A spare sock here and a bar of soap there can make a nice little cudgel to keep some mouthy thug in line.
Soon it becomes clear that, as multilayered as Escapist prison life initially feels, your real job is three-fold: observe your surroundings and plan the when-where-and-how of your escape search out or steal the raw materials you need and then work your way up to being able to craft the pickaxes, shovels, etc.
This is a T-rated game so all the real hardcore stuff of life behind prison walls is never on display.
