Germantown son releases new book highlighting the ‘unwritten rules’ navigating the prison system
Resolve Philly, 3/5/25: “This past month, Germantown born and bred Sergio Hyland, also known as UptownSerg, celebrated his three years home after nearly 22 years of incarceration. His newest milestone — a self-authored book — also made it to the party.
The “Jailhouse Commandments” debuted in February, releasing exclusively on Serg’s website. The commandments, styled similarly to the popular 48 Laws of Power, are a street code of sorts in prison, drawing mainly on Serg’s experiences to set an example for it all.
‘When you get to prison, they give you a handbook. And the handbook has all the rules in it,’ Serg explained, running down a list of examples like tucking your shirt, keeping your shoes tied, keeping your air vent uncovered, and more.
But he makes it clear that those are the “official” rules, that help to keep you out of solitary confinement, which Serg endured for at least a quarter of his total sentence. However, they don’t embody the “unwritten rules” that keep you safe.
‘It’s sort of giving you the blueprint on how to survive,’ Serg says, providing examples like not looking into another person’s cell while walking down the tier or not smoking things someone else has rolled (in case it’s laced with an unknown substance).
While this book is hot off the press, the page’s contents are much older than you would think.”