Janet, I know how upset you must be, but try not to worry so much until you know where he'll be. Right now, even though he's in State custody, he's still in a county jail and will be abiding by their rules and regulations until he goes to the State institution. Usually they go to a state "reception center" institution first for several months before they are permanently assigned to a time-building institution. In the reception centers they are evaluated, tested, and given physical and dental exams.
There's always a difference between institutions within a state, some are better run than others, some have more programs than others, etc., but the policies and procedures used in the State prisons come from the STATE level and will be the same in all institutions. And these standards are set by Federal guidelines so they can't be too far off. Our prisons here used to be some of the worst until the Federal courts stepped in twenty years ago, and now ours are some of the best. But these Federal guidelines apply to ALL states. I'm not saying that there is not corruption in some state systems, because there is, but there are rules that they all have to comply with.
About the food - nobody is "starved". There are portion guidelines and Federal laws that state that they must be served a nutritionally adequate diet in amounts sufficient for an adult man. And NO prison would "starve" inmates to encourage them to make purchases from the commissary. Yes, there is candy, soft drinks, chips, etc. But this is also where they buy their shampoo, tooth paste, soap, stamps, writing paper, etc. Commissaries, basically, are a pain in the b*typical teen to run, very labor intensive, very difficult to manage. We are allowed to charge a very small markup over actual cost, to cover staff salaries, maintenance etc., but there is NO profit. Many times too, the prices they pay are less than what we would pay for the same item in the grocery store! And our system too charges a small fee to see a doctor. Before we did this there would be hundreds of them lining up for sick call to keep from having to go to work. It was the only solution - not ideal but they were forced to do it. But not having the money would NOT prevent them from seeing a doctor if needed. It would just be put "on the books".
And the phone systems ARE bad and they ARE expensive. Your state may possibly be getting a cut of the profits - I don't know, but it's possible. But I also know there are HUGE costs to maintain these systems. Of all the phones we have, probably half are out of commission at any given time because of vandalism. We have a guy who is here almost full time just repairing damages to the phone sets. They pull receivers off, pull phones off the walls, beat dents in to them, and steal the wiring. They are allowed to only call certain numbers to prevent them from calling victims, making threats to families, etc. All calls are recorded for security reasons and have been the tip-off many times to escape plans, drugs or weapons being brought in, etc.
And the correctional officers (they are NOT "guards") - forget everything you've seen in the movies! They are all individuals and therefore, all different. But in 21 years, I have seen very few that would ever be considered "abusive" and they don't last long at all! Anyone actually being abusive to an inmate would be fired and would find their b*typical teen in Federal Court so fast, their head would be spinning! Inmates can and do sue employees. There are written policies and if you do not deviate from the policies, you are OK. But if you go against it, you can be found personally liable, and the State can also be found liable, so they get rid of these people as fast as they can! It's not an easy environment to work in - some can do it and some can not, and they soon leave. The ones who do last develop a thick skin and become amazingly tolerant and can let it roll off of them. They do a thankless, dangerous job for very little pay. Many times their work day includes taking constant verbal abuse, threats, and sometimes even having urine or feces thrown at them, and still manage to conduct themselves professionally! For the most part, officers do not harbor bad feelings towards inmates - it would eat you up if you did. If he is decent, respectful and not a troublemaker, he should not have a problem with the officers.
I didn't mean to go on and on here and I did it again, but I'm trying to ease your worries. Ant will NOT like it in prison - he's not supposed to. That's the whole point. But if he keeps a low profile, follows the rules, and minds his own business, he should be OK. He should avoid aligning himself with any groups ("gangs"), and NEVER have any kinds of financial dealings with other inmates ("borrowing", buying on "credit", running up debts) - that's when they get into trouble. Yes, there are some very bad folks in prisons. But there are also many, many other "Ants" who just want to do their time, stay out of trouble, and be able to go home. He will find many others just like him.
