Friday July 19, 2024 – Atlanta Update
Not sure really where to start. I am a little behind due to writing up the previous entry about the move to Atlanta as it took me a few days to compose it. I guess I will start with a lockdown update here in our Atlanta unit.
- Monday: We were let out 9:00AM to 2:30PM, and again from 5:30PM to 8:30PM.
- Tuesday: We were let out from 7:30AM to 1:45PM and locked down through the evening.
- Wednesday: We were locked down the entire day and through the evening.
- Thursday: We were let out from 9:00AM to 2:00PM and then in the evening the second floor of the unit was let out from 5:15PM to 7:00PM and then those of us on the first floor of the unit got out from 7:00PM to 9:00PM.
I rented a radio from one of the orderlies, which has been well worth it. We agreed my rental would go until I left for the camp. Aside from being able to listen to music and keep up with current events during the lockdowns, I have been able to listen to much of the RNC on the radio including JD Vance’s speech and Donald Trump’s speech.
I have also been reading a lot of books. My family and a friend both mailed in some paperback books which has been great since the book selection here is extremely limited and poor quality.
The bus left to FPC Montgomery, as I had anticipated this past Monday, and I was not on it. Therefore, I will be here at a minimum until July 29th which is the next bus to Alabama (it runs every other Monday morning). There is an inmate here who was at Maxwell for a month and a half before he had to go to court in April, and now he is finally returning to Maxwell. Apparently, they didn’t have time to give him a furlough because they got the writ from the judge and sent him off the next day. A writ is when a judge orders you released from the prison you are at, typically for a reason, such as going to a court appearance. It does not mean you are free, although it could, but typically you are transported back through the transit system and to a county jail by the court you are appearing in by the US Marshalls. A furlough is where the Warden approves for an inmate to travel on their own dime for a set period of time in the free world to handle some business (court appearance, funeral, transfer to another facility) and then you must report back or to your new prison by a set time or you are considered a fugitive.
Anyhow, I spoke to that inmate and got some more information on Maxwell. It basically sounds like the Four Seasons of the federal prison system, so I am pretty excited. If you recall, in a previous post, I mentioned how there are 3 housing dorms named “Montgomery, Mobile, and RDAP”. He told me Montgomery and Mobile each are comprised of 8 units of 40 people within the larger dorm. Each unit has 2 microwaves, washer & dryers, the 200 degree water, and an ice machine. The microwaves and washer & dryers are unheard of in the BOP. Very few, if any, other spots still have these from my understanding. The ability to buy detergent and wash your own clothes as opposed to sending them in through the mass laundry system will make an enormous difference. I never felt like I was wearing clean clothes at Yazoo. He also spoke highly of the commissary and told me you are issued a pillow which is also a rarity in the BOP these days. Great news on all fronts.
That is the update for today, I will be back with more.