They used to "restrict" some of the content of questions ...
Now, I guess you can pretty much ask anything ...
I guess it's more-so now because Yahoo Answers has "retired" ...
I'll post some interesting examples that were supposedly "banned" or "moderated" previously ...
If you've been to prison, what do you wish you knew before being sent there?
Jim Christmas, Four years behind bars for another man's crime
I was lucky. The night before I was set to take my plea, some friends introduced me to a man who had just gotten out of prison.
One arm was holding the phone to this fellow while the other was busily packing up my apartment (hope for the best, but prepare for the worst).
He frantically tried to cram as much into my head as he could. Because this was possibly my last night as a free man, there was very little that I could do to prepare, but I tried like hell.
Here’s a mixture of things. Some are from my personal inmate advisor and some are my own additions:
- Prepare a list of contacts - names, addresses, and phone numbers. Put this in an envelope with your name on the outside and plenty of postage on it. Give it to a friend. Once your prison address is determined, your friend will add it to the envelope under your name and drop it in the mail. If not for this little packet of paper, I would’ve been completely cut off from dozens of people.
- If you have any money and a friend you can trust, ask them to put that money on your prison commissary account. You’re going to need a few things in prison like warmer clothes or better shoes.
- Look up companies that provide local telephone numbers for inmates. These services establish a phone number for you that appears to be in the same zip code as the prison. When you call this number, it is automatically forwarded to your family, wherever they may be. This will save you an incredible sum of money. Several of my friends and family were using TelePigeon (I think).
- Stay out of the TV room. It’s all politics and intrigue in that den of evil.
- Never tell anyone about your criminal charge. There are people who will try and trade information about you for more favorable sentences for themselves. There’s nothing keeping them from mixing a bit of truth from you with information they get about you from someone on the outside, and embellishing your story.
- Never let anyone know anything about your life on the outside.
- Mind your own business.
- “Respect” in prison means something different than it does on the outside. A large part of prison “respect” really refers to personal space. Give everyone and everyone’s things plenty of personal space.
- Say “Excuse me” even when you don’t really feel like you should have to. Inmates have a way of making “Excuse me” rhyme with “fuck you,” but just politely make your way through the crowd to avoid problems.
- Never, ever, agree to loan money, or hold anything for anyone.
- Don’t gamble.
- Learn to lose yourself in a book. The days will speed by if you’re reading stories you enjoy. It’s likely you will never again have the opportunity to do this much reading. Enjoy it. If you don’t read Kafka’s The Trial and Charrière’s Papillon while in prison, I will re-evaluate my opinion of you. ;-)
- Set goals for yourself. This is like the worst Club Med vacation ever, but if you treat it as a “vacation” of sorts, lots will be easier. I had goals around writing letters, memorizing poetry, and reading some of the classics of literature.
- Buy a sewing kit if they offer it on commissary.
- Don’t throw anything away. You’ll assume that the empty peanut butter jar is trash, but the day after you toss it, you’ll need it.
- Learn the tricks. Inmates know how to do and make all sorts of stuff.
After you get out, try to let prison go. You can start recycling your peanut butter jars again.