"What is it like sleeping in prison? Well, there are two kinds of dorms. One is the open dorm and it looks like a gymnasium with 50 bunk beds. And the other is a closed tier, so you'll have one or two other cellmates. Now, sleeping in an open dorm caused a lot of issues for me because that's probably where my PTSD comes from. I was always on edge and everyone would fall asleep and I would stay awake until most people were asleep and then I would feel comfortable enough to go to sleep. A lot of things happened at night. People would want to hang out or party or do whatever at night (party is a generous term for what was actually going on). There's some girlfriend stuff going on at night, you gotta mind your own business. A closed tier where you have one other cellmate is where I felt most relaxed. And you sleep on the bed, not in the bed. Which means you have a blanket, you have to tie your mattress really really tight, and you sleep on top of that with one blanket that you keep either folded or in your locker (every prison is different). But you sleep on the bed, not in it, so your bed is always crispy and clean. Everything has to be clean in prison."