Man who spent 21 years in prison shares what confused him most when he was freed

Over the last two decades, things have changed dramatically, including the likes of mobile phones, the internet, and social media.

So if you’ve been kept apart from the ‘real world’, it would be completely reasonable if you were to be baffled by these things.

But for one man who spent 21 years behind bars, what’s confused him most since being freed is a little more different.

Michael Lacey - aka Comrade Sinque - a US-based TikToker who's gained a huge following by sharing his journey since being released from prison, posted a recent video explaining exactly what baffled him the most upon his release.

Have a listen to what he said:

Beginning with a stitching to another video, the clip begins by showing a man looking pretty confused at how to work a drink dispenser, with the caption explaining that he’d just spent 16 years in prison.

While this is understandable, Lacey had a different experience when coming out into the real world.

And what was it that had him most confused? Roundabouts, of course.

His caption said: "When I went to prison in 1997 roundabouts were not very common in Indianapolis. When I came home they were very common."

In his video, which has had more than 705,000 views, Lacey explained: “After 21 years in prison I did not struggle with technology that bad, but there was one area where I did have a massive complication, and I heard nobody in prison talking about this.”

@comrade_sinque/TikTok

He said that when he went to go and get is drivers licence, he wasn’t 'warned' about this.

He added: “One day I’m out driving and I run into a roundabout and I didn’t know what the hell to do.”

To be fair, if you’ve never encountered a roundabout before, they could seem a little baffling. And many people commenting on the clip said they’re just as confusing even when you know about them.

“I never served prison time and roundabouts cause me complications… and don’t let me do a double lane roundabout,” said one.

“I live in an area with a lot of roundabouts and no one knows what to do either lol. [We just] say a prayer and go,” said another.

While another commented: “I never went to prison and panic every time my GPS says ‘at the roundabout’.”

And someone else also sympathised saying: “I can only imagine the fear you experienced in that moment.”

While roundabouts are very common in the UK, they’re far less so in the US.

According to IIHS, the first modern roundabout in the US was constructed in Nevada in the 1990s, whereas the BBC reports the first roundabout in the UK was built in 1909.

Unsplash

But while some states and cities have been slower to build roundabouts, they are gaining in popularity.

Now, in some states, such as New York and Virginia, they have adopted a ‘roundabout first’ policy, requiring that they be considered as a preferred alternative when new roads are being built or upgraded. 

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