"The Guards Beat Him To Death": People Who've Been To Prison Are Sharing The Most Devastating Things They Saw, And I Need A Minute

Disclaimer: The pursuing contented has mentions of cause abuse, death, intersexual abuse, constabulary abuse, and different delicate topics. Reader discretion is advised.

We're each alert that beingness successful situation tin beryllium rather harsh. However, aft I came crossed this Reddit thread wherever a idiosyncratic asked, "Ex-prisoners, what is the saddest happening you’ve ever seen successful prison?" I realized that it is simply a LOT much hard than we assume. These stories are a dense read, but they volition alteration your full position connected however prisons work.

Here are 26 devastating and gut-wrenching situation stories by erstwhile inmates that volition marque you teardrop up:

1. "My member had 3 golden teeth. They were ripped retired successful the archetypal fewer months of being successful prison. He said helium mislaid them successful a fight, but a defender told america that helium was astir apt held down and had them forcefully pulled out, judging by the harm to his gums."

— u/zodwa_wa_bantu

2. "I was hanging retired 1 time successful the instrumentality library. All of a sudden, immoderate kid who was caller came successful minding his ain concern and conscionable started speechmaking something. One of my boys who was besides successful determination (mind you, I’d been locked up for implicit a twelvemonth astatine this constituent with this dude; helium was chill and successful determination for coke dealing) got up, walked implicit to the younger kid, and bushed the surviving fuck retired of him. Like, not conscionable knocked him out. I’m saying virtually bushed the beingness retired of him. Blood flying everywhere. The kid was connected the ground, and dude conscionable kept smashing his look in…it was similar virtually caved in. I got up and conscionable stepped backmost and watched truthful I wouldn’t get jumped by the COs erstwhile they came in. They virtually dragged this lifeless kid distant and cuffed the dude I knew."

"I saw him erstwhile much earlier I got out, and I asked him what tf happened that day. All helium said was, “I felt similar fucking idiosyncratic up." Needless to say, I’ve had superior spot issues since then, and since being locked up successful general. Seeing that literal 18-year-old get beaten to decease successful beforehand of maine was beauteous fucked."

— u/PapaBigJunks

3. "When I was young successful juvenile detention, I was 15 oregon 16 astatine the time. Most of america determination were older teens. An 11-year-old kid was brought successful for throwing rocks astatine 1 of his teachers' homes. There was an older abdominous defender who worked there; these were mostly civilian guards, fixed that we were juveniles. Well, this guy, named Travis, started being weird with the kid. At archetypal the kid was similar immoderate different 11-year-old—Happy spell lucky. Travis got truly handsy with him. At repast times, helium was similar actively rubbing connected him. We each saw it; it was a lockdown facility, truthful we weren't fto retired of our cells overmuch either, but we each witnessed it. Guy was similar rubbing his back, touching his leg. Within a fewer days, kids' full cognition changed. We each knew Travis was molesting him. Even though we couldn't beryllium it."

— u/anonymous

4. "I went to region for astir a week successful the mediate of nowhere, Kansas, connected a cause charge. I was 19 years old, frightened shitless. It was a country with astir 4 communal picnic benches and 2 rooms connected either broadside with astir six bunks successful them. I noticed 1 was full, and the different had conscionable 1 feline successful there. So not knowing the concern astatine all, I went implicit to the bare bunks, and a feline grabbed my enarthrosis and conscionable gave maine a hard look that said, "No," but without saying a word. Then I noticed the different prisoners were camped retired successful corners connected their mattresses. I did the same. Found retired rapidly that the solo feline was successful for a transgression against a child. I had ne'er heard specified an ass-whooping that night—I conscionable covered my ears and stared astatine the wall—how did I get here? And the sobbing and pleading. I was bonded retired the adjacent day."

— u/SpaceCatSixxed

5. "I knew a feline who was ne'er successful occupation successful his life. He was moving successful the automotive manufacture successful Michigan and mislaid his job. He fell down with kid enactment payments and ended up doing clip successful jail. On his precise archetypal night, his 2 cellmates got into an statement due to the fact that 1 of them couldn’t find his carnivore claw snack. They yet stopped arguing and went to sleep. In the mediate of the night, helium was woken up by the feline beating the feline helium accused of theft. He virtually bushed the feline to death! Apparently helium had gotten a clasp of immoderate benignant of rod oregon stick. The full compartment was conscionable wholly covered successful blood! They extremity up uncovering retired that the feline helium accused of stealing it didn’t bargain it aft all. I’ll ne'er hide the fearfulness and look successful guy’s eyes erstwhile helium told maine what happened!"

— u/moto0392 

6. "I met a 70-year-old antheral named Jack. In the '70s, Jack went to the feds for slope robbery. He did his time, got out, and met the emotion of his life. They were joined for implicit 30 years. When she died successful 2015, Jack was heartbroken. He went and robbed a slope again conscionable to spell backmost to situation and not person to consciousness the void her lack near behind."

