Conditions and Culture Inside the Federal Bureau of Prisons

Read the untold stories documented by January 6 Political Prisoners

*We are keeping the identity of the specific jails and prisoners anonymous for confidentiality and security reasons.

Prison Facility #1

Building conditions

“The library was shut down due to asbestos and the kitchen was closed down due to a rat infestation. Our kitchen is still closed for renovations; however, I’m told the leaking roof will not be repaired for another two years. The kitchen staff told me when the kitchen was open that they would use their cooking trays to catch leaks, and they suspected the water they were catching was passing through the mold and asbestos. Almost all of the ceilings leak in the shared facilities as well as some of the cells.  Where they are leaks there is mold. Now the meals are served outside, and our menu doesn’t follow federal guidelines.  Every morning, grown men are served Cocoa Puffs and a treat in a bag such as a brownie or danish.

I’ve seen cells leak, the gym, visitor building and the psychology building leak.  I’ve mopped up small ponds in the gym (where both GED classes are held along with temporarily housing the library due to more severe leaks in those respective buildings) and the visitor building (the latter my second day here).  I saw the female psychology staff give orders to inmates to tape plastic to the ceiling and walls to direct water flow.  I was speaking with an inmate the other day about the mold in the facility, and he said before the recent inspection the inmates were ordered to tape or glue back peeling wallpaper in the commissary building that was no longer sticking to our to moisture and mold.”

Racial Politics

“The first day I arrived at this location, I was assigned to a temporary housing facility after being stripped searched and processed.  At the temporary housing unit I found myself in a sort of racial draft with the other new guys. The three main groups here are Mexicans, Blacks, and Whites.  Each has territory marked and held for themselves like TV rooms, tables, specific prison cells and specific equipment during specific times in the weight room.  The other notable groups are Native Americans, and subgroups of Mexicans.  There are also child molesters, and sexual offenders.  I ended up joining the whites the first day on a probationary status.  To be a member, you have to have a clean docket meaning you cannot be a snitch, or a chomo.  My docket got cleared with my housing unit speaker last month.  The benefits of joining a group is that you get representation and protection.  The Mexicans, Blacks, Whites etc. have a speaker for each housing unit (cinderblock and concrete building) and a speaker for the entire complex.  Each group disciplines it’s members and try to prevent inter-group conflicts (race riots) from happening.  Discipline takes the form of public or private beatings. A public discipline is usually 2 guys punching and stomping one of their own. A private one happens in a cell where one guy places his hands on his locker while a guy on his left and his right punches him for 30 seconds.  Violence solves problems and every week at least one person is getting hands put on himself.  I’ve seen fights in my housing unit, people stomped on the yard, and I’ve cleaned up blood from people fighting in the Rec yard restroom.

While violence inside groups is not uncommon, inter-racial violence is uncommon here and race relations are good.  A white guy beat up a black guy a couple of weeks ago which could have turned into an automatic race riot; however, the black guy wasn’t claimed by the blacks.  In fact, the main black group and white group here have an alliance against the dominate, non-US Mexicans (group called “pie-sahs”) to prevent them from taking more territory.”

Food

The federal government publishes the “National Menu Mainline” for federal prisons showing what our food and serving sizes are supposed to be in ounces.  We have been getting underserved on portions and whole items have been missing.  I believe I was suffering from the early signs of vitamin C deficiency my first month here. I started getting dry, peeling and red skin on my face and neck.  I would eat the single fruit item (mushy apple or green banana) that we only started getting again due to an official food complaint submitted by another inmate. The federal government says we are supposed to get 2% milk cartons every breakfast but we get 1% skim. We are supposed to get coffee on weekends. I’ve never got coffee. The main source of calories for breakfast has been honey buns or gas stations donuts depending on the day of the week.

Drugs

The most used drug here appears to be what people call K2.  My first night here I was temporarily placed in a three man cell and both guys were smoking K2.  It is said to be frequently laced with rat poison, PCP or fentanyl, and it attacks the central nervous system.  When people smoke it, they turn into zombies.  I saw one guy talking to the devil while on it.  When the drug starts going into action, the user freezes up often while standing.  Then they will start shaking in place and mumbling incoherently to themselves.  Sometimes they lose bowel control.  All K2 users have yellow skin and are unkempt.