I received an interesting letter this past week from a guy in the “Pre-Trial” or “Pre-Sentencing” stage of this experience. He reached out after being pointed in my direction from someone and wanted to know information about my day to day life in here and what he can expect after he is sentenced… among other things. As I was reading his letter… I immediately empathized with him. I can vividly put myself right back in the place he current stands… frantically scouring the internet for anything and everything that would provide any sort of insight into what my pending future entails. Any sort of nugget that would ease my anxieties and make me feel like this whole thing is going to be okay. As I started to write him back personally… I realized that he is not alone in the quest for knowledge (just as I was not alone) so I wanted to share on here in the hope that I could help him and others who may be experiencing the same anxieties and stressors during the dreaded pre-trial/pre-sentencing phase.
First and foremost, you have to know that the phase you are in right now is the absolute worst part of the process (outside of not being able to physically be there for your loved ones once you are incarcerated). I know that sounds crazy because you are out there and I am in here but the unknown is torture. The mental anguish of playing all the hypothetical’s over and over… day in and day out is unavoidable but painfully unproductive. Whatever your sentence ends up being… it provides you with knowledge. Knowledge of the reality of your future… knowledge of where you will be designated (specifically what security level which is based on how much time you get and the specifics of your crime)… knowledge of when you will start the journey that will get you one day closer to looking at this mess in the rear view mirror rather than on the horizon… this knowledge is power and it is one of the only things that will ease your mind during these times. As I was told during my pre-sentencing phase (and has held true)… the sentence is just a number… once you get that number… now it is your job to take that information and use all of the mental energy that you were wasting on the “what if”‘s and use it to start developing a plan of action to productively navigate the journey ahead. Take this knowledge and figure out how you will start taking advantage of every single opportunity available to you to begin decreasing that number through programming and participating in productive activities once on the inside. The First Step Act has absolutely changed the game for us… learn it inside and out and get to work.
Day in the life. So, from what I have heard from other guys in here that have been to other institutions… every compound (or yard as guys call it in here) is different so my day to day at T.I. may be unique to this yard and not the exact same experience that you may have at another low security yard within the BOP. That being said, here is my daily routine which will give you an idea of what life is like inside these walls. Everyone must have a job… some more labor intensive than others… so my work schedule will most likely differ from yours but it will provide a factual framework and insight either way…
-Monday Through Friday-
4:35am – Wake Up
4:45 – 5:45am – Change into work clothes (khaki pants, white tee shirt, khaki shirt, boots). Grab my coffee and head into the TV room to watch the morning news
5:45 – 6:15am – Sometime during this window the officer on duty in my unit will call “Short Line Chow”… this is early breakfast for AM workers only
6:15am – Breakfast
6:30am – 2pm(ish) – Work. Official work call is 7am – 3pm but your specific job will dictate your actual hours. Commissary (my job) is typically from 6:30am – 1:30pm with a lunch break from 9:30am – 9:50am.
2pm – Rush back to the unit in order to make the 2pm shift change. This is when the unit officers change shifts in the afternoon which allows for the unit door to be unlocked for 5-10 minutes. Because 2pm is not a scheduled move… the door remains locked until 3:30pm (if I miss the shift change) and I am stuck outside in my work clothes until yard recall at 3:30pm.
Scheduled moves are 10 minute windows when guys can leave where they are on campus and go somewhere else on campus. If you miss the move… you’re stuck until the next move.
2-3:30pm – Workout outside on the south yard. Either weight lifting on the “weight pile” (think muscle beach) or cardio.
3:30pm – Yard Recall… everyone back to their unit.
3:30 – 4pm – Shower and coffee
4pm – Stand up afternoon count
4:45pm – Dinner
5 – 8:30pm – Daily night activities. This includes classes that I am taking, tutoring guys getting their GED, AA meeting, walking the track, softball/basketball/volleyball/soccer games. Basically anything you want to do outside of work happens during this time.
8:30pm – Yard Recall… Back to the units
8:45 – 9:30pm – Shower and 15-20 minutes of TV.
9:30pm – Stand up night count
Read and go to sleep.
Repeat.
I plan to continue answering any questions that I receive on here in the hope that the insight provides a glimmer of peace for anyone staring down a pending imprisonment. Just know that if you stay focused on maintaining a healthy mindset, create a productive plan for yourself, stay connected to your loved ones in the real world and keep an active but low profile… you will find that your day to day is manageable.
But for the time being, while you are still “free”…. hug your loved ones. Be fully present with them. The loss of being without them once you are on the inside is unavoidable and extremely hard but you will have the opportunity to become the person that you have always wanted to be for them while you are here…. but only you have the ability to become that person.