Saturday, March 15th
After a week of rain, was nice to wake up to a sunny beautiful day for once! Spent the day with my girlfriend/partner and her sister as well. Lots to catchup on that’s for sure! She really doesn’t like the facility, so I know its extra hard for her, let alone our separation as well. But it was energizing to spend time together, just amazing how quickly 5 hours goes. The only challenge was someone broke the vending machine accidentally first thing, so we had no water or any liquid for 5 hours….
Rest of the day was in the Unit unfortunately. I tried to go out to the Yard at 5 and skip dinner, but they’re so short on guards it was closed. I’m afraid we’re going to see more and more of that going forward.
Sunday, March 16th
Looks like another beautiful day ahead. I’ve signed up for the library 7-12, so get to skip the 9:30-11 lockdown this morning. With my appeal work behind me, and constantly going outside for construction making me behind on typing so that’s been the focus, I’m finally getting my writing bug back, so will use the peace and quiet there to work on my blog plus ABT book. I’ve been gathering ideas and content for a new blog series on Prison Life and Faith, so will spend time on that plus Facts of Life in the BOP series as well. Been lots of change in the BOP over the past 6 weeks, and I fully expect even more throughout 2025, so will have plenty to write about.
As part of my writing efforts, I’m going to start going to the library 7:30-10 Tuesday and Friday as well. Hopefully I can be outside in the afternoon and evenings now with daylight savings time as well. After 5 hours in the library, went outside 12:30-3 and had 2.5 hours of exercise which felt great. Its been since Thursday that I was outside, so felt good out there!
Had a difficult conversation with Jorge, the young man I’m helping get home to help his daughter. With the change in BOP policy not allowing any type of pre custody release, including home confinement, he faces deportation either now or certainly when his sentence is over. So filing for pre custody release is futile. The good news is his wife is apparently a citizen, so I encouraged him to get an attorney and become legal ASAP. Been here 20 years, married 3 years after being together for 12 years, and no documentation. Just sad…
Monday, March 17th
Just need to get through todays wind and rain, as the rest of the week and weekend are sunny, warmer, 76 next Monday!
My focus this week is to help Steve prep his 2241 for filing with the District Court in LA,to overturn his two unfair incidents(Victorville weapon and urine test failure), and working on A Better Tomorrow book. Lots of things to do, daily journal, blog and typing, but primarily those two plus working out every afternoon with the weather turning.
Also have several book reports to write, including on Innocence, the first and only non fiction by John Grisham. The book is a true story of 2 guys, from a small town in Oklahoma, get convicted of rape and murder by really corrupt behavior of the prosecutor and police. The story is one of continual failure by “the system”, appeals courts, mental health agencies, and so forth. Sitting on death row, the Innocence Project gets involved in the late 80’s. Barry Schenk, an OJ Simpson attorney from back then, heads-up this organization and financially and legally supports the habeus corpus process. Thankfully, a local(to the prison) District Court judge’s team felt the filing had merit and convinced the judge to read everything and ultimately he ordered a new trial. During the entire time period, DNA was finally invented, and sure enough, proved they were not a match and eventually released. Grisham does a great job walking through the personal turmoil of the 2 innocent guys on death row, plus all the pathetic “missteps” of the system. After release, the 2 defendants went on to a very public and long media tour with interviews on Good Morning America and all those similar shows to Dateline and everything in-between. Quite a story highlighting a broken system then and arguably worse today.
Tuesday, March 18th
Nothing like a beautiful sunrise to start the day. Looking like sunny weather for at least a week now, hopefully the end of winter:)
Was just sitting downstairs writing, took a shower, then doing my quiet reading during census, when at 8:30 it happened. Power went out in the whole prison, and “shockingly”, the backup generator didn’t work! So the guards had to get everyone back in their cells and manually lock everyone in, there we go again I thought.
Around 10, TV’s came back on so we thought all is good. Wrong! 20 minutes later went out again. So back in cells once more. Finally at 12:30, we went to a late lunch, not sure how they even prepped. Then at 1:15 power died again, and back into our cell until 5. Somewhere in there it came back on and stayed on:) Turns out the generator is so old they couldn’t get a part that was broken, thankfully the utility power came back:)…….
