I arrived at FCI-Aliceville in March of 2024. It was a long tumultuous journey to get here because I started out with a designation to FCI-Dublin. Due to the BOP’s closure of that facility, I was rerouted to Alabama.
Aliceville is a very large compound designed to hold roughly 1500 inmates. It was originally built as a medium security facility for men but the mission was changed to house women since the female inmate population was growing exponentially. Whenever a facility has such a large population, it is challenging to ensure everyone’s needs are met whether they are educational, psychological or even social. Aliceville is a perfect example of these challenges.
The staff have guidelines and policies to direct them and priorities for following those guidelines. If there are 1200 women waiting for an RDAP class or a Drug Education, then the BOP will task more these needs as the priority. If there are only 20-30 women who need a class, it automatically ends up on the back burner. This is just a sad reality of an agency that cannot find the funding, nor the employees, to meet every need that exists. So it was not a surprise to me when I inquired about classes/program for veteran’s and was met with a standard reply of the insufficient number of inmates for these programs.
I had left a smaller prison months before that had one staff member who saw the need for a veteran’s support group and she took the initiative to hold the group herself. Aliceville’s staff rarely see a need and step into the void. They are overwhelmed with all the other responsibilities their job entails and cannot justify taking on more.
Recently, though, that changed. It shifted a little to the right and today I am thrilled to say I finally attended a class specifically for veterans.
In the FSA Program Guide – a 106 pg. manual that lists all the classes that can be held for “FSA credit” – there are four or five classes designed with veterans in mind. One of the newest recreation specialists assigned to rec has jumped into their responsibilities with both feet and started a Service Fit class. This class is designed for veterans and it’s purpose is to help the vets regain some of their former PT discipline by having them show up at an appointed time and participate. It also offers the benefit of like-minded people with a shared military history to encourage each other and enjoy the physical activity together.
I can’t say I loved running laps or doing the jumping jacks, but we all laughed and hooted and supported one another. Each one of us was at a different point in our fitness journey – some of us were older and had more aches and pains, some had medical issues that they were trying to reverse, and still others were young and retraining themselves to run three miles – but no one was impatient or discouraging or had a bad attitude. Everyone wanted to be there and everyone was smiling when they left. (The exact opposite of how I remember leaving a PT session when I served!) It was a great time and I am so thankful that the rec staff took the initiative to start the class. I’ll be there for every session!
