Body and hygiene
Soap, showers, haircuts, and the discovery that nobody in the building is looking at your body the way you assume they are.
The daily part
Where do I go to take care of myself?
Copy linkThe shower.
If you meant the other thing, it is the same answer, and the rules around it are in sex, loneliness, and the body.
How often should I shower?
Copy linkEvery day.
How often should I wash my stuff?
Copy linkEvery chance you get.
Do I need shower shoes?
Copy linkYes. You are doing the shower stuff in there. So is everyone else.
Can I shave? With what?
Copy linkYes. Razors are on
How do I get more toilet paper?
Copy linkBuy it if commissary carries it. Otherwise, newspaper.
What if I need the bathroom and there's a line?
Copy linkTreat it like any other line. Ask. “Hey, is it cool if I go, I'm about to pop” works fine and nobody will make it weird.
I have no idea. It never came up for me and I am not going to invent an answer.
If you know the answer to this one, send it to me and I will write it up and credit nobody, which is how everyone seems to prefer it.
Who pays for the soap
Do I get my own soap, toothpaste, and deodorant, or do I have to buy it?
Copy linkYou buy it at
If you cannot afford commissary, tell your
When you first arrive, your
What do I do until my first commissary?
Copy linkLive off that care package. It exists for exactly this reason and accepting it is normal.
If your car does not give you one, you will need to find someone who is genuinely kind. They exist.
What you should not do is accept an unsolicited kit from a stranger outside that process. The debt chapter covers why.
Can I get a haircut? Who cuts it and what does it cost?
Copy linkYes. There are dedicated barbers, some of them good. At my facility it was five or ten dollars depending on who was cutting.
That is one line item in a whole service economy, and the going rates for the rest of it are in the economy.
What do I do about my hair if nobody there cuts hair like mine?
Copy linkSuffer. It grows back.
Fitness, size, and equipment
Can I work out? Where? Is there weight equipment?
Copy linkYes, and usually.
What if I'm out of shape, overweight, or disabled?
Copy linkNobody cares what you look like. This is not a place where anyone is evaluating your physique.
If you have a genuine disability, medical handles accommodations — lower bunk pass, lower tier, mobility equipment. Get it documented early rather than fighting for it later.
The policy behind that is PS 5200.06, Management of Inmates With Disabilities, and citing it in writing works better than describing your knee to somebody at mainline.
What about my CPAP, insulin, hearing aid, or prosthetic?
Copy linkAll available. Medical will handle it.
Arrive with documentation rather than a description. The rest of how medical actually works is in the medical section.
Cellies and living space
Who you sleep next to, how much of that you control, and what to do when it goes wrong. Less than you would like, and more than you expect.
Hand the rest of this site to your family
You will not be able to look things up once you're inside. They can, and this is where: everything written for the one waiting — a twelve-part guide to mail, visiting, money, and your release date, plus their own FAQ and checklist. Alongside it, a guide to every facility with email alerts when visiting stops, the support group directory, calculators for your release math, and free answers when they have questions.
Send them the link before you report, not after they can't reach you.
These pages cover the general rules. Your situation has details they don't. Email me a question. Answers are free, and "you don't need to pay anyone for this" is my most common answer.
I answer in the order received, usually within a couple of days. I have a day job. If your situation genuinely needs more than an email, I take a limited number of consults, so say so and we'll work it out.
If this answered something, it'll answer it for someone else too.