All in all, a wasted day. How we can have 6 maintenance teams and no one ever checks the backup generator?? As all the inmates say, our maintenance is 100% reactive to a problem, there is no preventative maintenance. I can’t tell you how many times my cellmate comes back early from his maintenance job because there was nothing to do? Well I can think of one thing!! The only good thing of the day is tonight on the callout it said I had legal mail to pickup at 8 am tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 19th
Day started normal, but while in the shower at 7, guards called a lockdown, so I had to hustle back to my cell half dressed and dripping wet. Such fun! Then they did a count at 7:30 for some reason, and I’m slowly thinking repeat of yesterday and see my legal mail appointment slipping away:) Thankfully at 8 am our cell door opened! After getting my mail, spent the morning reading it twice, making a few notes on thoughts counsel might use in oral arguments and emailed off. Now all that’s left is learning who the judges are on the 24th, the oral hearing on 4/2, listening to it online afterward hopefully, and waiting for 6 months! I’m at peace based on the merits, but am fighting any expectations of success, though not sure why given all my conversations with God. I firmly believe positive thinking wins the day, so trying to balance that with too high expectations. How does one do that? Guess in about 180 days I’ll find out, sure seems like a long time.
One of the guys left this morning for a halfway house in Seattle, after 8+ years inside. We all hope he does well, but worry about his anger management issues and ability to stay clean. Its so exasperating to me to see someone here that long and neither he nor the BOP did squat to improve his chances for success. Just a shame.
Thursday, March 20th
As I was writing this date, it triggered my memory that today is my dad’s birthday. He would be 98 today, hard to believe he died 14 years ago. Seems just like a few years ago. That’s really pretty sobering when one thinks about it. All the ups, downs, stress, turmoil, joy, happiness, experiences, then gone. Everything that seemed so significant or stressful then just doesn’t matter in 2025, does it? Good to remember while I sit here in my 9×12 cell that’s for sure! Either way, Happy Birthday Dad!!
While writing at my table downstairs, one of the guys I did “Trivia” with a few weeks ago came and asked what I thought of the TDA/MS-13 guys Trump flew to El Salvador? He hadn’t understood they were not being taken from US prisons directly, just being deported after capture as illegal aliens. Guess the reason he was asking is he is an illegal from Russia, wondering if he and a couple if his buddies are headed south as well. I hadn’t really thought about that before and the impact of El Salvador prison on people here in prison. Quite interesting to see the deterrent effect kick in here as well.
Hopping on the computer, a bulletin was posted by a Captain(oversees Lieutenants or at least should be) announcing that they are cutting visit weekends by 50%, going to every other week now. Besides jamming 2x the volume of visitors into the same space each weekend now, of course nothing on expanding space…. Shocker. So if no extra space, then visit time will need to be cut in half. Basically another example of the guard shortage making the inmates take the brunt of their staffing mismanagement. Ironically the First Step Act emphasizes programming for rehabilitation, of which family relationship and support are near the top of the list for successful re entry. Really can’t make this up! Thankfully I should be in camp in 3 months+/-, so shouldn’t impact me too much I hope.
Had Threshold class 12-2, this new workbook is focused on family/friends and relationships and personal responsibility. I don’t spend a lot of time reflecting on my upbringing, negative or positive experiences and how they impact me, others, and even my relationship with God. So we spent time on examples from everyone, time on re entry and how we should interact with family and so on. Less of an issue for me I hope, but a good exercise for most of these guys, especially the less educated ones and those with small kids. One factoid I found interesting was how many negative behaviors by a parent (fighting,lack of approval,anger,etc.) made guys feel distant from God in their upbringing and youth. Really never had to deal with it so never thought about it before.
Friday, March 21
Something about Friday’s in the BOP just makes things more relaxed. Not sure what it is, but the trains just seem to run on time, less drama by the guards and inmates. Plus today is a beautiful day with 70 degrees and light winds.
Finally decided to get serious about typing, so spent 6:30 am-1 on/off typing. My first blog post of Life and Faith-Prisoners’ perspective was a priority as I hadn’t gotten to it all week.
Outside 1-3 with a great workout then normal lockdown till 5, chow and movie. An old light hearted flick with a very young Blake Lively. Every once in awhile we have a normal uneventful day around here. Kind of nice when it happens!
Praying for Freedom and Liberty and to see my Family and Friends soon! BJ
