Aussie prisoner details the culture shock he experienced upon re-entering society after TWELVE YEARS behind bars
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We often take for granted how drastic technological developments have changed our way of living in the span of just a few years. But some people are barred, in some cases quite literally, from experiencing the convenience and lifestyle we’re so accustomed to… And stepping back into society can seem a little overwhelming when you’re forced to be isolated from it for years.
One Australian man who spent the last 12 years behind bars experienced just that, revealing the massive culture shock he had after being released.
The former prisoner shared that the shock started when his wife picked him up from jail – in a car that didn't exist when he was still a free man back in 2010.
“I got spat out at 7 am, my wife picked me up in this car I had never seen before,” he said.
“I spent 25 minutes staring at the dash, then I said hello.”
In an interview held on the Kyle and Jackie O Show on KIIS 1065, the man said that when he went to jail, Uber eats wasn’t a thing yet and Michael Jackson was still alive.
“The world is a completely different place,” he said. Funnily enough, it was a simple trip to Woolworths which really left the ex-con perplexed.
“My wife had given me an iPhone and set up the face ID, then we headed to Woolies to buy some fruit and vegetables,” he explained. “She said you have to tap your phone on the ‘tap and go’ and I nearly broke the screen!”
Kylie and Jackie O’. Image Credit: news.com.au
The hosts burst out laughing with the man before explaining how there's a big difference between a prison tap and a real-world tap.
“You don't do anything softly in prison,” Kyle said.
The man added that he still received news in jail, and even worked out ways to get reception on a small handheld radio during a strict 17-day Covid lockdown. But these moments weren’t sufficient to prepare him for all of the drastic changes.
He said he was also disappointed when he tried to find the radio hosts – only to discover that they had moved stations since his time away.
The unidentified former inmate called the radio hosts after they questioned whether or not relationships could survive a prison sentence.
He said that he and his wife are just as in love as they were before he was put behind bars, boasting about how their relationship is a success story. The man is still on parole as he was only released seven weeks ago, but he clarified that things are looking up.
“I have had a job since the day I got out,” he said proudly.
Watch a video about what a couple of prisoners found the most shocking in the modern world below:
Video Credit: ToadFilms