Do inmates ask other inmates their crimes?

It is generally something that is frowned upon. Inmates should not talk about their crime, especially if the crime is a societal taboo that would make the offender a target for prison justice. Inmates will start with, "How much time do you have?" ...which is usually followed by..."what happened?" Inmates can ALWAYS find out why a person is incarcerated. Inmates are smart. As in inmate, a person has nothing but time to think and gather information. I remember all types of guys telling me what they were in for and how long. What you did is a normal question. Be prepared for it. That question WILL come up....and you will be checked out. It all depends on how you carry yourself and how you act. There is always a way to find out the truth. If people think you're a sex offender, they will ask you what you're in for and ask you to provide documentation of it if you deny being a sex offender. They will generally NOT ask about your case if they have no reason to believe you're a sex offender (Exception: If your case was big-time in the news, then they might ask you regardless). Anybody can find out the law that they convicted you of but it's usually one or two people in the whole facility who have found out what someone is in for....and they tell a friend about it, who then will likely distort it when he tells the next guy, what finally reaches the general inmate population may not resemble at all what you were actually convicted of.