January 15, 2015

I surrendered to Prison!

Today is my third day at Taft Federal Prison camp and I am mentally in a great place. The last 72 hours have been a mental roller coaster though, so buckle up!

My last night as a free man could not have been more perfect. Everyone has been so kind and generous to Ken and me since I got my surrender date. And spending the evening with Lisa and Gary was a great send off. One last Tito's martini, filet mignon, a Cakebread cab (thank you Ash) and a single malt to top it off. Tito Puente close by. Even though I was extremely well prepared by my prison consultant, Justin Paperny, I was still nervous. Even though my check in time was 2 PM, Justin correctly encouraged me to get there as soon as possible to make sure there was enough time to process me (and I did not end up in the SHU, aka, the hole). What if there was an accident on the grapevine? Fortunately all went smoothly and the four of us arrived before noon. I said goodbye to Lisa, Gary and Tito Puente (I think I'll miss you the most!) in the parking lot and Kenny and I went inside. A guard came out and in less than 10 minutes and the processing began. I got one last hug from Mr. Ken-have I said how much it means to me that he is with me on this journey every step of the way?

I must say that everyone I encountered during the intake process was professional and efficient. Even the strip search! I filled out some paperwork and then the waiting began. I found out later that a lot of inmates arrived the same day as me and we all had to meet with a counselor and a medical professional. The counselor asked who I wanted as my emergency contact and I said "my spouse". She asked me for her name and I said it's actually "a him". To her credit, she didn't bat an eye.

Since we are still in the holding area at 5 PM, they brought us sandwiches which consisted of processed mystery meat, cheese slices bread, an orange and a food service orange juice that I recognized from my volunteer days at Eisenhower Medical Center. The transition from filet mignon and Cakebread to mystery meet and food service OJ was one of those “aha” moments. But I ate it since I knew that would be the last food I got that day. About 6 PM, we were transferred over to the camp which is located behind a much larger low security prison (with Barbwire, etc).

We received a pillowcase with a few toiletry items and sheets, towels and a blanket, but no pillow. All of the inmates reside in one building with four separate dorms. And from the outside, as Justin said, it really looks like a college dorm. I'm assigned to A4D and a very nice fellow inmate give us a tour, answered some questions and provided us with some higher-quality supplies and other inmates contribute. So very kind. Also, the orderlies in my dorm have been incredibly helpful and educated me on the written, as well as very important unwritten rules.

The only bad news is that my bunk is at the very front of the dorm by the entry room and TV. It's very noisy all night as I lay here in the not so dark, and unable to sleep, the enormity of what I am facing hit me with full force and depression set in. I didn't sleep great that first night, but I'm already feeling better.

Every new day is an opportunity to start over and I was determined to make my second day a good one. And it was! My commissary funds got loaded midmorning and I was able to shop! Fresh fruit! New clothes! Lotion!
Who needs Macy's!

I also found an acquaintance whom I had met in Palm Springs a few weeks before he surrendered to Taft. He's a great guy with a great attitude and we spent a couple hours together talking and laughing and him showing me the ropes. He had also been saving a pair of tennis shoes for me since it takes a month to get a new pair. Saved me from wearing the cheap slippers they issued me on arrival for a month. Made my day! To top it off, one of the orderlies found me a bunk in the way back that's open. Should be much quieter. I have a lot more to talk about but I've already run long enough so I will leave you with one last observation.

I had breakfast this morning with three African-American gentleman and one of them, after hearing that I had just arrived, said, “this is just one chapter in your book, and your book isn't finished." I like that.

It is never too late to start preparing…Download Lessons From Prison Now to discover what is truly possible in federal prison.

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