Jon
Many people who have been to prison for many years have a difficult time adjusting to the world once they are out, especially if they went in in the 20th century and came out in the 21st century. In just the last twenty years, we’ve gotten the iPhone, Netflix, Smart Homes, self-driving cars, and other technological advances that was the stuff of sci-fi in the 1990s.
But it isn’t just tech that is completely different. Everything is, for someone who was formerly incarcerated. Redditor u/RedditR_Us recently asked, “People who did a long time (5 years+) in prison, what was your biggest shock of the outside world?” and while many people mentioned social media and smartphones, many others noted things like colors, choices, and doors that open by themselves.
1.
Just money in general… You have no idea how to handle money, that takes a little time to get used to.—u/tinkinoutsideabox
2.
I was in for Robbery 2: Mandatory Minimum of 5 years, 10 months.
One of the hardest things for me once I got out was making choices.
Let me explain; in prison, you might have a two choices for shampoo if you’re lucky. The first time I went shopping for hygiene essentials was at Target. I remember being so overwhelmed by the amount of choices for shampoo and having no idea which one to get. I stood in that aisle and cried for a few minutes before I just left without getting anything.—u/Rapunzel6506
3.
Just got out. Weirdest thing was seeing all these damn scooters laying everywhere—u/vexterion1
4.
My father was incarcerated from 2003 to 2016 & the biggest shock for him was technology & how much McDonald’s has raised prices lmao—u/SmallPotatoes929
5.
I went in around the first iPhone. Came out around 2014 and what disturbed me the most wasnt so much smartphones but how everyone everywhere had one in their hand staring at it. It felt very black mirror / twilight zone-ish.—u/DRACOSAPIEN
6.
That some women bleach their anus now.—u/Fellattio_Nelson
7.
I feel like the biggest adjustment was opening doors for myself. I wasn’t in prison but I was in a psych ward, and when I got out I realized a few times I would stop and pause at doors.—u/Black_Lily_Moon52
8.
I remember asking a coworker of mine. He said first was that no one had taken his car. It sat for 6 years unmoved in the street. Tires held air and battery was dead but started with a push. Second was how quickly things had gone up in cost. Rent, food, gas, things like that.—u/purplestuff11
9.
I spent roughly 9 years in total at a maximum security prison for some dumb decisions I made as a juvenile.
Self checkout stands at stores and wireless headphones were definitely one of those, this can’t be real moments. I questioned reality. Like when you cannot explain an instance and it scares you trying to cope with, did that really happen? That’s how it felt.—u/FirmAngus
10.
Not me but a relative. He would open every closet and drawer in our house when he got out. He hated anything around him closed.—u/ferrettrack
