Daily life at a Federal Prison Camp. It is not what you see in movies and not what a “real’ prison is like.
There is free movement, no bars or fences and if you wanted to leave you could just walk away.
A saying that comes to mind is “If we give you enough rope you might hang yourself” and that statement
could not be truer at this place. I see many that choose, for whatever reason, to break the rules and pay the price by being removed from the camp. Losing your freedom and liberty for a period of time at a camp or otherwise can be traumatic and for some the daily struggle is real. It all depends on your perspective. This time away from family can be crushing to your soul. You are now living in a dorm with people you may or may not get along with. There are social and cultural differences that are totally foreign. Tolerance and acceptance becomes a part of the daily routine. Not passing judgement on others and how they choose to “Do their time” and minding your own business are key. Maybe, perhaps, it is easier for people like myself that have a relatively short stay to have a different perspective than someone that has several months or even years of time left to serve.
Today marks 4 months since I self surrendered and the time is going by fast. With the passage of the First Stepact which gives up to 15 days credit for every 30 days served and the Second Chance Act that knocks off 15% of your sentence and other programs like RDAP, most will serve no more than 1/2 of their sentence and many serve even less. I’m already about 40% complete and will return sometime next spring. My attitude is that this a once in a lifetime chance to reset, regroup and to me this is more of a sabbatical of which I will return as the best version of my new self. Here is an overview what I do on a daily basis. It changes slightly depending on the day and may include time to do laundry, clean out my locker, etc.
I generally wake up at 6am, brush my teeth and make my bed. A few days a week I may go to breakfast (6am weekdays and 7am weekends) but more often than not, I skip breakfast. I make coffee (Folgers) and go to the TV room to watch the news. I spend about 1/2 hour and after I hear the weather I’m done. This is the only time during the day I watch TV.
I return to my cubical and read for about an hour, plus or minus. I then head to the outdoor track for a 2 mile walk and do 100 pushups. I come back to the dorms, take a shower, have another cup of coffee or glass of Tang and get ready for the mid day meal which is usually around 11am but sometimes they call it as early as 10:30am. After chow I check emails, write in my journal and if time allows listen to music on my tablet. At 2:30 there is a Yoga class led by my friend Chris (also from Boston) that lasts about an hour. At 3:30 there is recall, where everyone returns to their cubicle for a standing count so that the staff can confirm no one has left. After count there is the evening meal. The food is generally decent, cafeteria style faire. On commissary day I load up on raw almonds, peanut butter, cashews and stay away from the candy and Doritos. I (mostly) don’t eat the beef dishes that are served and opt for the vegetarian alternative if there is not a chicken dish. After dinner, I may go to the library and watch or play chess or go to the music room and play drums. I would like to play more often but the music room is small, is not sound proof and when anyone is playing the rest of the camp can hear you. I try to be respectful of others. I may use this time to plan the Poetry and spoken word class I co lead on Wednesday evenings, or check emails again and make phone calls. I was participating in a business planning and funding course on Mondays and Fridays at 6pm and an American Civil Rights History class on Tuesdays and Thursday at the same time but both have just ended. Everyone has their group of people that have similar interests or come from similar backgrounds and part of the early evenings are spent talking about the day, the challenges, the struggles and what the future holds. An unplanned and unspoken support group but in reality this is what it is. On Weekend nights there is usually a movie in the library and that will end at 8pm ish. At 8:30 there is recall and we return to the dorms for the evening. The last hour of the day may include shooting the breeze with my cube mates, reading, writing or listening to music on my tablet. I go to bed right after the final count of the day at 9:30pm and do it all over again starting at 6am. Having a routine helps keep me sane and maintain my focus on what really matters. I relate my time here to Elvis Presley when at the height of his popularity was drafted to serve in the Army for two years. It was a major disruption to his normal life and I can only imagine his mindset when he was plucked and placed into the thick of it. He returned more popular than ever and went on to make many movies and many millions of dollars. Kind of like that!
