Fourth of July has come and gone It was a big day at the LPC.
We started grilling out in back at 5am on some makeshift grills. We served Hot dogs, hamburgers, mac and cheese, potato salad, ice cream sandwiches.... and... SHASTA COLA for the entire camp. Not a bad right? We had a big softball game and there were fireworks shows in every direction. It was hilarious...there are lots of inmate families that are local (Kansas area).
We have some hilarious conversations about how much pointless time is wasted on certain things.
If we knew at the beginning of our incarceration what we know now.There is absolutely no logic as to when and how soon you will get to go home.We spend so much time predicting and/or calculating (factoring FSA/Good time credit) when you will get out to a halfway house/home confinement.You can do a bunch a math...You can plan...estimate...But it is just a guess.In order for things to be somewhat predictable you would need the BOP to do its job.... But alas the only thing they do well is fail in spectacular fashion at doing said job.I know multiple people with 4 / 5-year terms that are getting out at the same time I am (some earlier). One of the first people I met at the LPC had a 48-month sentence and he will do 8 months (he just left).Another buddy of mine who has a 24 months sentence (but a fentanyl charge-for personal use) will do 80% (20 months) of his time because he will not get FSA or RDAP credit.He would been better off being a mastermind drug kingpin (selling massive weight of any combination of drugs...getting a longer term) and not losing his FSA/Good time credit.There is no logic to it.It just depends on when and how central office does your calculations (FSA/RDAP/Good time credit) or when your case manager decides to put your paperwork in for release.There are so many inmates here who should be home but their paperwork has not been submitted correctly so they just wait (absolutely nobody will be held accountable for this).
All that time spent worrying because you think you have some control.... you cannot possibly imagine an organization being run so badly and then you get here and realize it is way worse than you could have possibly imagined.
Drug Testing
After 9 months and enough drugs to supply a small country. Leavenworth prison camp is finally drug testing. Well Kinda...I am not sure why we are testing because it is not to really to catch the people using (they will catch a few people). They are testing 5/6 people at a time in order by dorm room ... in order by bunk (we have over 300 inmates...This will take weeks/months). So, anyone who is doing drugs knows pretty much when they are going to be tested.... So, they are just taking a week off and testing clean then going back to it. Even better the people that test positive for drugs in RDAP are just getting a verbal warning...WHAT????? a VERBAL WARNING???? I get a formal warning for a 2nd pillow I had permission for (yes, I am still bitter) and people who are testing positive for drugs just get a slap on the wrist from RDAP (please remember we are a drug program). What is even more crazy is that the inmates in RDAP that failed their drug test will be sent to the SHU/Get a 100 series SHOT for the dirty test, and face devastating repercussions (go to a higher security prison), but again they will receive no punishment from RDAP. Baffling!
Craziest thing I have heard or seen at the LPC this week
Getting hurt in prison is never ideal...However you definitely don’t want to get hurt Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday (we don’t have a nurse on call Fri - Monday). You could literally be having a heart attack and there is zero chance you will receive medical attention. So, check this out. We are jam packed in every dorm (no lower bunks available). So, there are some big guys up on top bunks (I mean HUGE... 6 ft. Tall / over 300lbs). The floors are solid concrete and the bunks are about 6 1/2 feet high.... So, you can guess where I am going with this. This inmate was sleeping on a top bunk and had what he described as a horrific nightmare. He jerked in his sleep and fell off the top bunk.... WOW!!!!! He hit the floor all 250 plus pounds of him and snapped his collarbone. He woke the entire unit up since he was in an incredible amount of pain. That was Friday night.... he went all the way tell Tuesday morning before he could see anyone. He was given aspirin.... ASPRIN... for a collarbone sticking out of his neck...It is absolutely disgusting. The running joke was that medical told him to "walk the track, walk it off," .... Which is the standard answer inmates give each other when faced with a serious medical issue. Knowing the response, you will get is not one that will be helpful. Unbelievably I saw him playing pool over the weekend with his injury. Tough Dude.
I have mentioned we have what are called upbeat rituals. Basically, they are games that all of RDAP plays at the end of morning meeting. Today we had a 3-pt. contest on the basketball court....and yours truly won. HA...I don’t know what to say here other then what the hell is going on. I was a good shooter in High School but that was a long time ago. I have now won the last 3 basketball competitions and there are some seriously good athletes in RDAP. People think I am way better than I am...and if I was just to go off what I just displayed I would think I am actually semi pro....But...With 100% honesty I can say it was luck. INCREDIBLE LUCK...But I will take it. I am retiring on top of my game.
We have had some interesting competitions as of late. We have had a weight loss competition (in RDAP) ...with Mr. Jones leading the contest (he has lost over 100 lbs.) .... he looks incredible. But we also had a weightlifting competition. This guy named Zambrano....won putting up over 385lbs. It was amazing. He can’t weigh more than 185lbs and is about 5'8. Nicest guy ever....and clearly strong.
Update of old bunkmate.
As I mentioned my old bunkmate wandered off from camp last week. He was caught at his father’s house. He was been brought back to Leavenworth and put in the SHU. He will be transferred to a medium or Low. Sad...I have some serious thoughts on this issue but I am limited on what I can say. Let me just say he needs help and I hope he gets it. But here is the part of the story that is crazy (well crazier) ...Another inmate got sent to the SHU as an accomplice. My old bunkmate evidentially used a cell phone to call his parents and they traced the phone back to another inmate. So little effort is made to investigate any of this kind of stuff so its unbelievably bad luck for the other inmate.... I’m not entirely sure how they caught him but they did. The other inmate didn’t know my old bunkmate was going to try to escape and that he had used the phone as part of that attempt.... Anyway, they are both in the SHU together now. That can’t be going well.
Miss everyone...Stay safe
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