Australian prisoner shares the culture shock he suffered re-entering society after 12 YEARS – from paying with an iPhone to UberEats and his wife’s VERY modern new car
- A prisoner revealed the culture shock of reentering the world after 12 years
- He said when he left there was no Uber Eats or payment wave technology
- He said he almost broke the screen of his new phone trying to tap and pay
- Do you have a story about post-prison culture shock? Email [email protected]
An Australian who spent 12 years behind bars has revealed the enormous culture shock that comes with being released around the world after a long sentence.
The former prisoner said the shock started when his wife picked him up from prison – in a car that didn’t exist in 2010.
Speaking on the Kyle and Jackie O Show on KIIS 1065, the man said when he went to jail Uber Eats didn’t exist and Michael Jackson was still alive.
A man who spent 12 years behind bars has revealed the enormous culture shock that accompanies his release to the world after such a long sentence
“The world is a completely different place,” he said.
But it was a trip to Woolworths that really left the ex-con shaken.
“My wife had given me an iPhone and set up face ID and then we headed over to Woolies to buy some fruit and veg,” he told the popular hosts.
“She said you have to tap your phone on the tap and leave and I almost broke the screen,” he laughed.
The hosts laughed, explaining to the man that there’s a difference between a prison faucet and a real-world faucet.
“You don’t do anything easy in jail,” Kyle said.
The man said he heard from jail and even found ways to be received on a small portable radio during a strict 17-day Covid lockdown.
But those little moments didn’t prepare him for all the changes.
Man phones Kyle and Jackie O to let them know their relationship can survive jail time
“I got spat at 7am, my wife picked me up in this car that I had never seen before,” he said.
“I spent 25 minutes staring at the scoreboard and then said hello.”
He said he was also disappointed when he tried to find the radio hosts – only to find they had changed stations since he was gone.
The unnamed former inmate called radio hosts after they questioned whether the relationship could survive a prison sentence.
He said he and his wife were just as in love as they were when he left, describing them as a success story.
The man is still on parole as he has only been out of prison for seven weeks, but says things are going well.
“I’ve had a job since the day I got out,” he said proudly.
