MY FIRST 30 DAYS AT LEWISBURG PART I
I was fortunate to be granted self-surrender status; hence
I would be allowed to drive to Lewisburg with a family member. My
two oldest children insisted in making the trip with me. I was
absolutely overwhelmed by their offer due to the fact that they have had
an on-going sibling feud all their lives and they just don’t
see eye-to-eye on anything and very seldom spend time together.
On July 15, the day before
my self-surrender date, I made dinner reservations in my favorite restaurant,
The Parkside in Corona,
Queens. I have been their most avid patron since my High School
years. Again, I was pleased that
my friend the Maître d’ sat us at a terrific table without waiting. At
his suggestion, we started with fresh mozzarella cheese, sweet peppers and red
tomatoes, followed by Rigatoni Bolognese,
Chicken Françoise and
Linguini with Clams that we
could all share. A Sea Breeze for each kid, a Grey Goose Martini for me,
and the mood was jovial. Dessert consisted of Italian Cheese Cake
and Tartuffe topped with Espresso Coffee. (Is there anything better than that?)
Someone came over to our table to greet us, it was an old time friend whom I had not
seen in over 20 years; he sold me my first condo when I was in my early
twenties. We saw each other a few times for some years and then we lost
contact. We reminisced on the good old times, when youth was king…
By then, our meal had come to an end. It came time to say good-bye to
some of the regulars, to the Maitre d’ and to the very well-known owner of The Parkside,
and got on our way.
Lewisburg is a straight
ride from the George Washington Bridge. I did the driving and the kids fell asleep.
After 3 hours we arrived at our first destination, The Hampton Inn, which is
practically brand-new and is situated at
one short mile from the camp. By coincidence, there was a cheerleader
competition taking place nearby, so my son stayed in the lobby to enjoy the
view before turning in. My daughter and I checked into our rooms and went
to sleep. The next morning I was up by 8:00 AM, took a quick shower and
decided to dress in a gray T-shirt, black sweat pants and white sneakers.
I was hoping that they would let me into the camp with some of my old clothes
that fit me. After enjoying a complimentary breakfast, I filled up the
tank for the kid’s trip home and started out to the camp. It wasn’t too
long before we reached a turn with a sign that read “Lewisburg Penitentiary”.
This particular road runs along the beautiful valley of Susquehanna
County. At the end, there stands the ominous building known as “The Big
House”. It is of Gothic design and looks every bit of its 80 years.
Razor-wire everywhere, Corrections Officer Towers about seven stories up.
A scary and sad sight. As we passed the penitentiary, we came upon a
second sign that read “Camp Visitors”… WOW, what a difference. The camp
resembles a modest state school/college campus. There is a main administration
building where the self-surrendering takes place. We entered the Lobby and were met by a Corrections
Officer (CO) who, with a pleasant approach, instructed me to bid farewell
to my kids and to follow him. When I turned to say good bye, I felt my stomach
churning, my heart was pounding as if it wanted to explode out of my
chest. At that point I had reached the peak of my emotions and was no
longer able to stop the tears running down my face; it was a crushing
moment for all three of us. I hugged them both as though I never wanted to let
go, I assured them that I would be fine and that they should not
worry about me, begged them to take care of themselves, to drive carefully, get
home safe plus some other endearments that escape my memory. I
will never be able to thank them enough for taking the time to be with me until the last minute. Next, I
followed the CO, the door closed behind me and I entered the prison
world.
We went into a room
marked Receiving and Discharge. The CO was polite in his
demeanor, he asked my name, age and Social Security number, and wanted to
see my ID. He followed me into a dressing room, and directed me to strip
-- I am now in this room, totally naked and thinking: OMG I am really in
jail! Now what? The CO instructed me to face the wall and
crouch. It was evident that he did not feel comfortable with this aspect
of his routine; but it is the best way to ascertain that the inmate is not
carrying contraband. (I had learned from some prison blogs that cavity searches
if required, would be conducted only by the medical department, and that no one
else will touch you.) He promptly handed me standard issue clothing:
khaki pants, a pair of boxer shorts and a white T-shirt. The
next step was fingerprinting and taking a picture for my prison ID, (looks like
and ATM card, I will expand later) I gave the CO a list of the items
I brought in with me. In addition to my ID there were my medicines, my
physicians' letters and a folder with my medical history. I asked him if
contact lenses were allowed
and his answer was “NO”. As it happened, I had also brought with me one
pair of prescription glasses, just in case. The inability to wear contact
lenses is a colossal misfortune for me. The thoughts going through my
mind were almost surreal: Wearing prescription lenses will make me look
like a nerd! How will I be able to play basketball, softball?