— u/advprimate 

7. "Knew a feline that went into national situation astatine 18 for sexting with his boyfriend, who wasn't 18 yet (they were some successful precocious school). The parents recovered out, and this was successful agrarian Virginia truthful they mislaid it astatine the thought that their lad was cheery and called the authorities. Feds tried to complaint him with accumulation of CP but couldn't, truthful they charged him with receipt. Still gave him 17 fucking years successful prison, positive lifelong supervision. You cannot archer maine that that is an due condemnation for 2 teenagers sexting."

— u/anondum 

8. "A 17-year-old kid was successful my block. His sanction was Israel. He had been kicked retired of his grandma's location a fewer months anterior for doing drugs, truthful helium was surviving connected the streets. He got picked up for bundle theft. He was lone successful for 30 days, but helium was enjoying each infinitesimal of it. Because helium was young and a mostly bully dude, radical looked retired for him. I taught him however to play spades. At the extremity of the 30 days, helium didn't privation to get out. He didn't privation to spell backmost to beingness connected the thoroughfare with nary food. He was readying connected doing thing to get himself backmost successful there, but I tried convincing him that's not wherever helium wanted to be. I told him helium needed to spell speech to his grandma, discontinue doing drugs, and effort to get a occupation to assistance her wage her bills and support him retired of occupation truthful helium could get his ain spot sometime soon. He heard me, but I uncertainty helium was listening. If I had to guess, helium astir apt got himself locked up again, but I definite anticipation not."

— u/jimbojangles1987 

9. "I knew a feline who was precise benignant and successful situation for conscionable a parole usurpation due to the fact that helium stole something. He was a stateless guy. He was a spot goofy and had schizophrenia oregon thing but was a truly bully guy. Anyway, helium got sent to the spread for immoderate reason, and the guards ended up beating him to decease there. I judge the guards who did it are successful situation themselves now. Can't judge that happened. RIP Larry."

— u/rnielsen777 

10. "A feline we worked retired with recovered retired his dada killed his wife, ma and their kid and past killed himself. He went to his compartment for a while, and aft similar 40 minutes helium was screaming for help. Stumbled retired of his compartment with his wrists each chopped up and besides chopped up his cervix existent atrocious too. Unfortunately, helium didn’t marque it much than a fewer steps retired of his compartment earlier falling and going unresponsive. That was astir arsenic unsmooth arsenic erstwhile my champion friend's member decided to stroke the backmost of his skull disconnected successful the country adjacent to us."

— u/g254-Bing-Bong

11. "My ex-boyfriend was successful jailhouse for astir 3 years. I utilized to sojourn him each Saturday. There were tons of families determination successful the visitation "room." Imagine a benignant of warehouse with small tables and chairs. There was this pistillate that would sometimes sojourn her hubby and springiness him handjobs nether the table; sometimes she would beryllium connected his thigh and thrust him for a while... Right adjacent to her 2 small kids. I volition ne'er hide those kids' faces, staring astatine the wall, trying to disregard what their "parents" were doing. The guards would mostly disregard it due to the fact that the feline was seemingly a large changeable cause trader and had tons of influence. It was perfectly disgusting and humiliating for those kids. My ex would scold maine for staring astatine them with disgust; helium didn't privation to get successful occupation with that guy. So messed up."

— u/itsmequintino 

12. "As a kid, I went to juvie for accidentally mounting immoderate woods connected occurrence (bonfire retired of power situation), and my cellmate was lone a fewer years older than me. He was a ace nice, laid-back guy. We got on large and adjacent benignant of became friends portion there. I was conscionable a kid, truthful I didn’t truly inquire immoderate questions astir antithetic colors of jumpsuits and people's reasons for being there. The time I got out, I recovered retired helium was successful determination for murder. Apparently helium got truly bushed of his stepdad physically abusing him, and helium killed him. I ne'er truly knew each of the details, but I tin archer you that erstwhile talking to him, helium seemed similar a bully kid astatine heart. He had things and radical that helium cared about, things helium wanted to do, interests, etc. The guards evidently indispensable person known, but they were ever ace bully to him, noticeably so, adjacent much truthful than different inmates. I ever wondered what happened to him."

— u/FloridaFisher87

13. "A 57-year-old antheral connected a beingness sentence, precocious connected spice (synthetic psychoactive cannabinoids), was crawling astir connected the level screaming due to the fact that helium could spot his dormant parent towering implicit him and looking astatine him successful disgust. Another 1 was wherever a feline sliced his fucking dick successful fractional (and again acceptable occurrence to his cell) due to the fact that the cause made him deliberation erections are evil."

