Getting Started in Life in Prison
First spawn on Roblox: inmate, guard, tools, and what not to equip in front of cops.
Life in Prison is a released Roblox open-world action game. You join a 30-player server, pick Inmate or Guard, and either wait out a life sentence or start a riot. There is no tutorial island and no redeemable codes. This page is the first-night briefing. After it, inmates should open how to escape and guards should open how to play as a guard. Everyone should skim controls.
Minute one
Spawn, look at your clothes, and do not punch yet. Inmates start empty-handed in a jumpsuit. Guards start with police kit (taser, cuffs, and a sidearm depending on the build). The official description still lists Punch on F, Crawl on C, Run on Shift, Drop on Backspace, Reload on R. Mobile players drag items from the inventory to drop and can remap the touch layout in settings. Xbox uses L3 to run, Y to crawl or UFO up, B to punch or UFO down.
If chat has /stats, use it once so you know the server tracks something besides your hotbar. Do not type random “codes” into chat — there is no box. See how to redeem and the scam warning if a friend sent you a list.
What to pick up as an inmate
Walk the yard when it is open. Community routes agree on three tools that actually change the round:
- Hammer — under or beside gym benches. Breaks cell toilets into a tunnel. Details live on the tools tier list and the escape article.
- Screwdriver — used on vents in cells. One of the first methods in escape videos.
- Scissors / bolt cutters — cut fences. Often found on a building beside a ramp outside later; inside, ask teammates. Cutting is quieter than shooting a keycard door.
Do not equip the Hammer in a cop’s face unless you want to be treated as hostile. The same rule applies to guns you steal from downed guards. If you just want out, hide the tool on the hotbar until you reach a toilet or a fence. The escape planner ranks those routes against asking a guard, boosting a jump, or waiting for a UFO.
What to do as a guard
Walk toward the armory, not the soccer pitch, unless you are roleplaying. Innocent inmates can still be punched, but dumping three non-hostile kills can dump you onto the inmate team for the rest of the server — classic prison-sandbox logic that players still report here. Read the full guard guide before you spray the cafeteria. T on a police car toggles siren and can open a gate. That is more useful than a script.
After the walls
Crossing the perimeter flips you to Criminal. Then the map opens: gas station, brick building with a bible on the third floor, White Tree east of the facility, mountains, hidden AWM and M60 spots on the hidden weapons page. Gamepasses (Swat, Sniper, Premium) do not spawn on your back; you still loot. Compare them in the loadout tool.
Badges: Welcome on join, Escaped when you leave, Heaven if you UFO to the sky platform and /e pray — badges. None of that needs a Trello. Community links sit on the links hub.
Finish this page, pin controls, then pick a lane. Inmate lane is escape plus UFO. Guard lane is armory plus innocent rules. Script lane is optional, bannable, and documented separately. This wiki assumes you want the account tomorrow.
A first-hour contract with yourself
Hour one: do not buy a pass. Do not inject. Do not type a string into chat. Pick a shirt, learn C and drop, pick one tool, leave or hold. If you fail, switch tools, do not switch to a YouTube codes tab. If you succeed, you are a criminal or a cop with a story. Then open the next guide that matches the new shirt. That contract is the whole beginner product. Everything else on this wiki is optional noise until you finish it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for inmates, guards, and criminals.
Should I spawn as inmate or guard first?
Inmate if you want escape practice. Guard if you want guns immediately and will follow guard rules.
Where is the tutorial?
There isn't one. This page plus controls is the tutorial.
Do I need Robux on day one?
No. Free tools and hidden guns carry a round. Passes are extra.