I must also mention that I wear a size 13.5 sneaker; the prison
does not issue a shoe that size, so it was a good thing that the C. O. let me
keep my white sneakers. Now it was time for a medical evaluation. The
medical offices are across the hall. So, there I am, walking in the
middle of the hallway wearing my temporary prison garb, my black-rimmed
glasses, new white Nike sneakers and a black watch. I stuck out like a
zebra in a dog kennel.
Once at the doctor’s office, the nurse was also polite and
pleasant, it was easy to see that she had gone through the same routine
hundreds, even thousands of times. I answered her basic health questions with a
simple yes or no and handed her my medical history folder. The most recent
entry was the procedure known as Cyber-Knife surgery which I underwent in
2012. She then sorted through the details of my treatment for
post-prostate cancer. The prison would provide a PSA Test every 60 days
as requested by my Urologist. I have an emerging hernia for which the
nurse set up regular check-ups every 90 days to monitor its progress and to
ascertain its developing trend. Next, there were multiple
forms to fill for dental cleaning and eye exams. A basic physical exam confirmed
that I am in great shape (Other than prostate cancer, an emerging hernia,
black-rimmed glasses and white sneakers. hmm…)
When the medical evaluation
was over, the nurse instructed me to wait in the hall until a CO
came to take me to where I would be issued the clothing
and accessories that I would need, plus a bedroll,
a pillow, etc. He would also be assigning me my living
quarters. I waited hardly two minutes before the CO came for me and
directed me to follow him to yet another room down the hall. He showed the same
courtesy and caring attitude as the previous one. As we marched on, we
passed through doors that open into the main hallway of the Administration
Building where I experienced my first contact with other inmates. By now
it was 11:00 AM. The hallway was bristling with activity and it was
already half-way through lunch hour. The inmates were friendly and somehow hospitable.
They knew by then that I am a “self-surrender” inmate. There were warm smiles
all around and I felt somewhat relieved of my innermost apprehensions.
They would say: “It’s not that bad…”, “You will settle soon”, and the most
outgoing one blurted out a “Welcome to Camp (expletive… expletive)” One of
them, wanted to know if I play basketball because of my height. It was at
that instant that I told myself: “You will survive this.” By then
we were at the storage room door. There I was issued a Khaki uniform
consisting of 2 pairs of shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 6 pairs of socks, 6
pairs of boxer shorts, 4 T-shirts and one pair of steel-toed boots; 1
winter coat, 1 bathing towel (the size of a hand towel), 2 pillows
with pillow cases, and 2 blankets. The CO told me that these
articles are the “basics” and I could supplement my wardrobe by purchasing
clothing, tableware and food from the commissary. He went onto a
brief outline of the Laundry Schedule, the Chow Schedule, the Stand-Up Count
schedule and some other general rules and regulations. He mentioned that the
other inmates would be helpful and willing to “show me the ropes” He also
told me that I would be attending an Admission and Orientation program very
soon, when I would learn about the prison rules in detail. He handed me
an Inmate Handbook and instructed me to proceed to the tailor
shop. As luck would have it, the tailor turned out to be a warm and friendly guy,
we engaged in a 45-minute conversation that really helped make my transition
easier. By the time my uniforms were fitted, the CO had my bunk
assignment ready; I would be going to Unit 2. We headed out of the
Administration Building and entered a long pathway towards my Unit. As we
were walking, we encountered at least forty guys who immediately knew that I
was a new inmate because of the clothing I was wearing and the bundle I was
carrying. Some followed us to Unit 2 where I discovered I had been assigned a lower bunker due to
my prostate cancer condition and my frequent night trips to the bathroom.
A lower bunk is a privilege and I was grateful to have it. The CO
informed me that my “bunkie”
(bunk partner) was at work; I should start unpacking, make my bed
and put my belongings in my locker. Not long after that my bunkie, “M”, came in
and burst out laughing saying that I was a lot older than he expected and
looked like either a child molester, or a financial criminal.