— u/DValentino23 

14. "I knew an inmate who signed a powerfulness of lawyer to his woman truthful she could grip his assets, business, wage for his defense, etc. A week aft helium sent the letter, she cashed retired each his accounts and disappeared. He was besides an ICE detainee truthful helium astir surely was deported with thing to his name. He was a bully feline too; his bunkmate had a seizure 1 night, and helium kept him unchangeable and from falling until unit responded."

— u/wrludlow

15. "Not a prisoner, but I worked successful a situation for astir 2 years arsenic an admin. A batch of bittersweet worldly happens each the time. Many times, the inmate's household sojourn turns into a large shouting event, and the inmate goes backmost to their country feeling depressed due to the fact that that was the archetypal clip successful months they had seen their family. There was 1 clip wherever a feline was waiting for his parent and sister to sojourn him. The household had booked a half-hour clip slot, and the feline was successful the waiting room. But they ne'er turned up. I really saw tears successful his eyes arsenic the visiting hours were implicit and helium was told to spell back. Our situation besides conducts GCSE English and Math classes for inmates. One of the inmates had been doing a batch of revision and preparing for his GCSEs for astir a year, I assume. On the time of his exam, helium heard that his spouse had committed suicide, and helium was mentally traumatized to beryllium for the exam."

"He mislaid his partner, missed his accidental to look successful the exam, and mislaid a spot of his caput arsenic well. There are countless tiny stories that I've seen, which is highly sad. When I narrate this to people, there's precise small sympathy towards them."

— u/Elizia_Shrestha 

16. "I wasn't precisely successful prison—it was the region jail. I utilized to person a spot of a drinking occupation and landed a DUI. It was a agrarian Wisconsin county, truthful similar 90% of each the inmates were drunks. We had 1 feline successful determination for his 4th OWI, but he'd been sober for 20 years. He got it due to the fact that helium had pharynx crab and helium was spaced retired connected his symptom meds erstwhile helium got pulled over. The crab had eaten his larynx away, and helium had to usage 1 of those physics wand dependable boxes to talk. There was immoderate fuck-up involving the paperwork for his crab meds, truthful the asshole successful complaint of the artifact wouldn't fto him person immoderate of them for the archetypal fewer days. He was throwing up each implicit the place, and the remainder of america inmates had to instrumentality attraction of him and cleanable up his vomit. Eventually they got his aesculapian happening figured out, and helium did the remainder of his clip (about 2 months). Three weeks aft helium got out, we saw his obituary successful the paper."

"We besides had a caregiver who came astir to springiness everybody their meds successful the greeting and evening who discontinue due to the fact that the serviceman successful complaint of the jailhouse was perpetually bitching her retired for being excessively bully to the inmates (she was a truly saccharine younger lady, I deliberation comparatively caller retired of college). Basically she thought that we were already astatine a debased constituent successful our lives, truthful we deserved immoderate kindness, and the serviceman didn't agree, and helium started giving her a hard clip astir thing helium could. I deliberation the incidental with the crab feline was the past straw for her." 

— u/briar_mackinney 

17. "Obligatory 'not a captive but'... I'm a CO and astir things don't fuss me. They can't due to the fact that I person to travel backmost each day. But 1 thing... We had this inmate, we'll telephone him Johnny. Johnny had immoderate benignant of intelligence disablement wherever helium ne'er matured from 8 years old. He had the encephalon of an 8-year-old successful the assemblage of a 15-year-old contempt him being successful his mid-twenties. There are truthful galore things that were messed up astir his being here. Firstly, helium ne'er should person been arrested. His bail was $50 and his parents refused to wage it, and alternatively they took a abrogation to St. Martin. Every Thursday (visitation time for his compartment block), helium came up to maine and said, "Officer Thunderball, my parents are here! Can I spell spot them?" I checked with the officers successful the lobby, and no. They weren't here. He conscionable thought that possibly if helium showed up, past they would too."

"Christmas eve, helium asked maine if Santa was going to inactive springiness him presents if helium was successful jail. Is that fucked up enough? Yeah. It gets worse. So overmuch worse. 

Administration decided to location him connected our peculiar needs unit. Makes sense; however, our peculiar needs portion is mostly comprised of...pedophiles. We enactment a mentally handicapped antheral who looks 15 and acts similar an eight-year-old successful a portion afloat of pedophiles. Take a conjecture what happened. Figured it out? Take a conjecture however galore times it continued to hap AFTER BEING REPORTED. I'm done; this is pissing maine disconnected conscionable reasoning astir it."

— u/thunderball500110 

18. "There was a idiosyncratic who went to situation and cried each the time. He ne'er spoke, but aft a portion it became wide that the serviceman forced him to confess that helium had killed a person; otherwise, helium would rape his sister successful beforehand of his eyes. He confessed and received a beingness condemnation (we are successful a precise blimpish country; English is not my archetypal language)."

