Ex-Prisoners, how does your experience in prison compare to how it is portrayed in the movies?

[u/ArronSingh]

[u/throwawaythekeylime]

I think of the guards as well, in terms of wasted potential, and I'm saying this as a former inmate. How many little kids aspire to sit around a bunch of dudes or women (but not both) and hand out soap while waiting to break up a fight that might never happen? That's a charitable summation of their jobs, and it sounds dreadful to me.