Well it’s been ten years since I went through, and compared to Marine boot camp, prison is laid-back. When I was there, we got a five minute phone call when we reported to let our families know that we got there okay. I think we were able to make about three more phone calls after that, totaling about 15 or 20 minutes. That was just about the extent of our leisure activities. Unless you count P.T. and ironing our uniforms. Television was unheard-of.
The idea behind the strictness is that you’re taking a bunch of high school kids with (for the most part) absolutely no discipline, and trying—in the short span of eight weeks—to turn them into military men and women. The ultimate goal, of course, is to train warriors who’ll die carrying out orders, though one always hopes it won’t come to that. Recruits’ comfort and leisure are two things very far down on a long list of things to be done in that short period of time.