— u/Top-Emotion-8687

19. "I was erstwhile stood up for a sojourn (my person booked it and didn’t show), truthful I had to hold successful the holding cells portion everyone went connected their visits. After an hour, a feline from my country came backmost from his sojourn looking visibly shaken/upset; helium went connected to archer maine that his woman and parent to his kids had conscionable told him she had terminal cancer. Sadly, she died not agelong aft (this was similar 12 years ago); to marque matters worse, the guy's look popped up connected my Facebook the different week arsenic helium was murdered. Made maine deliberation of those kids (possibly adults now) who present did not person parents."

— u/Mental_Habit_231 

20. "Had a stint successful juvie mode backmost during covid. A 13-year-old miss was the lone different idiosyncratic I could speech to since her intake time was the aforesaid arsenic excavation (social distancing BS). Jesus, her communicative was intense. Long communicative short, she was successful determination due to the fact that of a brutal combat with her druggie mom. She had 2 choices—lose her lone household subordinate to jailhouse and person to spell into foster care, oregon prevarication and instrumentality the responsibility truthful she would beryllium the 1 locked up. Genuinely astir brought maine to tears. She had truthful galore cuts and bruises."

— u/FyouPerryThePlatypus 

21. "The feline that jumped maine successful my compartment and threatened to chopped my pharynx broke down crying due to the fact that helium was truthful bushed of putting connected a strong-man persona, and helium was really terrified and conscionable wanted to beryllium astatine location with his kids. That honestly truly got to me; helium was beauteous precocious up moving drugs and shit. And I conscionable couldn't judge this feline who was threatening to chopped my pharynx is present crying uncontrollably successful my arms. Was the weirdest infinitesimal of my life."

— u/anonymous

22. "I was moving connected the servery, truthful I was retired of my compartment each day, each day. One time I was told by the screw to cheque connected the cells connected the crushed floor. I opened 1 of the doorway flaps, and this feline was lasting successful the mediate of the room, with his garment off, crying. Then proceeded to slash some his wrists. Called for help, helium made it. But not agelong after, helium hung himself."

— u/Kemosabe-Norway 

23. "Wasn’t successful jailhouse but worked astatine a authorities prison—the saddest happening I retrieve was an inmate that was my property (about 24 astatine the time), and helium looked similar helium was 90. He had large kidney failure, and they were going to fto him retired connected a aesculapian merchandise (meaning you were going to dice successful the adjacent six months and were nonviolent). He said helium was expected to get retired the week before, but his paperwork was messed up. I saw him a period later; paperwork was inactive bad. Then helium died. Found retired that you had to person addresses of aggregate household members for the aesculapian discharge, and the household has to motion disconnected that helium volition enactment retired of trouble. They didn’t privation thing to bash with him, truthful they refused each paperwork. He was successful for car theft."

— u/Papashvilli 

24. "Lived with a feline who spent immoderate clip successful situation successful Florida. He watched 2 radical propulsion different antheral disconnected a balcony headfirst. Man landed close beside him. His skull fractured unfastened and splattered humor everywhere. Guy said he’d had nightmares ever since. I got the consciousness that that was the lone communicative helium was comfy sharing."

— u/flannyo 

25. "One clip erstwhile I was getting released from county, a feline successful the isolation holding compartment had smeared his crap each implicit the walls and level of the cell, and the officers made a woody with him that if helium cleaned up the shit, helium could get a ablution and a repast tray. So aft astir an hr of him arguing astir it helium yet agreed and they brought him a mop. It took him astir 45 minutes to get the compartment cleanable capable to fulfill the officers, and erstwhile they opened the cell, they took the mop bucket from him and virtually walked this shitty-ass mop bucket down to the wide colonisation holding compartment and popped the doorway and handed an inmate the mop, and helium proceeded to mop their level with this shitty fucking mop, and wrong a infinitesimal oregon so, everyone connected the level was freaking retired and yelling astir the odor that was conscionable wiped crossed the full floor. A fewer minutes aboriginal I was released, and who knows what happened after."

— u/GHETTOT3cH

26. "A person of excavation was successful the compartment adjacent to idiosyncratic who "committed suicide" aft a sojourn from a guard. He knew good capable to support his rima shut. I'm beauteous definite I'm the lone idiosyncratic helium told."

— u/DaddyOhMy

I'm not going to lie—I teared up portion penning this post. I ne'er imagined conscionable however acheronian situation beingness indispensable be. If you've been wrong situation oregon worked astatine one, archer america your stories successful the signifier below.

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize has experienced intersexual assault, you tin telephone the National Sexual Assault Hotline astatine 1-800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to their nearest intersexual battle work provider. You tin besides hunt for your section halfway here.

The National Alliance connected Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides accusation and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an relation of intelligence wellness professionals from much than 25 countries who enactment efforts to trim harm successful therapy.