I keep hearing it: there's no one to RP with in jail. Time and time again I am finding this to not be so. True: there are times of higher traffic than others. I am usually online and in jail for most of my 'sentence' so I am aware of this.

You still have options. The OOC chat is almost always populated, so this is one way to fill dead times. If you have other groups, you can chat there or use this to do planning and maintenance. I do this frequently.

There may be other prisoners and we are probably as available as you are. I have found this a great way to connect with people that I might not have had the opportunity other wise. As a criminal, you're in like-minded company!

Then there are the police.

I try to keep a few things in mind, like the fact that they are doing the paper work that ups my street cred. They are also likely reading notices that tell them what they might have to be on the look out for, helping people with fines, citations, bail- there's a long list and I am not aware of it all. It may be that when one of them logs in and is 'just standing around' that they are doing any number of these tasks. Be patient (seeing if they are available in IM might help.) No one is being paid or other wise compensated to do this RP. I think of it as something they must do for the sheer love of both the over all RP and DE itself. For this we owe them some understanding when they can't jump because our time to serve is up or we are seeking bail.

One other thing to keep in mind is that they are real people and are in DE for RP. They might be putting something personal on hold to help you. Like any of us, aren't they entitled to do more than filling out forms and calling judges? How much fun is it aiding someone that shows contempt (yes I know- not everyone made a pleasant character. It doesn't mean everyone enjoys him or her), or may even be rude in IM?

I realize that there are many who will not agree with me, become indignant or take outright offense to my perspective (feel free to tell me where to stick it; I got big shoulders), but I had to give the PD and the RP of Jail time well deserved props. I left Jail laughing my ass off last night. I had great RP from nearly everyone involved. It is my experience that some patience and effort can make what at first seems like a 'time out' a stroke of serendipity.