Chapter 13
Prison Transportation System
If you are
taken into custody immediately after sentencing or if you have to go back to
court, you will be transported by prison busses and/or planes.
Unlike
Greyhound the prison Transportation System has all the inconveniences with none
of the comforts. You can end up spending several weeks at a hub or holding
facility. Some temporary housing
facilities are more pleasant than others, but none are anywhere near as
comfortable as your assigned facility.
Sometimes a
real life experience is better than cold facts.
Here is one story in the inmate’s own words:
The transportation system of the B.O.P. is truly unique.
It is not designed
for comfort, speed, or to take advantage of luxury accommodations. It
is designed to move large numbers of inmates from point A to point B
quickly and cheaply.
I was unable to self-surrender to my assigned facility on my own so I
turned myself in to the closest U.S. Marshalls office.
I became just like
someone who was sentenced and taken into custody.
I was initially placed in a small holding cell awaiting transportation to
the
federal holding facility.
All moves I made from here were very uncomfortable.
You are required to
be handcuffed and shackled for all movements.
The transportation means
are often old and very overcrowded.
After several hours of very slow in-processing I was moved across town to
the
Federal holding facility at the city jail.
My stay here was a nightmare.
The
Facility was old, dirty, and very overcrowded.
It housed criminals of all kinds.
There were some very scary people there. I saw several fights and many,
many shouting and shoving matches.
We were on lock down most of the time with no recreation time.
The food
was not bad, considering, but there was not much of it.
Eat it! You will need
all your strength.
Sleeping was difficult so sleep whenever you can.
The noise level was
horrendous almost 24-7.
Early one morning I was called out to move with
no notice. We were herded-out after
same
out-processing to an old van, packed 3-4 to a seat.
They were hard
bench seats with no seat belts.
We were locked into the caged rear of the van.
It
was an uncomfortable hour- plus ride.
Upon arrival at the county jail we were place in
a small holding cell with
barely enough room for everyone to stand. After
several hours we were finally
in-processed then moved to the federal holding
pod.
There were 2-man cells with a large open bay with
tables and a T.V. We had some
time out
of the cells, but most of the time was spent in the cells, perhaps as much
as 16-18
hours a day.
The food was terrible and sparse. County jails
make a lot of money
housing
Federal inmates and that money “Helps” feed everyone else in the jail.
So you
can expect to eat a lot of beans and rice.
We were lucky to see meat every
other day.
It never failed that everywhere I went they
finally let me go to the commissary and
we were
moved the next day! Don’t buy much at the commissary because
you can’t take anything with you on your
moves. I lost two bibles that way.
Finally one morning we were called out and told
we had 5 minutes to move
down to
the doors to meet the bus. We were
then out-processed from
county and processed for movement by the B.O.P.
It was our first contact
with the
B.O.P. The guards on the bus do not mess around. Listen closely
to their instructions and do exactly what they
tell you.
We were moved from here to our first Federal
facility in Atlanta. Atlanta is the
processing center for the southeast region.
We were moved by a converted Greyhound bus to
Atlanta. It had hard seats
with no
seat belts. The entire bus was caged
and barred. The guards were
armed with
shotguns and side arms (Pistols). As
I said, they mean business.
It was a
long crowed bus ride.
Arrival in Atlanta was somewhat overwhelming.
The Atlanta Penitentiary
has a well
deserved reputation as a bad place to do time.
It looks like an
ancient castle. It is very imposing and scary.
The staff is tough and they do
not play games.
In-processing is slow, tedious, and unnerving at times.
Pay
attention
at all times.
After in-processing we were finally divided into
groups and moved to our
cell blocks.
There are two man cells but most had four men in them.
The prison is very old and dirty.
It is cold in the winter and sweltering in the
summer.
The food is okay but there is very little of it.
Eat it all to keep up your
strength.
You may or may not get commissary depending how long you
are there.
In Atlanta you are on lockdown 23 hours a day.
During your hour out
of your cell you must get a shower and make your
telephone call. The
lines are
long for both so you may not have time to do both.
Manage
your time out of your cell.
At approximately 2 A.M. one morning the guards
woke me up to get
ready to
move. Several hours later they came
and got me. They moved
me to
out-processing. Again, it was slow
and tedious but it had to be
done. Be
patient and be quiet.
We boarded a similar bus we had ridden on
earlier. This time we were transported to
Tallahassee, Florida.
It was a long bus ride with many, many, many, stops.
Arrival in Tallahassee was very much like Atlanta
in-processing without the
fear
factor. It was orderly but not overwhelming and intimidating.
Tallahassee has two men cells but they normally
have four men
per cell.
They are exceedingly over crowded.
Your are only locked down at night
here.
The food is excellent and plentiful.
If you are hungry in Tallahassee it is your own
fault.
There is also a nice recreation area but it is
small. You may get outside only
an hour a
day. Get out side and get some air.
The weather is nice there.
My final trip on my B.O.P. journey was again by
bus. It was slow and we
had to
stop many times. But I finally
arrived at my final destination.
Try to avoid this if at all possible by
self-surrendering at you designated facility.
You’ll be glad you did.
There are
many stories like this. All those
interviewed advised you should eat.
The stress and uncertainty will be compounded by hunger.
Diesel Therapy
Although
the B.O.P. denies it, there are many accounts of inmates being transported from
facility to facility for short periods of time, sometimes even a day or two.
Then they would be whisked away at night to another destination somewhere
far away.
It is
rumored these are inmates that had filed too many complaints. More likely the
cause is when an inmate has many co-defendants that testified against them.
Someone reports that they are not supposed to be together so the newest
inmate gets back on the bus.
Anyway it
is a favorite horror story to new inmates that one person knew someone from
somewhere else.