Swedish prisoner's dilemma.

[Siam_Sam]

@Siam_Sam

I met a former convict in the US with a similar dilemma. He missed and pined for prison life.

Some good friends lived in an apartment, and we all became friendly with the people next door to them, three members of an extended family. One day, their cousin came to live with them. He was middle-aged and had been in prison in California for almost all of his adult life. He was paroled to Texas because of his relatives there. We’d often share a beer at night, and he was a genuinely nice guy to talk to. Completely open and honest about himself. He’d been given a decent job driving an airport limo, was making good money from that and seemed really to be trying to make a go of it. One quirk that he had, though, was always reminiscing about how good life was in prison. You could see he truly missed the place. He’d tell how you could have anything you wanted there, even pornography and sex.

About that time, a series of armed robberies began in the area. Yep, you guessed it. During one robbery, the perp ended up shot through the neck but lived. Yes, it was my friends’ paroled neighbor. It seems going back to prison was a main motive for the robberies. They obliged him and sent him back.

@CCitizen

Real US prison is MUCH MUCH WORSE then my situation.

For sure. I was just giving this guy as an example of someone who loved US (California) prison, but obviously he had a screw loose. Not suggesting he’s the norm.

[CCitizen]

@monstro

He’d be better off taking a risk of being homeless now, when he’s younger and has more resources, than hoping the quality of his prison never deteriorates.

Taking risks may not be intelligent – some of the people I knew died from drugs. I am afraid of the barbaric US laws of using illegal drugs. But it was my parents who prevented me from using vodka.

[CCitizen]

@pancakes3

Sad people are going to be sad no matter where they are. If Olaf was suddenly tapped to be a million-dollar-per-engagement, world’s foremost lecturer on all things social science he would still be miserable if he was unhappy as a $700/month intern living with his parents or a prisoner in a luxurious swedish prison. There might be lessening levels of sadness but overall Olaf is going to be sad.

For some writers and musitians sadness is an asset.

[CCitizen]

@Siam_Sam

For sure. I was just giving this guy as an example of someone who loved US (California) prison, but obviously he had a screw loose. Not suggesting he’s the norm.

How do you know how a “normal” person would react to a long imprisonment?

[Rollo_Tomasi]

@CCitizen

For some writers and musitians sadness is an asset.

I utterly loathe the romanticization of mental illness in this manner. Depression and related disorders are not some kind of gift meant to inspire creativity. They’re harmful and cause people a lot of pain and suffering.