This week marked the first week of May and a new designation here in Morgantown. The prison has begun transitioning from a Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) to a Federal Prison Camp (FPC). The change in title still maintains an “out-of-custody” status for prisoners (no handcuffs) and the same minimum-security designation. Typically, an FCI would be a low or medium security prison with an adjacent camp to provide facility maintenance and cleaning services to the larger prison (cheap labor). FCI Morgantown was an exception to this standard satellite camp model and became one of the only two stand-alone prison camps in the federal system (another one is in Pensacola, Florida).
Administratively, the designation from FCI to FPC means some budgetary cuts. The ratio of officers to inmates is higher (less staffing), operations are less restrictive, and recidivism programming is heavily focused. Physically, the camp will remain pretty much of the same. FPCs do not require perimeter fencing, which Morgantown does not have. Presently, some standard chain-linked fencing surrounds portions the campus, which divides the property more than restricts escapes.
The biggest difference with this transition would mean that the campus would not have a SHU (aka, a segregated housing unit where inmates are held for safety concerns and punishment). As I have reflected in prior blog entries, the SHU is not a good place to be. It consists of 30 small cells that have steel bar doors with the sink-toilet combo next to the double bunk bed. No privacy at all is experienced in the SHU and no personal belongings maybe held while in the SHU. The SHU has waves of razor barbed wire surrounding it. The SHU is intended to house inmates of all security risks, including highly dangerous and violent ones. The SHU operates with controlled movements, which means the inmates are let out of their cells 1 hour per day to stretch in a tiny courtyard. Showering is an option that occurs 3 times per week. While in the SHU, guys must always wear handcuffs and ankle shackles when moving from one area to another. The SHU is probably how you imagine a prison to be or how television depicts prisons. It’s basically a jail within a jail.
Since FPC Morgantown will no longer have a SHU, you may wonder where would inmates go if they were to fight or have some safety concerns? Well, I wondered about it. One area of the campus has about 5 temporary holding cells, where a threatening guy could be held until transported to either another prison with a SHU or the local county jail. Currently, the Morgantown SHU acts as an overflow for inmates from a local federal penitentiary (Hazelton), which is about 30 miles away in the mountains. Thus, FCI versus FPC Morgantown is essentially the same campus with the same opportunities for rehabilitative programming.
I appreciate your taking time to check-in and learn about the nuances with federal prison camps, which impact my daily life *the more you know. Sincerely, I appreciate your support and encouragement throughout my prison experience. I hope you have a fantastic week and continue to be mindful of any little miracle in your life 🙂