The biggest problem with county jails and why inmates awaiting sentencing were so eager to get to state prison is that there is nothing to do. Because inmates should only be there for a relatively short time, there are no educational or training programs besides one for getting your GED. There is no outdoor recreational area, no area for weight lifting, and only one television per block. At state prisons, inmates will typically have a television in their cell and plenty of other things to do to keep them occupied.
Besides not being able to see my children, the worst part of jail was the boredom. It would be great if you could sleep all day every day, but that doesn’t work. My time in jail was also very stressful because there were always other legal things going on for me, and getting anything done was next to impossible. Anyone that says preparing a defense from jail does not hamper the defendant has never tried to do so. While the attorney is not incarcerated, defendants are at their mercy when the attorney comes to see them. Plus, if you want to be actively involved in your defense, there is very little you can do. It gets very frustrating. I think defense attorneys like it when their clients are in jail because the time they spend with the client is necessarily limited.
Thus, being bored and frustrated sums up my time in jail. To keep busy, I did a great deal of legal research, prepared many of my legal documents, read many books, and wrote many letters, essays, and notes. I also did some academic research while there. Do this research was interesting because it was like doing research centuries ago before computers, calculators, or even slide rules.