Interestingly, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has created and continues to stir quite the turmoil for better or worse. DOGE hysteria impacts both sides of the political aisle. I’ve been waiting to see how it would approach the Board of Prisons budget and operational strategies. Well, I’m not sure it’s having the same impact on BOP like it has on other government agencies since BOP has a significant staffing shortage. Thus, budgeted salaries versus actual salaries among the staffing shortage looks great for the bottom-line on paper. Therefore, not as much scrutiny is necessary from first glance.
Operationally, the BOP has regional oversights. FPC Morgantown is in the Mid-Atlantic Region…errr or was in that region. As of this week, the region was divided and absorbed into two other regions. I believe the newly assigned region is the Northeastern Region. Of course, much inmate speculation swirls with the advent of this regionalization. But these swirls are turning into little twisters when combined with other operational changes: halting of all transfers of inmates to other prisons, and the return of inmates’ packed boxes (in an earlier post I mentioned these were similar to large Amazon boxes).
Earlier in the week, news was confirmed by emails to correctional officers that transfers were to stop immediately for the unforeseen future. Initial assumptions pointed to budgetary cuts for line items passed in the new national budget, but again, no exact explanation has been provided. Then, the dissolution of the Mid-Atlantic Region pointed to some deeper operational shifts that some have attributed to DOGE, although unconfirmed. Finally, the inmates receiving their packed property. Oh, I forgot to mention that BOP does not have an assigned director, so the leaderless organization has just been in a frenzy. Amidst these bureau changes, I was informed that I would not be able to transfer to another prison or start programming. Of the 56 guys that have been waiting to begin the drug/alcohol program, 15 dropped out. The remaining 41 will be relocating to another housing unit in Morgantown, known as general population. I’m among this cohort and will be moving all my stuff to the overpopulated housing unit that has the worst amenities on campus. FPC Morgantown has 7 housing units and only 3 of them are utilized. So while I have been blessed to live a bit more comfortably in central a/c and heating, I will be returning to the original dormitory that I began my prison journey in Alexander Unit. While I comically refer myself as a “hostage,” I am still being considered for the programming and will be one of the first guys to transfer or begin the new class if approved. The current status of the deactivation is known as “Paused.”
The weather has been perfectly stunning here: clear, sunny skies and finally warmer temperatures. While I wait for everything to unpause, I continue to participate in the norm of prison life – the same ‘ol thing repeated day after day, like pickleball and completing the electrician apprenticeship. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule to check on me. Your support and encouragement are critical to the success of my prison experience! I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful week and continue to look for any little miracle in your life 🙂