Terminal Island Covid Quarantine
Today is Sunday… March 13, 2022. Today is the day that I will self surrender to federal prison at Terminal Island FCI. I woke up this morning like any other day but today would be the first day of the next chapter of my life. I started the day by face timing my boys… I knew that this would not be an easy call but I simply wanted them to see my face, hear me tell them that I love them and let them know that I’m heading to “work camp” today and that I would call them as soon as I can.
Now it’s time to drive to my mom’s house. Drop off my sister and brother in law’s car and start the drive to T.I…. the last time I will be driving in a very long time. What a surreal experience. It’s almost impossible to explain the enormity of emotions that run through your mind when experiencing something like this. Thoughts rocket through your brain like fireworks on the 4th of July. How is my mom feeling, should I eat something, do I just walk up to the front door, what music should I listen to, is this really happening, am I ready…
The drive took about 50 minutes and as we pulled into the facility, we were stopped by a guard at the front and asked if we were here for a visit. When I told him that I was self surrendering today, he looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked us to wait in the parking lot. We sat there for a couple minutes and then he approached the car, asked us for my paperwork and told me that I could use the restroom in the lobby, if I needed it. I did. He came back after about 20 minutes and informed us that I arrived a day early and they weren’t ready for me but per BOP policy, they cannot turn away a self surrender that shows up… just in case I change my mind and decide that prison really isn’t for me between today and tomorrow. I wait about 20 more minutes and then 4 guards come out and inform me that they are now ready to take me inside. I hug and kiss my mom… tell her that it will be okay (because it will be) and follow the guards inside the gate. They proceed to search me, cuff me (but tell me that they would take the cuffs off as soon as I am inside) and escort me about 20 feet into the building. Here we go.
First things first, strip search. I assume this was worse for the officer than it was for me… certainly a unique situation but quick process. Inventory of my clothing… sweat pants, tee shirt, socks, underwear and a pair of sneakers never to be seen again. Handed a pair of khaki pants, white tee shirt, white socks, massive brown underwear that felt like wearing a trash bag and blue deck shoes. Then it was off to medical. I wasn’t in the system yet so it took about 30 minutes for the officer to be able to input my information. In the meantime, we had a friendly conversation about whether the crime that I committed was “worth it”… “no ma’am… it most definitely was not”. She informed me that she had 8 more years to be at T.I so at least I would have a “friend” while I am living here. The interaction put me somewhat at ease and it was nice that, so far, everyone that I encountered was friendly and treated me like a person rather than an inmate. Covid test up next… Negative (sigh of relief).
I was then handed a bag of “essentials” which included a mini toothbrush, small thing of toothpaste, comb, bar of soap and small bottle of shampoo. The shampoo was called “Maximum Security Shampoo”… which gave me a little laugh. I am now escorted to my room for quarantine in “E Unit”.
The room is about 8ft long by 5ft wide. There is a stainless steel bunk bed on the left side of the room, small locker (3ft by 2 ft), toilet, sink and a chair. A massive positive to this situation was that there is a good size window in the room that I am able to open and let fresh air in throughout the day and night. Right outside the room is grass, palm trees and a flock of pigeons that come visit… all of which make me smile.
I “checked into” the room at around 1pm, no clocks in sight so I got very good at judging the time of day based on when “chow” (meals) came and the position of the sun outside. There are two palm trees directly outside my window and I calculated that when the sun is directly above the first palm tree it is about 12:30pm. When the sun gets to the 2nd palm tree, it is now about 4:30pm… which also happens to coincide with 4pm “count” so I know how far off I am on my sun calculation depending on count. Count = Two guards walking through each unit at 4pm and 9pm, Monday – Friday, and 9am, 4pm and 9pm on weekends and holidays to make sure no one has escaped… we stand next to our bunks with masks on while they count. Chow (dinner) came around 3:30pm… it consisted of 2 strips of some type of meat, 2 pieces of bread, scoop of rice with gravy sauce on it and some sort of noodle, gravy, bean mixture that reminded me of the inside of a chicken pot pie. I was incredibly hungry so I ate it all besides the chicken pot pie surprise.
Mentally, today was extremely difficult starting at around 5pm. My mind was wandering and could not stop thinking about the boys, family, friends, life as I knew it, my inability to control anything, boys birthdays, not being able to be physically present for them and watch them grow on a daily basis, on and on and on…
Luckily, I was tired and mentally exhausted so passed out shortly after 9pm count. My “bed” consists of a thin mattress pad, sheet, top blanket and makeshift pillow that I made out of rolling an extra blanket into a ball. Apparently there are no pillows in quarantine.
Well, Day 1 of being a federal inmate at Terminal Island is in the books. Maybe… since I wasn’t supposed to surrender today and therefore was not in the system, I’m not 100% sure if today counted but let’s not sweat the small stuff.