One Year Later

Today I celebrate (if you want to call it that) the anniversary from when I surrendered myself to federal government in Atlanta, Ga to serve my three months of prison time.

Unfortunately not a lot has changed since that time. I’ve gained about 20 pounds, I’m way too informed on all the comings and goings within the national and local news, and I haven’t left the house for longer than 1 hour in over a year. All a small price to pay for what could’ve been.

As I reflect on that day in which I embarked on my journey I remember all the fear, anxiety, and raw emotion I had during that three-hour car ride. My main thought was on the unknown. What was I going to face? Would I be able to survive? Am I strong enough emotionally to get through this? There were all kinds of thoughts racing through my mind.

I still have a good number fears…will I be able to find work? Will I be able to live with this stigma of being a felon?

I know I’m a strong person and my brief interlude in Federal Prison was just a small glitch while making a better life for myself. But it’s not going to be easy. I’ll get there…someway, somehow.

Food at Federal Prison Camp

I am always asked about the food in prison so it I thought I would do a quick write-up.  It seems that television and crime shows always show the baloney sandwich or the mush of some prisons.  Although I only served a short time at the Atlanta Camp, I can affirm that the food there was not too bad.  It definitely lacked the spices and flavors of food from home, but it was decent. The chow hall offered a comfortable environment for eating. In retrospect, it was reminiscent of a school cafeteria.

At Atlanta, the menu followed a five-week cycle (as do most Federal Prisons).  The mornings brought pancakes, oatmeal, cereal, eggs (sometimes hard-boiled), and biscuits and gravy. I usually woke at 5am each morning to get my shower and get ready for the day to begin. I routinely walked to the chow hall around 6:00 and waited in line to get my helping of food. Some would bring their own cereal, oatmeal or other items from the commissary.