Life In FCI Danbury

12/16/06

As of today I have been here for a month - and it absolutely FLEW, which I suppose is a good thing. Leave it to me to be busy in prison! So I've been out of the hole since December 4th and i'm much better here at the compound. I welcomed the forced laziness in the hole at first, but after 2 1/2 weeks I said to myself "okay, I've had enough of this." The next morning I was moved out.

My absolute best day here yet came last week when a friend mailed me some of the public statements out about my codefendants. I was so happy to hear how these friends, who'd shared this experience with me for 2 1/2 years were doing now that we've all been separated (especially one individual in particular with whom I spoke about twelve times daily while we were on house arrest!). When you write them, please send them my "hellos" and support.

I've received many letters asking about my living situation and life generally out of the hole, so I figured I'd write a bit to let people know what life is like at FCI Danbury.

We are housed in units, not cells, which, along with the other areas of the prison (law library, dining hall, mail room, etc.), form a ring around a large courtyard type space. Right now I am in a "bus stop", which is a room with several bunk beds waiting to be moved to a cubical in the large dormitory in our unit. Before coming to prison I wished and wished Danbury would have cells instead of dorms and cubicals. I figured it would be very loud and unpleasant living in what is essentially a big room with 100 inmate in bunk beds. But now I'm very thankful that we are not housed in cells. We can move freely around the unit 24 hours a day - to the bathroom, the TV room (which closes at midnight on weekdays and 2am on weekends), and to the other rooms within the unit. The main lights go out at 11pm and the dorm is actually very quiet. Come to think of it, it's pretty quiet all day long. Each bunk bed is in a cubical, like you might see in an office. Each cubical has 2 lockers, some shelves, a place to hang clothes and a small desk. It really is nice never to feel locked into a cell. And I am spared the unpleasantness of having a toilet next to my bed - our toilets are down the hall in a separate bathroom.

The compound operates on a "controlled movement" system. Between 7:30am and dinner (around 4:30pm) Monday - Friday, inmates are only permitted to move from one place on the compound to another (ie from your unit to recreation) during a ten minute move time, ie between 1:30 and 1:40. This is another of several useless forms of control designed to remind inmates that we are not free - somehow inmate accountability requires ten minute moves during the weekdays, but not in the evening or on the weekends. Additionally, we are required to be in our rooms (or cubicals) at 4pm and 10pm for counts. At 4pm we must be standing, but by 10pm the guards are suddenly able to count us sitting down or lying in bed. This ability continues for counts throughout the night at 12am, 2am and 5am, but is of course promptly forgotten by 4pm the next day when you may end up in the hole if you don't stand for count. I am mostly just amused by the absurdity of such rules; it's really not as annoying as it may sound. We are locked in our units for the night at 9:30pm, until breakfast at 6am the next day.

Prison is a whole lot less cliquey then I expected. I pretty much talk to everyone and have yet to find a group I feel uncomfortable joining. I eat with complete strangers most every meal, as the dining hall is a whole let less "middle school lunchroom" then I expected - there is no specific table for the cool kids. I have made quite a few "friends", but I much prefer to search for one seat than two or three so I just take the first open one I see, as do most people. I'm quite happy with this system..

On Friday nights they show movies on a big screen in the gym. This week was "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest". As far as I'm concerned, most any place with a law library and a healthy dose of Johnny Depp is fine by me. Next week is "Talladega Nights."

Anyway, prison isn't so bad, not least of all because I have received TONS of mail from all of you. Thank you. Mail call is the highlight of my day and I thank each and every one of you who took a few minutes to drop me a line. You have brightened each day.

Also, however, the mail has created a bit of a "good problem" for me, namely keeping up with replies! If you have not yet received a reply from me, please be patient and know that I appreciate your letter and will reply as soon as possible - remember, you have to write one letter (or six - hopefully you are writing all the defendants!), I need to write fifty! But this is a problem I welcome and am very thankful for. I will be sure to write a blog several times a year - hopefully they will tide over those awaiting a reply from me until I can write them a letter directly. [Editors note: Sign up to receive Lauren's Blog directly by email by visiting http://lists.riseup.net/www/subrequest/laurensblog]

Well, that's life at FCI Danbury - controlled movement, Johnny Depp and lots and lots of kakhi (which looks great on me of course). I wish you all warm, safe, family and friend filled holidays. Please especially enjoy this year, as they are sure to be among those things I miss most (I have written this entire blog entry while listening to a station playing Christmas songs on my radio). Please don't forget the animals (or the abusers) this holiday season and lets make 2007 yet another hellish year for HLS!!!.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays
Lauren