One of the good things about prison is getting to write letters. Not emails. Not texts. Letters. The old fashioned pen and ink kind. I sent bushels of them during
The Last BreakfastThe Last Breakfast
This is an image of the last meal served at Alcatraz Federal Prison. It shows some continuity in the Bureau of Prisons’ menus over the past 58 years. However, in
Welcome to the show, Chris CollinsWelcome to the show, Chris Collins
Judging from this article that my spouse showed me — https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/collins-abbreviated-federal-prison-sentence-was-hell/ — Chris Collins is mad. Yes, that Chris Collins: former US Congressman, Trump crony, convicted insider trader, FBI misleader,
MLK DayMLK Day
Our most recent holiday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I was happy to celebrate it on the outside this year, mainly because MLK’s birthday is also my wedding anniversary.
A Prison Laundry LimerickA Prison Laundry Limerick
The TPL project isn’t quite yet started, but I’ll serve and amuse bouche of 5 lines I penned back in 2017: When that which you eat is called “chow,” You
More drug educationMore drug education
If you can convince federal prison authorities that you have a substance abuse program, you can sign up for the Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program (RDAP) that offers you a
Drug “Education”Drug “Education”
The Federal Bureau of Prisons forces every inmate who has ever admitted to, at a minimum, smoking weed to attend a drug education class. Of course you can refuse, but
Indigestion or a pinched nerve?Indigestion or a pinched nerve?
As you can imagine, prison beds are not comfortable. Comfortable is utterly the wrong concept for describing how they feel. Try putting a sleeping bag on your garage floor and
Dr. FeelnothingDr. Feelnothing
I get a monthly call from the shrink employed by the halfway house. The halfway house, by the way, is the not not-jail they put you in after prison and
Sketching out the Scarlet LetterSketching out the Scarlet Letter
Sometimes in prison, and ofter after you are out, the criminal justice system pretends to care about “reforming” you. They might offer some rather feeble pass at offering you literacy,