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A prison is like a little city. It has a library, a beauty shop (which is just a fancy name for a hair cutting room), a medical wing, a rec yard... Of course, facilities vary from institution to institution, but if we exclude countries that have a different philosophy on incarceration altogether, most places are pretty similar.

So we're told. For the average person, life behind bars remains a mystery. And quite an intriguing one. How do people organize themselves under such extreme circumstances? What do they miss? How do they spend their days? A TV show, for example, might give us an idea but if we constructed our worldview based on what we saw on the screen, we'd end up like Truman Burbank. In an illusion.

Instead, let's take a realistic look at how inmates get by — the subreddit r/PrisonWallet is perfect for this job.

#1

Prisoners From Indiana Were Given Cats To Look After As Part Of A Rehabilitation Scheme. Here Is One Prisoner With A Hat He Knitted For His Cat!

Prisoners From Indiana Were Given Cats To Look After As Part Of A Rehabilitation Scheme. Here Is One Prisoner With A Hat He Knitted For His Cat!

log00 Report

#2

“Lady”, An Electric Guitar Built Illegally By An Inmate In A Pennsylvania State Prison

“Lady”, An Electric Guitar Built Illegally By An Inmate In A Pennsylvania State Prison

chicametipo Report

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Tara B.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And a potential hiding place for drugs and weapons. (Source: I work in a maximum security unit in a men’s prison.)

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Shelli Aderman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gorgeous! I say if folks are spending time being creative, it’s a GOOD THING!

Tonya Wallace
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So once he's released, the government should have a fund for him to get what he needs to start his own custom guitar making business. Good luck my man! ✌🏾♥️🤘🏾✊🏾

Marlowe Fitzpatrik
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So... they confiscated this from him? Yeah, I'm getting some really angry feelings right now... This is fantastic!

farthermore
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

where did they hide something this big? And what a friend on the outside to slowly smuggle in these parts. wow

Devil's Advocate
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why was it illegal to build, and where did he get the pickups and such??

helen anderson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm a believer of the saying idle hands is the devils workshop..Give prison inmates a job like craftsmanship or an education..book reading ..learn new ways to think.. learn math skills.. becom a tailor or chef..make them learn some skill and pay them a decent wage.. instead letting them sit all day dining nothing! if you do that many will change their lives work hard to be productive citizens. Give them something to be proud of! Most inmates want to reform show them a way to do that with respect and dignity. I rather see my tax money going to the inmates education then them sitting all day doing nothing! There's talent out there in prisons like the person who made the guitar..

Einar Kramer
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A Norwegian prison has a fully equipped recording studio. The inmate has recorded a CD or two.

Brandi VanSteenwyk
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I realize that sharing the details of how such an impressive task was achieved is likely not going to happen, but DAMN!! I sure would like to know what all went into obtaining the necessary parts and components and just how much mechanical ingenuity was required when THE part couldn't be located or had.

ran hen
Community Member
3 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I think we all know why the guitar brown ..............lol

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Naturally, not everything that gets made in a cell is as innocent as you see in these pictures. "I'd, unfortunately, say one of the most common items to craft in a prison is a shank, [probably] due to how easy it is and the inadequate system of rehabilitating prisoners," a representative of this subreddit's moderator team told Bored Panda. "Many of them stick to crime or violence while inside of prison."

"Zip guns utilizing .22 ammunition are also popular because [the rounds] are easy to sneak in. Not to mention the fact that when you break down a gun to its bare bones, it's a simple machine that's quite easy to replicate."

However, we decided to leave guns out of the equation. We already know about them, plus there's so much more! "I [also] see a lot are tiny figures or artworks made of what is practically trash," the person running the subreddit added. "It allows prisoners to express their creative intentions while locked up."

