Our government is a bureaucracy, much like most large corporations, such as the BOP. I have worked within the government, by serving in the military, but also within large companies such as CHI Health, and Cigna. I also have worked for much smaller start up companies and ran a small consulting business. Each type of organization has its merits, and preferences of work environment, leadership, pros and cons. While being incarcerated, I have learned that communication and lack of clear directives causes many issues for Unit Teams within the BOP.
For example, there was a memo that came out May 28th, right after the Deputy Director of the BOP visited our prison, which was to help give some hope and clarity to Case Managers to calculate prison sentences properly with FSA and SCA credits. Though the memo was mentioned by the Deputy Director in our very own chapel, and posted on the BOP website and within news articles, no directive of how to implement the changes was given by the BOP management to the Unit Team here at this prison. Therefore, this has caused much confusion, anger and hostile discussions towards the Unit Team here from the inmates frustrated by a very slow moving system. Inmates view the lack of communication and turtle moving pace of implementing the changes as malice, rather than acknowledging that the Unit Team here really doesn’t have much power without clear directives from their superiors. Within a large moving ship like the BOP, publishing a memo on the website was premature, if the directives to properly address and carry it out weren’t given to the teams who would be putting it in place. Other facilities have even taken the time to manually compute the proper time for inmates, as the system itself isn’t updated. Without clear communication, it is driving a wedge between the inmates and the leadership here.
We have also been told that Chat GPT can assist in interpreting the memo posted, and will give a more accurate date of our release to the community. AI is a great tool, but it is only as smart as the information provided into its database, and not without flaws. For example, by manual calculation, Chat GPT shared that my release to the community date should be July 1st. That would be 35% of my time spent in prison. The Deputy Director mentioned something to that effect with his visit, but I am not confident that this is at all accurate. The manual calculation shows my release date should be August 4th, and the date given by my Case Manager last at my team is October 1st. Unlike State prisons and jails, the federal prison system is cumbersome and not at all transparent. So, it makes it quite challenging to plan for a future outside of prison if you don’t know the true outdate to the community. It also breaks your spirit, being told a myriad of answers, and not knowing the truth. This situation is like a really bad reality show of Big Brother/Naked and Afraid mixed with your freedom, raids, fights, drugs, no air conditioning, bad medical care, lack of resources, and no million dollar payout.
I have decided to give the Unit Team some grace here, as they cannot go outside what their leadership tells them that they are permitted to do. They need training, updated calculations and timely communication. The lack of empathy is astounding to me. We are continuously being told that we are felons, and treated like we are the worst humans on the planet. Most of the women in this prison are here for charges that are inaccurate, or plainly made up. The heat in here is unbearable. Even with fans, my cell was 110 degrees yesterday. I am praying for some relief soon not only from the temperatures in this condemned prison, but also some grace. If the current Administration truly wants to save money- look first at this prison. Send us home on home confinement and turn this place into a museum. This is cruel and unusual punishment.
