What kind of prisoner will you be?

Since being released from prison, on August 21^st, 2012, I have spoken to a number people about my time in the Federal Prison Camp.

Anyone who has read my blog and has had similar experiences to mine knows that I have tried to be as candid as possible in regards to what happens in the prison camp.  I’m not here to judge one person or another; no matter what their crime was or what their beliefs are.  I also believe that ever prisoner has a duty to make good use of their time while incarcerated.  In my case, I felt as if I had relied on my family long enough.  They didn’t mind helping me, and I will forever be grateful for their emotional and financial support.  I am practical, however, and I recognized that at some point I would need to sustain myself again.  Thinking of my family constantly, I decided that I needed to make the most of my time in prison.  Rather than spending my days mulling over all the bad things that I had done or been subjected to, I decided to look inward and reevaluate the patterns of my life.  I finally acknowledged that I alone was responsible for my troubles and decision.  I accepted that retribution and punishment were part of my choices I made.  Once I was able to come to peace with this I was able to find strength and begin the healing process.  The alternative would have been to cling to negativity and create an environment that in my opinion holds back so many prisoners.

Not knowing what prison life was going to be like; except for those images depicted on television and the movies; I talked to several inmates upon my arrival in hopes of trying to decide the best way to get through my predicament.  My determinations…focus on the future, remember the past, but don’t dwell on it.  I figured that keeping the end in mind would be the only way to keep my sanity and ensure success when released.  Doing this will make sure that your days of confinement are much more productive and easier to get through.

You’ve finally been assigned to the camp

Everyone will spend some time in the DCU. For the lucky ones it will only a couple of hours. For those like myself it could be up to three weeks before you end up heading to the camp.  Every camp is different when it comes to when you actually get to a camp.  If you are at a facility that does not have an attached medium or high prison you will enter the camp directly.  However, if you have an attached unit you could end up waiting until a bed becomes available.  Just because you have been assigned to the camp does not mean that you will go there automatically.

Once they come to get you to go to the camp you will be asked to gather all your personal belongings and wait to be taken down.  Depending on the distance you will walked out to the parking lot and picked up by the town driver.  From there they will drive you to the camp. It’s not a long ride, but one of the most enjoyable events you will encounter since you were first placed in your cell in the DCU.

Once you arrive at the camp you will be viewed as a spectacle.  You will not be wearing a jumpsuit any longer.  You will turn those in prior to leave the main prison.  You will be given a brown pull-over top and pants.  Once you get the prison; depending on what time they bring you down, you will either do paperwork or go to eat.  Most of the time you will be taken directly to the chow hall and get to experience the difference between the DCU food and the Camp food.  It will seem as if you have moved from a fast-food restaurant to a 5-star dining facility (far from the truth).  Once you have scarfed down a meal you will be whisked away to finish your in-processing.

Getting Started – Don’t Stress

First let me get started by saying this process is not the same for all inmates, pretrial or not.  Everyone will experience the justice system differently.  Many inmates; such as myself will never spend a day behind bars prior to sentencing and even then many won’t see a jail cell until they self-report to their assigned penitentiary/camp.

I was sentenced in July 2012 to a term on three months confinement with three years supervised release (one of which will be served on home confinement).  I left the courthouse defeated, exhausted, and unsure of how life would be with everything falling around me.  I was placed in Pretrial release and told that I had to contact the Probation Office once a week.  I didn’t know it at the time, but I was very lucky.  Individuals who have just entered a plea or are convicted are either immediately placed in custody of the US Marshals Office or placed in a Home Confinement status.