PRISON 101 in Adventures From Prison

The statistic I read recently stated that 1 out of every 7 Americans would spend some period of time in prison. It’s a huge number and I scoffed at it the first time I read it. Then I learned that the imprisonment of people in this country has gotten so common that Sesame Street introduced a character who has a parent in prison. This is a show that prides itself in reflecting the current zeitgeist of America, so for them to address it then imprisonment truly is becoming a fact of life for many families – more so that in all of the decades Sesame Street has been broadcasting. Other shows lately, such as Orange is the new Black, have been portraying a fairly accurate glimpse into what a low security Federal Prison is like, so for the most part the general population has an idea of what we go through in here. Still, though, I’m often asked questions by my readers that I thought I should address. A few I’ve gone over in previous entries, but no harm refreshing your memories and others are tidbits I thought might be interesting.
Firstly, let me dispel two common misconceptions. Many people think that a county jail is far easier and safer than an actual prison. This is absolutely NOT the case. Compared to prison, jail is Hell on Earth. In jail there is no separation of security levels – a computer criminal could easily find himself sharing a room with a guy who recently murdered three people, a rapist, a drunk and a schizophrenic. That’s the other thing; usually in jail its 8-12 guys to a cell that has one sink and one open toilet. Fights happen all of the time as does the victimization of the weak. As a Federally charged prisoner, I had things a little better. Most of the county jails that house Federal inmates are required to keep us segregated from the general population. Things are still rough but we get a bit more attention since the U.S. Marshals tend to get pissed when their prisoners end up damaged. In jail your only provided clothing is a t-shirt, jumpsuit, underwear and socks – one of each – and you get to have it washed once a week. Your bedding is one sheet and one blanket, no pillow. The worst part is that jails are usually kept very cold, so no matter what you wear you are freezing all of the time. There is rarely outside recreation so it isn’t unusual for guys to spend a year or more without ever seeing the sun or sky.
After that Hell, prison is awesome. In a well run prison you have a ton of freedom. The ability to move from department to department is limited to passing periods, like high school, but otherwise you can go and do as you please as long as you aren’t scheduled for work or appointments with Medical, Psych or Unit Team. You’re grouped by security level, so it’s safer for those who aren’t violent and you have plenty of clothing. If you want to go outside, you go outside. If you want to sit in bed and read all day there is nothing stopping you. Usually you live with only 1 or 2 other people, so even alone time can happen nearly daily. It’s very reminiscent to me of being a freshman in college without a car or money. Not fun, but totally livable.
The other big misconception is that time in the Federal system is like country club living compared to state prisons. At one time this may have been the case but over the years the quality of care and amenities has shifted dramatically to favor state over Federal inmates. As I have never done, or will do, state time, the information I’ve gathered is second hand, but I consistently hear about more respectful guards, less restrictions on allowable media, the ability to purchase your own TV/video game system and better rehabilitation/education programs. In this day and age the Federal System is nothing more than a few community TV’s, a Rec Center with pool tables/ping-pong tables and limited Arts & Crafts options, an exercise room with only elliptical and treadmills, and a library. The only real vocational program is a woodshop where you learn basic carpentry skills. Obviously other facilities have slightly more or less, but nothing dramatically different. The Bureau of Prisons gave up on rehab for criminals a long time ago. In the 80’s they eliminated Federal parole, so we now serve 86% of our sentence with no hope of leaving before that. Those in the state serving time for similar or even worse crimes only serve 50% of their sentence and have the opportunity to leave on parole even sooner. To put it in clearer terms, the grandfather who got caught looking at pictures of a 16 year old girl will serve 8 ½ years on a 10 year sentence, because any crime involving the internet is now Federal, whereas the 35 year old who forcibly raped a 12 year old girl that receives the same 10 year sentence can be back on the street in just four years if he behaves. If you don’t believe me look it up. I promise this is a completely accurate representation of the disparity between State and Federal sentences. So the next time you hear about someone getting a Federal sentence and you think they got off easy, think again. Similarly, don’t think that those with Federal charges are worse criminals than those in state, with the broad definitions of Federal jurisdiction pretty much anything can become a Federal charge, so the system is now inundated with first time offenders for everything from drugs & guns to cybercrime and of those a lot are non-violent offenders.
Let’s see, now that those are out of the way here are a bunch of tidbits about prison life you may not know:
• Solitary isn’t really solitary anymore. When you get sent to solitary it means you are being isolated from the general population. You are confined to a cell, usually with another person also in solitary. The only time you are alone is if you are quarantined or mentally unstable/detoxing.
• Inmates can not touch staff. The first time I met with my counselor I stuck out my hand to shake and he freaked. Commanding Officers my touch you, but if you initiate it then it can be seen as assault. My boss told me a story about a guy who was so happy he got his G.E.D. he hugged her in front of the Assistant Warden and was taken immediately to the SHU and shipped to another compound.
• Yes, our food is terrible and there isn’t much of it. The vast majority of what we eat is the cast-offs of major food processors. When you buy a can of green beans it’s only the center part of the bean, we get the parts you don’t. So our tray is filled with the ends and quite often stems that are edible, but not pleasant. Our meat often comes with labels that read, “Not fit for human consumption.” No joke. For the longest time on fish day it came in boxes marked for Sea World. (Yes, I’ve seen the labels).
• There is no recourse for an inmate should they be harassed by a staff member. If a warden is approached regarding an incident they will tell us that we are inmates and have no rights. At any time staff can go through our belongings, read our personal letters/writing, look at our family photos and arbitrarily decide what is and isn’t appropriate, confiscating anything they please. They also can say that we have too much property – books, cans of soda, food, paper, clothing and take or destroy them at will.
• In Federal prison we are not allowed to see any nudity depicted in print or on screen. All movies shown on our weekly movie night must be G, PG, or PG-13. (This even counts for Academy Award Winning films where the only questionable issue is language or situations. So no King’s Speech, Saving Private Ryan or Slum Dog Millionaire)
• We do not have an access to the internet. All of these postings are handwritten and sent to my Mom. She’s the one who does all the typing and posting. Some inmates – those who do not have a computer crime – are able to use a special email system.
Off the top of my head, these answer most of the recent questions I’ve received. If you have anymore please post them and I’ll get back to you in a few weeks once Mom prints them and mails them to me. As always, if you are interested in direct correspondence I’m always looking for pen pals, just post a note saying you’d like to contact me and Mom will get you the necessary information.