He walked in accompanied by his buddy, “V” who is also good-natured
and who promptly told me that “M” is a “crazy joker” and a “neat freak”.
I was by then starting to realize that, not only was I going to share my bunk
with a pleasant man, but that he is also well respected in the unit.
Both “M” and “V” brought in an itemized list of the stuff that can be purchased at the
commissary. They went into a long-winded explanation of what I would
need initially in order to settle in and prepare myself to do some cooking and
cleaning on my own, and what path I should follow in order to participate in
sports activities. “M” and “V” are serving time in prison for
drug-related crimes, they are bilingual, eloquent, tough, and most importantly,
extremely informative about life in jail. I could not believe what was
happening… I was meeting good people in a rough environment. We spent
around an hour laughing and talking about everything, from our personal life to
sports, to funny stuff that happens in camp and so on. I was exhausted by then, excused
myself, stretched out on my lower bunk, fell asleep and woke up at around 4:00
PM. Just then the CO’s arrived at the Unit to perform the inmate count;
it takes about 15 minutes to do it. Once the count is done, the inmate is free to go
to the chow-hall for dinner or to cook his own food. Being my first
night, I went to chow hall. After 4:00 PM the inmate can wear clothing
other than the issue garb. Most wear Russell or Champion sweats, sweat
pants, Russell basketball shorts, Nike or Addidas sneakers
– all purchased from the commissary. At the chow-hall, inmates wait on line to get a food tray, and
then proceed to the chow area to be served whatever is on the menu for the
day. The serving consists of one entrée, with three sides, plus
all-you-can-drink soda, water, or iced tea. I would not like to comment
on the food, all I can say is that one must eat to survive.
After chow, I wondered
through the camp on my own. As incredible as it may seem, the sights are
beautiful. I stand looking ahead; my eyes are now cast on
beautifully green valleys, with lines of rolling hills in the distance.
Walking around the track makes me feel as if I were in an executive retreat.
Within three-quarters of a mile and as I turn a corner, I am abruptly brought
back to harsh reality, there it stands: "The Big House" Soaring
seven stories or higher are the guard towers, almost right on my face.
UGH!! I try to dismiss my uneasiness and continue walking. I
find myself in the middle of a regulation softball field, with manicured
greens, as breathtaking as those in Yankee Stadium. I see Bleachers, Home
and Visitor’s signs, a wooden dug-out for players. There is a viewing
stand behind home plate for score-keepers and for the Commissioner. Set
farther back, I see another set of bleachers, an equipment shack with bats,
gloves, balls, bases, landscaping equipment and the like. I shoot some
baskets on one of the two full-court basketball courts. I pass the Bocce Ball
courts and promise myself I will learn how to play the game. Next to the Bocce courts
is a sand volley-ball court equipped with new sand and a ladder for the
Umpire. Moving along I walk past a football field which doubles as a
soccer field. The field is lighted for night-play. A
third grass field connects this area to the gym complex… OMG!! The gym
complex is like a Planet Fitness venue, there is about 7,500 sq.ft. of weights,
cycle machines, cable machines, core and stretch areas, pool tables, circuit
training, etc. I notice the weights are old but well maintained.
Adjacent to the gym is another softball/football field, a one-mile track and a
recreation room which is in reality a music room where some inmates are jamming
on guitars. Back to Unit 2, I find a Sony radio on top of my bunk, “M” tells me that it is used to watch
TV. There are 3 TV’s in each TV room. The radio is used to scan the TV for
the program the inmate wants to watch. It happens to be Tuesday night, and I
am able to watch a Yankee game. Being a sports freak, I browse the
available sports stations and find the NFL Network, ESPN1,
ESPN2, TBS, and TNT, plus all
the regular networks like CBS, NBC, and ABC. No HBO, only Showtime and Starz
networks. WOW!!
Finally, exhausted by the events of the day and totally spent, I
go back to my bunk and fall asleep after the 10:00 PM count.
End Part 1
Gerard Canino
65502-054
USP Lewisburg Satellite Camp
P.O. Box 2000
Lewisburg PA 17837
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