Pat Stedman was released from federal prison on October 27, 2024 after serving a one-year sentence for appearing at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Stedman will use the day to protest the 2020 election fraud and petition Congress to oppose premature certification of the election to give battleground states the chance to investigate voting fraud, which many members of Congress have called for. He was visiting Washington, DC.
Stedman followed the crowd into the Capitol, shouting with them but not committing any violence.
Nevertheless, he was sentenced to 48 months in prison for a felony, obstruction of a public proceeding, a charge that the Justice Department used as a weapon against the Jan. 6 protesters in an Enron-era financial crimes law. was sentenced.
Stedman was released early after the Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors had used obstruction laws, originally intended to destroy evidence. Too wide.
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Just less than two weeks ago, I was released from federal prison. It's been a year since I went to prison. Here are 10 things I learned from this melting pot.
1. Your opinion doesn't matter
In the civilian world, everyone feels entitled to say what they want, and most people get angry when others don't agree with them. We live in an inhumane culture that thrives on people abusing each other. Basically it's x.
In prison, this type of behavior is unwise. Learn to be silent about your opinions and be tolerant of others unless asked. You don't provoke them. Arguments often turn violent. If you want to be right, get ready to fight.
And don't even get me started on man-made knives. The human mind under pressure is capable of incredible ingenuity.
2. Respect is paramount
Prison was one of the most respectful environments I've ever been in. There was more respect than at the country club.
When we pass someone or interrupt a conversation, we all say “excuse me” or “excuse me.” You hold the door for others. Natural acts will be punished. The higher the security of a prison, the more dangerous it is. Even moving someone's chair without their permission can lead to violence.
But collisions are easy to avoid. If you put your ego aside and treat people with respect, you'll have very few problems.
3. Necessity is the mother of invention
Want to smoke without a lighter? All you need is 2 batteries and a wire. Want to cook but don't have a stove or microwave? You can boil water in a bucket by wrapping two cables around a metal plate plugged into an electrical outlet.
I've also seen convection ovens made from soda cans and loose wire. And don't even get me started on man-made knives. The human mind under pressure is capable of incredible ingenuity.
4. Prisons are mental hospitals.
After spending too much time in prison, even a strong man begins to lose his strength. In some cases, it's obvious – people are talking to themselves. But most of the time it's more subtle. A looping conversation. Walk back and forth across the room constantly. Hoard junk. It is easy to feel stressed due to inconvenience. paranoia.
Long lockdowns, boring daily routines, and constant attacks on humanity by security guards can reduce you to an animal-like level. Some people come in like this. However, most are made this way due to conditions. There is a word called “institutionalization”.
5. Matters related to administrative procedures
The two classes of criminals at the bottom of the prison totem pole are the chomos (“child molesters”, a term used as an umbrella term for all sex offenders) and the rats. It is very important to have “documents” to prove that you are not a prisoner.
Because Fort Dix is a dumping ground for these types of prisoners, they are allowed access to the yard, unlike maximum security prisons. However, they remain at the bottom of the totem pole and are unfairly targeted for extortion and robbery.
Rats in particular are looked down upon, which makes sense considering most inmates are in prison because of rats. Have your documents ready or remain discreet and in an authorized location.
6. Race is real and relevant.
Prison is a tribal environment. You will be immediately sorted based on ethnicity and filtered into “cars” accordingly.
A white man has a table. Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, etc. all have their own characteristics.
Black men organize based on geography, such as New York, Pennsylvania, and the Carolinas. You don't have to be black to ride in their car, but that rarely happens, and usually when the man in question is also from the “hood.”
Separation creates stability. The differences are clear and widely recognized.
But respect is colorblind. Every race has men of honor as well as dirtbags. Good guys are friendly to each other regardless of their background. Collisions between cars are rare and avoidable at all costs. It's called a “crash out” and it gets ugly. To avoid this, troublemakers will police themselves.
7. Everything is relative
Fort Dix was a real prison for me. But that wasn't the case for those who came from high security agencies.
You can also go outside regularly. There were no bars on the cell door. Even during lockdown, you can still move around the building, use your phone or computer, and sometimes even watch TV.
I have become so grateful for the little things. Being able to go to the gym, eating a little more at the cafeteria, getting to the store early, and being able to move around more easily because the door is unlocked all felt like “freedom.'' Ta.
The abundance we have on the outside is amazing. After this year, something as simple as bread with butter and jam felt like heaven to me.
8. Our information overload is extreme.
Two days after returning to the “real world” I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of information I was receiving. There was no internet access in prison and communication with the outside world was limited.
I didn't scroll through my feed or messages. I talked to people and read books. I was focused and present, had a real conversation, and actually learned some things. Since my return, I can already feel the siren song of distraction calling to me.
To be honest, I prefer the clarity there to the flood of nonsense here. There is something wrong with the way we live. It's not healthy or natural, but it explains much of our growing social dysfunction.
9. You know a lot about women.
If you're around a man with high testosterone 24/7, you'll become sensitive to even the slightest feminine energy around you. Everyone notices the female security guard, even if they aren't staring.
A little flourish of femininity goes a long way. You can almost smell it before you even see it. I remember staring at my wife during our visit, intoxicated by her presence. This was more than just sex. The way her hair falls on her shoulders, the way she moves. Everything about her was new. I just wanted to take it all in.
10. You can adjust anything.
The first few weeks in prison were difficult. There were a lot of rules I didn't understand and had to learn. To put it lightly, it is very You have to get used to a different environment and very different types of people.
But suddenly all this newness became normal. I lived in a ghetto surrounded by barbed wire fences, and there was nothing strange about it. I would fist-bump gangsters and sneak apples out of the cafeteria in my socks, as if it were part of life.
Looking back, it still feels surreal. I just left this world. And it already seems like a dream.