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#3

These Are The Best Chess Figures I Have Ever Seen And These Were Made In Prison

These Are The Best Chess Figures I Have Ever Seen And These Were Made In Prison

shyter351 Report

#4

Prison Issued Bleach Soap Carved With A Plastic Spoon And Empty Bic Pen

Prison Issued Bleach Soap Carved With A Plastic Spoon And Empty Bic Pen

tacollama82 Report

#5

Asked An Inmate To Draw His Interpretation Of The Prison System. They Are Only Allowed A Blue Pen. Color Was Done By Melting Skittles And M&ms

Asked An Inmate To Draw His Interpretation Of The Prison System. They Are Only Allowed A Blue Pen. Color Was Done By Melting Skittles And M&ms

gendarme_ Report

Interestingly, in 2019, the U.S. incarceration rate fell to its lowest level since 1995, according to recently published data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the statistical arm of the Department of Justice. (It is not yet clear how the coronavirus pandemic may have affected these numbers as statistics for 2020 are not expected to be released until later this year.) But despite this downward trend, the United States still puts more people behind bars than any other country for which such data is available. 

The American criminal justice system holds almost 2.3 million people in 1,833 state prisons, 110 federal prisons, 1,772 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,134 local jails, 218 immigration detention facilities, and 80 Indian Country jails as well as in military prisons, civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and prisons in U.S. territories.

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#6

Made Out Of Rolled Paper, Cardboard, Craft Paint, Bed Sheets, And Floor Wax (Clear Coat)

Made Out Of Rolled Paper, Cardboard, Craft Paint, Bed Sheets, And Floor Wax (Clear Coat)

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#7

Model Of Hms St George Made By Pows Of The Seven Years War

Model Of Hms St George Made By Pows Of The Seven Years War

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#8

The Face Of A Guard Made With Soap By A Prisioner In Brazil. All Made With Soap Even The Eyes

The Face Of A Guard Made With Soap By A Prisioner In Brazil. All Made With Soap Even The Eyes

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#9

Anytime You Feel Life Isn’t Nice, Remember This Brazilian Prisoner Who Dug An Escape Tunnel For 5 Years To Burst Out In A Guard Room...

Anytime You Feel Life Isn’t Nice, Remember This Brazilian Prisoner Who Dug An Escape Tunnel For 5 Years To Burst Out In A Guard Room...

NarcosdaMouraria Report

The moderator of r/PrisonWallet who took their time to reply to us considers the subreddit's community pretty diverse in their background and intention of joining. "I've talked to members who are former police officers, former prisoners, some interested in the craftsmanship of the people stripped of their freedom, some similar to me in the way I greatly care about prison system reform."

If you took a look at the subreddit's newest posts, you wouldn't see many. The latest one goes back 21 days. However, members are still engaging with them. "The community is somewhat active but ... and you can even notice older posts getting comments, showing new members are fairly common as well!" Maybe you want to be one of them?

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#10

The Paper Mache Heads Made By Frank Morris, John Anglin And Clarence Anglin When They Escaped Alcatraz Prison

The Paper Mache Heads Made By Frank Morris, John Anglin And Clarence Anglin When They Escaped Alcatraz Prison

flysoup84 , whataTyphoon Report

#11

Found This In A Small Town Museum Today. Made By A Prisoner In Angola Prison Out Of Match Sticks And Pebbles From Prison Grounds

Found This In A Small Town Museum Today. Made By A Prisoner In Angola Prison Out Of Match Sticks And Pebbles From Prison Grounds

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#12

A Way Prisoners Make Rose's For Their Loved Ones Made Of Jolly Ranchers

A Way Prisoners Make Rose's For Their Loved Ones Made Of Jolly Ranchers

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#13

Asian Prison Art Made By Liv Bao Jin, A Chinese Refugee, Made And Sold To Pay Legal Bills, 1993

Asian Prison Art Made By Liv Bao Jin, A Chinese Refugee, Made And Sold To Pay Legal Bills, 1993

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#14

Two Picture Frames Made Out Of Chip Bags An Inmate Had Given My Mom Whilst Working The Jail As A Nurse

Two Picture Frames Made Out Of Chip Bags An Inmate Had Given My Mom Whilst Working The Jail As A Nurse

