With my sentence reduced by 8 months, my mom asked if I would share my Reentry/Release Plan with her. This request made me chuckle - lemme explain why. She researched the transitory steps from leaving prison to reentry into the community. One of these steps requires an inmate to complete...

Upon arriving at Texarkana, I noted how impressed I had been with the rehabilitative programming options that are offered. While I was able to secure a spot in the electrician apprenticeship, like Morgantown, I enrolled in an HVAC class, which provides guys with a certificate for being able to purchase...

I couldn't believe this past week was the 20th anniversary of the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina! In 2005, I actually experienced Hurricane Katrina, the first time it attacked. Celebrating my birthday in Key West, forecasters alerted to the dangers of Katrina heading directly for Key West. In an effort to avoid...

I celebrated my third birthday in prison this week, which regrettably corresponded with the tragic school shooting in Minneapolis. For the opening of school year celebration, students and staff at Annunciation Catholic School gathered in the adjoining Church to celebrate Mass. Then, the worst of the worst erupted...gunfire through the...

I've been in federal custody for 33 months, and it's been quite the experience. Last week I received confirmation that my halfway house/home confinement date is February 3, 2026 (less than 6 months away). This news was beyond exciting, and I couldn't wait to email my family. When I logged...

On August 1, 2024 (the hottest day on record in Morgantown), I encountered the most loathed place in any prison: the special housing unit, the SHU, or the Hole. On a job assignment for the electrician apprenticeship, myself and two other coworkers went to a housing unit, when it was...

Finally after being in Texas for almost two months, I resumed the electrician apprenticeship program. The program takes about 4 years to complete, but I've been busting my tail to have it done in 3 years. I have done 6,000 of the 8,000 hours required. Due to my transfer and...

I often encounter situations where inmates say silly things...well, they also do silly things. Here a few of my favorites silly things they have done: How to Light Cigarettes - Do Not Attempt at HomePreviously, I've noted the ingenuity of inmates using batteries and light switches to ignite cigarettes...but this...

Since I've been at Federal Prison Camp Texarkana for two months, I thought it appropriate to do a brief Yelp-style review: FOOD **** 3 Stars"Some of the best food in the BOP," chirped many inmates in Oklahoma City. "They have the freshest salad bar," one inmate recounted. Well, the food...

Every other week, I shop at the commissary store to pick-up hygienic essentials and some snacks. After purchasing some toothpaste this week, I looked at the expiration date and smiled. For the first time during my incarceration, I saw an expiration date that went beyond my prison sentence! When I...