I think I could see where you're coming from if not for the near-total elimination of stimuli. If I could have any book I wanted whenever I wanted I'd consider it over being with the general population. If I could have an internet connection I'd probably not consider it very different from my current life. But it seems neither are possible. In that case, I'd rather risk dying from attacks than dying of boredom and loneliness, unless it were a fairly short sentence.
If it's loneliness that concerns you (whew lad), I would just say that being forced to socialize with the criminal population feels just like being alone, with the exception that you can really get stabbed.
The criminal population is as stratified as the outside population. The lifers often want nothing to do with the short term convicts, and none of them want anything to do with the violent or the child molesters.
