few years when I was a kid. On Halloween The Walking Dead series premiered and he said that it wasn’t TV time but the guards let them watch it as a treat for everyone missing their families. I guess the guard liked it or something because they got to watch it every Sunday from then on out.
From a county jail: two guys tried to jump the youngest guy in the pod because he accidentally insulted their gang. The kid had just turned 18 when he caught a federal charge. The whole pod retaliated against the two and kicked them out.
I did a couple years at a small fed spot, and my first week there I was approached by an inmate who ran an organization through the prison chapel. Their mission was to make sure new arrivals were stocked up on necessities (hygiene items, clean underclothes, etc.). They told me it wasn’t expected that I should ever pay them back, but if I’m ever in a position to donate back to their cause I could do so.
A couple weeks later I got some money in and bought all the items they gave me. I found the gentleman and told him I wanted to donate. He was actually shocked, and even seemed a little touched. He didn’t specifically say so, but I got the impression that people rarely give back.
This is just one of several stories I have from my time there about inmates being absolute bros to each other.
I spent a week in a detention center waiting on a bail hearing, and every morning with breakfast we got a pack of instant coffee. Thing is, by the time we were let out of our cells I was already awake and didn’t need coffee. So after three days of saving these coffee packets just to not use them I just walked out and was like “who wants coffee?”
The pod boss (an inmate who is unofficially in charge of the cell block, someone you generally don’t wanna p*ss off) and his second in command are like sure we’ll take em.
Turns out, these guys aren’t all that scary. The second in command guy made awesome origami. I watched him make a fighter jet and a tank, and he ended up giving me a paper crane.
I’ve been to jail twice and prison once. One man in prison made paper maché dolls for his kid. I asked him when the kid would get to see them, and he said they weren’t born yet, but he wanted to make sure they’d feel loved because he wouldn’t be there when they were born. He made pink and blue ones because he didn’t know the sex yet.
When I was in juvenile prison there was a dude whose baby sister passed from cancer. When he got the news, he refused to go back to his cell cause he wanted to call his mother to check in on her. But the cops weren’t going to let that fly. This led to the cops threatening to lock down and rush the block just to get him, so most of us ended up refusing to lock up in solidarity with him.
It ended well though cause one of the councilors came in, talked him down, and allowed him to call his mother. I think we got away with it cause this guy was a model inmate to the administration, and also had a good name amongst us inmates cause he was honest and treated people fairly.
One of the gangs on my block/pod of 100 people “cooked” for everyone with their own commissary on Christmas. People who didn’t get commissary got two wraps apiece, everyone else got one. They were gangster disciples but there were bloods and crips and other groups there too, and it was max custody.
They were walking around with Rubbermaid tubs full of noodle wraps. They were tasty too, I would 100% buy/make something like it out here, along with some other jail recipes.
My dad was a guard in Canada for 30+ years (now retired). In his final few years his job got a bit more relaxed and he took on the role of Recreational Officer for the Female inmates. Basically babysat while they played basketball and did arts and crafts etc.
When I went home for Christmas I was reading all of the Christmas cards that were on my Dad’s fridge and one was a beautifully hand drawn and elaborate winter scene with heart warming wishes from over 30 inmates thanking him for his service and fairness etc. Very touching stuff.
He said that a quarter of the autographs on the Christmas cards were from the hands of murderers. Interesting that while they were locked up for life for taking the life of another, they still displayed compassion and gratitude and kindness. Don’t judge a book i guess?
I worked in a correctional facility. The building had windows but the inmates could get in trouble for looking out the window. Outside the building were a lot of geese, and one night we received several anonymous notes reporting that one of the geese in front of the building had a broken foot. I thought that was kinda sweet
My ex was in for just shy of two years and would write me often. His buddies would write poems for him to send to me and add drawing to the letters for him.
Ranked #16 by 210 voters with a 96% upvote rate