Entry #1 - Introduction

My sincerest gratitude for logging on to the first entry of “Letters From the Inside.”

When Aaron recently wrote me with the idea to do a blog for his new website, I found my reaction to be one of apprehension at what seemed initially to be a quite daunting task. I suppose I should introduce myself before I start in on as to why.

My name is Bruce. I am 28, in a Federal Prison, currently 1 year into serving a 3 and ½ year sentence for “possession with intent to distribute cocaine.” I’m a friend of Aaron’s dating back to the days of De La Hoya. We became tight during his Marathon years. He was living in Ithaca, where I was finishing up my academic career at Ithaca College.

Now having explained that, I must have it noted that I am currently being held in a “camp” level security facility. Most of my fellow inmates were either hustlers like myself or white-collar criminals. We have no walls keeping us here. There is simply a red line and trees surrounding us. If we are found out of bounds we face an additional 2-5 years added to our sentence and a reclassification into a higher security facility. Our interaction with guards is fairly minimal, as is the structure to our day.

Just below the camp is nestled the main complex. A considerably larger compound surrounded by razor wire, it reminds me daily of how fortunate I am to be here and not there.

Now the first 3 months of my incarceration were spent waiting for a space to open up for me here. The first 2 months of that were spent in a county jail. Then I spent 3 weeks in transit, which included time in Brooklyn MDC, a ride on Con-Air and time in various holding facilities in the Federal Prison system. Finally, I arrived at my current location and spent two weeks in the hole awaiting an open bed. The bulk of my conventionally difficult prison experiences occurred during this time.

Herein lies my dilemma. I do not wish to dwell upon those first three months as the definitive prison experience. I’m aware, however, that chances are quite good that people will be expecting to hear such stories.

It is true that there are murders, rapes, hostile guards, fights and everything in between that happen in prison. While I’ve experienced a few of these during my time locked up, they are by and large in the past. That said, I still have a great deal to write about.

Prison and the entire BOP (Bureau of Prisons) is a sick, sick, place. The same can be said for the entire Justice Department. I will comment upon the things that I see every day (using discretion as needed). So long as you as a reader are not expecting “Oz,” I think that you may get something out of my writings.

My plan as of now is to simply write my letters as though they were to a friend, or a journal entry. I’ll do my best to be true to my situation and the emotions that it evokes. I’ll be happy to address any questions readers may have, but I will have to field them secondhand through Aaron—as security dictates I don’t post my information directly.

Finally, please remember that this is but the experience of one young man. It is by no means a final statement on the psyche of prison culture. There is far more to this issue, both on the micro and macro levels.

I truly look forward to this outlet and experience. I also look forward to the reactions it may evoke, so feedback is encouraged.

Thanx, - Bruce