1) My brother just visited me and it was good to see him. It was a bit of a challenge for him because he was wearing shorts when he got here. Just a “heads up” for visitors to federal prisons – NO SHORTS, KHAKIS OR DRESSES HIGHER THAN THE KNEE. He came here wearing a pair of shorts and they turned him away. He went to Walmart and bought a pair of blue work pants. They said they were not supposed to let him in wearing those, but since they were blue & not tan colored, they let it slide. As a result, we only got to visit for about an hour instead of the 3-4 hours originally intended.
2) We used to be able to wear in our normal clothes & shoes, but now we have to swap out our shoes for these cheap cloth shoes known as “bus shoes” when we have visitors. There is a rumor that in the future we will have to swap out our clothes for one-piece suits that I would call uninsulated coveralls, but they have not yet implemented that. The reason is to stop illegal contraband from getting in.
3) We get patted down when we go to meet our visitors and we have to strip down to nothing on the way back so they can search each individual piece of clothing to be sure we didn’t smuggle anything in.
4) When you come to visit, bring dollar bills, quarters and a credit card to get things from the vending machines. It is always nice to have a little snack while sitting together.
5) Lastly, if you have a friend or relative in prison, I strongly encourage you to visit them. I am fortunate in that I have a lot of support from the outside, but there are guys who are not so lucky as me and they have to bear this burden alone, with no support whatsoever. You don’t know what it means to them. If their family at home needs help, do your part for them while he is in prison because with the husband/father gone, it is as if they are widows & orphans.
6) Look to Psalms 146:5-9 for guidance on the above issue: “Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is the Lord their God, who made heaven & earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the opressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the PRISONERS free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the ORPHAN and the WIDOW, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. Praise the Lord!
