There are a number of ways in which prison inmates will talk about their past criminal behavior.

Some guys give a well-rehearsed story that often minimizes accountability in their version of events. They downplay their involvement or justify their actions. I’ve also heard this minimizing before the story is refined.

During my first week in prison there was a guy trying to convince anyone who would listen that he had been convicted on two counts of aggravated sexual assault on a minor because he had “accidentally grazed” his stepdaughter’s breast while they were wrestling. His story was not well-received. Shortly thereafter he checked himself into protective custody because he received a multitude of threats.

Other guys glorify their crimes and/or define themselves by them. It is common to find guys who like to tell you how much “weight” (quantity and quality of the drugs) they were “slinging” (selling or distributing specifically pertaining to drugs). Some guys glorify even when it wouldn’t be considered something to brag about. I know a guy who will mention, at every opportunity, stealing catalytic converters is his hustle, and has been for over a decade. I can’t fathom why, but he’s proud of it.

I met a guy in jail who claimed to have traveled the country stealing high-dollar items, like GPS units, from truck stops and selling them to truckers for half price or less. When he told me his story I could tell he was proud of the small notoriety in the news that he had earned.

The first person I witnessed being approached about his notoriety was the guy who burned down a leather factory. He was proud not only of his infamous status, but of his actions because he claimed to be on a crusade for animal rights. Apparently he writes books and receives money from supporters. He said when he gets out he’s going right back to work.

I watched another guy get put on blast (being called out) about his ill fame with a much different result. You could tell immediately when someone recognized him; this fame was not a source of pride. I was right there when a guy said, “Hey, I know who you are! You’re the skate park predator from the news!” The convict proceeded to tell a group of us how he hadn’t actually done anything wrong, and his parents didn’t think he should be locked up. Another guy said to him, “It’s a good thing your parents don’t make that decision because based on what you told us, society obviously thinks you should be locked up for quite a while; and so do I.”

Those with sex offenses usually don’t discuss their crimes as openly as others. I have yet to encounter a sex offender who glorifies his crimes. There is definitely a hierarchy to crimes, and the consensus bottom-of-the-barrel crimes are sex offenses involving children. I imagine part of the reluctance to share is a direct result of how it would be received. I wonder if that conversation changes based on the audience.

Some guys blatantly lie about why they are here, but the truth usually comes out. I rode to Gunnison with a guy who claimed he had been sent to prison for DUI. There were numerous issues with his story, and as he tried to hammer them out it became more and more apparent he was lying.

Other prisoners would ask him why he didn’t have any paperwork; or why his date to see the parole board was years away. He was unable to provide plausible answers, but that didn’t stop him from giving answers of another sort. Over time it became somewhat of an amusing pastime for guys to ask him questions just to see what he’d come up with. Other than that, he was fairly shunned, not for his crimes, but for lying to everyone. Nobody bothered to have “their people” look him up, as our criminal records are public records. Everyone just assumed it must be one of those bottom-of-the-barrel deals.

All prisoners are given a “blue packet” before they see the parole board that details their entire criminal record. You are told to hang onto this paperwork and keep it safe always. Guys will conduct what is called “a paper check” to get the facts about other inmates. As you can imagine, every excuse that can be imagined has been given as to why guys no longer have their blue packet. “I sent it home to my family,” “My lawyer needed it,” and “I didn’t get one,” are all commonly used; nevertheless, these are not acceptable answers. Keeping your blue packet is an absolute must, unless I guess having people know their contents is worse than having people assume.

Whether guys are here on drug possession, theft, or some more heinous crime, the individuals who strike me as the most repentant don’t discuss their crimes in detail. They admit they are here for one reason or another, and that will be the end of it. Of course there are also guys who claim to be innocent, but that’s a topic for another time.

Brian Wood, formerly of Layton, is an inmate at the Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison. He pleaded guilty to nine felony charges for offenses from 2011 to 2014, including counts of burglary, drug possession and prescription fraud. He could spend up to 35 years in prison, depending on parole hearings.