Inmates in a normal prison are focused on how much time they are going to serve, on contacting their lawyers, on being able to take constructive efforts to get out; these are important ways prisoners deal with the stress of confinement, and these guys can't do anything."
Prison inmates' primary concerns revolve around their sentence duration, legal representation, and opportunities for early release; these are essential coping mechanisms for managing confinement stress, but they are constrained by the prison environment.