“How to survive your first time in jail?” Did you ever ask this question and the only thing you felt was uncertainty? And when you ponder more on the question, you end up feeling afraid – after all, being sent to prison means losing one’s freedom.

Watching Prison Break episodes may make you feel like you learned the ins and outs of prison life, seeing all these gang wars, tactics, and badass lines. Even though prisons and jails are different, you feel like watching a series about breaking out of prison can help you. Well, that’s where you are wrong. Here are some basic tips that may just answer the question: How to survive your first time in jail?

Be strong: Whether you are a guy or a girl, you should your gather emotional, mental, and physical strength to be prepared inside jail. You will interact with those of different races and beliefs, with perspectives and attitudes unlike yours. Different situations should be dealt differently every time.

Be respectful: People say that for one to get respect, it’s necessary to give others respect first. Be well-mannered and be respectful to the staff inside the jail; they can help make your life easier inside, but they can also make it hard if they don’t like you. Make sure not to intimidate the employees and don’t do anything that can make them hate you.

Be cautious with other inmates: The inmates around you is the greatest factor that you have to deal with in jail. Not all inmates will like you or will be your greatest ally, and that is okay. Just socialize with other inmates but make sure that you’ll pay attention to your words. Be cautious to a point that you will always watch your back no matter what.

Gangs are popular inside jail, but as much as possible, avoid joining one for the sake of survival. It is expected that the gang members will be obedient and loyal to the gang leader. Sometimes, gangs can also bring you down with them if things get rough.

Trust no one: Don’t be gullible. People inside are doing their best to survive all circumstances. Trusting someone can jeopardize your chances of survival. It is okay to be friendly, but be sure to be independent.

Find a hobby: If the facility you stay in offers classes, grab the opportunity and try to spend your time inside the jail in a productive manner. You might want to bring books inside. Have fun while reading and the idiom “Time flies when you’re having fun” will definitely apply. Stay fit, run around, do push-ups – engage in those sorts of things. Keep your mind and body healthy.

Learn and comply with the rules: When you’re in jail, different set of rules will apply to you. Different facilities have different rules. Learn them and comply; be smart, since your life will depend on it.

How to survive your first time in jail? Just live with caution. Life inside won’t be easy, but try to be yourself and just do good things inside. Doing bad things in the situation will just make things harder.