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#15

Trained Cockroach Smuggles Cigarette Into Prison Cells, June 1938

Trained Cockroach Smuggles Cigarette Into Prison Cells, June 1938

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#16

Carved By A Death Row Inmate Using Only A Spoon

Carved By A Death Row Inmate Using Only A Spoon

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#17

Flashlight Made By Prisoner

Flashlight Made By Prisoner

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#18

DIY Dumbbell Made Of Old Battery’s Crafted In Jail

DIY Dumbbell Made Of Old Battery’s Crafted In Jail

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#19

Hand Crafted Mah-Jong Set By A Japanese Prisoner Of War, Ww2

Hand Crafted Mah-Jong Set By A Japanese Prisoner Of War, Ww2

reddit.com Report

#20

Toilet Paper Dice

Toilet Paper Dice

definetlynotfbi Report

#21

Pen Art On Prison Linen

Pen Art On Prison Linen

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#22

Prison Lamp Made From Popsicle Sticks

Prison Lamp Made From Popsicle Sticks

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#23

Pokemon Cards Made While In Prison

Pokemon Cards Made While In Prison

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#24

Hand Painted Playing Cards Made By French War Prisoners, Hampshire 1796

Hand Painted Playing Cards Made By French War Prisoners, Hampshire 1796

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#25

Prison Chess Set Made In The 1950s - Made Out Of Toilet Paper, Dried Bread & Shoe Paste

Prison Chess Set Made In The 1950s - Made Out Of Toilet Paper, Dried Bread & Shoe Paste

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#26

Toy Dachshund Made By A Prisoner Of War In Bristol, Gifted To A Family Near The Prison, Ww2

Toy Dachshund Made By A Prisoner Of War In Bristol, Gifted To A Family Near The Prison, Ww2

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#27

The Convict Cookbook, Made By Convicts At Washington State Penitentiary For Charity

The Convict Cookbook, Made By Convicts At Washington State Penitentiary For Charity

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#28

Prison Made Harley Motorcycle Sculpture

Prison Made Harley Motorcycle Sculpture

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#29

"The Last Supper" As Carved By An Inmate On A Jailhouse Door

"The Last Supper" As Carved By An Inmate On A Jailhouse Door

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#30

Flip Flops

Flip Flops

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#31

Table Made From Ramen Noodles And Masking Tape

Table Made From Ramen Noodles And Masking Tape

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#32

Prison Made Celluloid Bakelite Ring, Gifted To A Prison Guard, 1930s Ww2

Prison Made Celluloid Bakelite Ring, Gifted To A Prison Guard, 1930s Ww2

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#33

Inmates Bug The Guards’ Rooms With “Bugs” To Listen For Cell Shakedowns

Inmates Bug The Guards’ Rooms With “Bugs” To Listen For Cell Shakedowns

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#34

This Prison Tattoo Gun

This Prison Tattoo Gun

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#35

This Tin Can Grill

This Tin Can Grill

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#36

19th Century Carved Bone Prison Ring, Made In Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia

19th Century Carved Bone Prison Ring, Made In Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia

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#37

A Snazzy New York Prison Crafted Box, Circa 1866

A Snazzy New York Prison Crafted Box, Circa 1866

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#38

Hotplate Made From A Brick

Hotplate Made From A Brick

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#39

9 1/2" Sabre Tooth Tiger Made In Folsom Prison

9 1/2" Sabre Tooth Tiger Made In Folsom Prison

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#40

This Water Heater Made In Prison

This Water Heater Made In Prison

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#41

1970s Prison Made Japanese Kokeshi Doll

1970s Prison Made Japanese Kokeshi Doll

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#42

Embroidered Belt Made By A Prisoner Of War, Ww1

Embroidered Belt Made By A Prisoner Of War, Ww1

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#43

This Radio

This Radio

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#44

Prison Made Turkish Beaded Snake, Ww1

Prison Made Turkish Beaded Snake, Ww1

reddit.com Report

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#45

19th Century Prison Made Bone Corpus Christi

19th Century Prison Made Bone Corpus Christi

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#46

A Canteen Radio Made By Pow Brian Hitchison From A Ww2 Prison Camp

A Canteen Radio Made By Pow Brian Hitchison From A Ww2 Prison Camp

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#47

A Tattoo Gun Made In Prison. Functions Off Of Vibration. This One Is Powered By An Electric Toothbrush Motor

