Pensacola Federal Prison Camp
My friend and prison consultant, Justin Paperny, wrote me recently to tell me that he had a couple of clients making their way to Pensacola Federal Prison Camp in the coming weeks.
He suggested I write about a variety of topics to help educate any and all who might someday call Pensacola Prison Camp their home. Today, among other subjects, I will briefly touch on my experience with laundry in the prison camp.
At Pensacola Federal Prison Camp we are issued mesh laundry bags for clean and dirty clothes. We are allowed to drop off our laundry bags on designated days two times a week. When I arrived at Pensacola Federal Prison Camp last May, I was issued white tee-shirts, white socks and white boxers. After 5 months, my white clothes are now pink! I suspect this has occurred as a result of mixing newer issued burgundy tee-shirts into the laundry mix. Somehow, I never envisioned myself wearing pink underwear in prison.
One final note about the laundry. One of my duties in the kitchen is to deliver the dirty mop heads to the laundry for cleaning. I learned from the guys in the laundry that the dirty mop heads are washed and dried in the same machines that do our laundry! Gross!!!
Pensacola Federal Prison Camp
Changing subjects, I have witnessed a new phenomenon for departing federal prisoners at the camp. There is a tradition where prisoners being released are subjected to the “Mop Bucket Drop”. The “Mop Bucket Drop” occurs when friends of a departing prisoner load up a mop bucket with ice and water and douse the prisoner a day or two before his prison term ends. This is the prison version of the Gatorade cooler dousing we witness on the sidelines of big football games. No one seems to care about being the victim of the “Mop Bucket Drop”. If I was leaving tomorrow, they could drop whatever they want on me!
Fall has commenced and the humidity levels are dropping so it is pleasant in Pensacola. Let me rephrase that. The weather is pleasant in Pensacola, the prison camp, not so much! But it could always be worse. I am thankful that I am closing in on the end of my journey and that the hardest part is behind me. It has not always been easy but the plan I created with Justin before my surrender to prison has helped carry me through. Speaking of nearing the end, I am waiting to receive my release date from my case manager. The date of my release will depend upon how much halfway house time I am awarded. I know I will get a fair amount of time because I have to complete phase 3 of the Residential Drug Abuse Program at the halfway house. Like every federal prisoner, I am hoping and praying for maximum halfway house time so I can get home as soon as possible and begin rebuilding my life with my family. I will keep you posted on this important issue.
Ken Flaska
P.S. I asked Justin to share this. I continue to notice how many prisoners show up totally unprepared. I went through each of of Justin’s lesson plans with him. I suggest you do the same. Check out his lesson plan on the first day in prison here.
