First Week Jitters can paralyse a man on arrival to TFX. As if the conversion process itself isn't traumatic enough- feeling your flesh being crushed and converted into cold, hard plastic- there's a curious effect that occurs the first time an inmate is picked up.
Humans aren't hardwired well for thinking on the scale of a doll. They've been on the top of the food chain for a long time and, except for the odd elephant, there's not much bigger than us. But those old instincts, from when mankind's ancestors were scurrying around under dinosaur feet, never really went away.
The first time you're picked up is horrifying. When you're held in the grip of something building-sized, something that you know could twist your head off with no effort if it wanted to, all those primal fear responses kick in. The instinct to hide or play dead from this looming behemoth overwhelms all rational thought.
I've seen men lock-up and be unable to move for weeks. The bigger they were before they came in, the worse it usually is for them. They just lie in their cells, motionless with animal fear, indistinguishable from dolls.
And the first week in a new prison isn't a good time to be so helpless. If you're lucky, your cell mate will talk you through it. If you're unlucky, they might take a liking to your shiny new arms and legs to replace one they've lost.