A Tattoo Gun Made In Prison. Functions Off Of Vibration. This One Is Powered By An Electric Toothbrush Motor

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#48

Carved Skull Beads Made By A Napoleonic Prisoner Of War

Carved Skull Beads Made By A Napoleonic Prisoner Of War

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#49

Prison Made Kool Cigarette Purse, Clutch And Case Made From Folded Cigarette Packs

Prison Made Kool Cigarette Purse, Clutch And Case Made From Folded Cigarette Packs

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#50

Cigarette Lighter Made In Prison

Cigarette Lighter Made In Prison

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#51

“The Cross” Created By A Woven Winston Packaging And Made At The Louisiana State In Penitentiary, Angola

“The Cross” Created By A Woven Winston Packaging And Made At The Louisiana State In Penitentiary, Angola

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#52

Prison Made Mermaid Soap Sculpture

Prison Made Mermaid Soap Sculpture

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#53

1943 Colorado State Penitentiary Prison Art Pyrography Box

1943 Colorado State Penitentiary Prison Art Pyrography Box

Maybeiwillbeokay Report

#54

When I Saw This Subreddit I Immediately Thought About These Inmates That Built A Computer Near My Hometown

When I Saw This Subreddit I Immediately Thought About These Inmates That Built A Computer Near My Hometown

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#55

Prison Made Cooking Device, Made By Prisoners Of War In Germany, Ww2

Prison Made Cooking Device, Made By Prisoners Of War In Germany, Ww2

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#56

A Guy Was Sent To Lockup And I Was Tasked With Cleaning His Cell. I Found This Left Behind In His Locker

A Guy Was Sent To Lockup And I Was Tasked With Cleaning His Cell. I Found This Left Behind In His Locker

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#57

Toilet Paper, Toothpick And Toothpaste Chess Pieces

Toilet Paper, Toothpick And Toothpaste Chess Pieces

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#58

Some Soap Sculptures From The 1950s

Some Soap Sculptures From The 1950s

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#59

Interlocking Heart Of Playing Cards, Made By A Florida Doc Prisoner

Interlocking Heart Of Playing Cards, Made By A Florida Doc Prisoner

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#60

Cellphone Chargers

Cellphone Chargers

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#61

Fake Gun Used In Prison Escape

Fake Gun Used In Prison Escape

catharticanimus Report

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#62

Water Powered Tattoo Gun

Water Powered Tattoo Gun

PatrickSutherla Report

#63

German Prisoner Of War Made Trench Art Box, Us Camp #16, France, 1945 Ww2

German Prisoner Of War Made Trench Art Box, Us Camp #16, France, 1945 Ww2

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#64

Chess Pieces And Board From An Abandoned Prison In NY

Chess Pieces And Board From An Abandoned Prison In NY

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#65

Literal Prison Wallet. Made By East Tn Inmates 4 Years Ago

Literal Prison Wallet. Made By East Tn Inmates 4 Years Ago

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#66

Pruno; Wine Made In Prison Using Fruit And Yeast From Bread. This Bag Was Found Inside The Base Of A Sink In A Prisoner’s Cell

Pruno; Wine Made In Prison Using Fruit And Yeast From Bread. This Bag Was Found Inside The Base Of A Sink In A Prisoner’s Cell

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#67

This Wrench Made To Unscrew Windows To Escape

This Wrench Made To Unscrew Windows To Escape

Gvazeky Report

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#68

Just Read The Text On The Sign, Title Is Unnecessary

Just Read The Text On The Sign, Title Is Unnecessary

Gvazeky Report

#69

Prison Made Folded Purse And B Cup Bra

Prison Made Folded Purse And B Cup Bra

reddit.com Report

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#70

Pipe Made In Prison

Pipe Made In Prison

Gvazeky Report

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#71

Prison Made Candle

Prison Made Candle

Gvazeky Report

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#72

Dice Made From Ibuprofen, Courtesy Of @rianjean11 On Tik Tok

Dice Made From Ibuprofen, Courtesy Of @rianjean11 On Tik Tok

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#73

Mini Tattoo Gun

Mini Tattoo Gun

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#74

Prison Glue, Not Toothpaste

Prison Glue, Not Toothpaste

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