Acknowledgment:

This book began to take form in my mind as I went through the judiciary system and spent time in the penal system which inspired the basis for what you will read and learn. I am grateful to my family, and a handful of friends, you know who you are. My thanks also extend to those who helped with this book one way or the other, especially for those still struggling in the judiciary and penal.

This book is for the incarcerated one, the one heading to jail or prison, for family or loved one who has someone heading or already in jail or prison so that they will understand what this person will go through and goes through behind bars. This book is also for the curious in mind.

How to read this book:

Well, there is no right or wrong way to read this book. Glimpse at the table of contact and choose a topic in which one will like to learn and read about it. Or if one is going through a specific situation and will like to learn about it choose that topic and read on it first before exploring other topics. This book was written as a process one will go through as they travel through the judiciary and penal system, so the only suggestion the writer will suggest is to read the book from the beginning to the end to fully understand the process one will go through. This does not mean that one cannot still pick a specific topic, then go back and read continue reading the book from the beginning to the end. Not everyone will go through the process the same or in order since all states and counties have their own laws. The same goes true with every jail and prison, but be assured this book will provide you with every situation or process one will go through.

“The way out is not to fight the system but to respond to those who are temporarily in control with charm and the earnest mask.”

Introduction:

Without jails and prisons, there will not be a lot of jobs. Professions like Judges, Law Enforcement, Commissioners, Bail Bonds, Correctional Officers, Parole and Probation Officers, Case Managers, Wardens, and much more will be out of a career, so it is safe to say that some people live in someone else’s misery. With over three million and counting men, women, and youths incarcerated, including 117 Federal prison housing 217,000 or more Federal inmates, but not including the thousands on parole and probation, inmates in halfway house, court-ordered drug programs, and home detention, totaling over 7 million people either incarcerated or are on some type of paper such as probation, making the judiciary and penal system a fast-growing and profitable business.

The average cost of incarceration in the United States is determined by different methods. It costs anywhere between $34,000 and $47,000 per year to house inmates in federal and state correctional facilities. The cost of incarceration increases according to the level of security, the prison itself, and the state and county the prison is located in. New York City pays over $160,000 to feed, house, and guard each inmate while New York State pays about $70.000. The most expensive prison in America is located in Cuba; Housing an inmate in Guantanamo Bay costs $900,000 per year. Funds assigned to corrections departments across the U.S. take up a substantial part of state budgets. The budget office indicates that 83 percent of the expense per prisoner comes from wages, benefits for staff, and pension costs.

This book will teach an individual what to do before going to jail or prison and once there or already in there this book will teach an individual how to survive in there as one rehabilitate oneself because the system has no desire to see someone rehabilitated. One will learn how to conduct oneself in jail or prison. By reading this informational book one will also learn how to prepare for release and get ready for society and will be given the tools not to re-offend as part of the 67% recidivism that continue to go back and forth to jail or prison. One will also discover what family and friends go through in society due to their loved ones being incarcerated

                                                “To Know The Road Ahead Ask Those Who Are Returning.”

                                                             Welcome to the Belly of the Beast

FACING YOUR FEARS

Jails and prisons are designed for the worst of humanity, the rejects, the meanest, the ugliest, and the evilest.  With that in mind, that should give the one who is heading to jail and prison to prepare because that person might not be any of that, but society is quick to punish. Facing your fears means that you are ready to face what is ahead of you and you are ready to accept and face the challenges ahead. You will face the reality that you don’t want to be where you are, and there is nothing you can do. You will miss your family and loved ones. You will have to face yourself. If you know you are guilty of the crime that has brought you this journey, own it to yourself. Be honest with yourself, if you broke the law understand that you must now pay for your mistakes, and that does not make you a bad person. A state of Denial only hardens you because it will cloud your judgment of working harder to self-rehabilitate and work towards an early release. This book is not asking you to confess to anyone just to yourself.

If you are wrongly charged and or convicted, you must understand you are there for a reason good or bad and the world is not fair and you may get out without even knowing why you were ever dealt with that hand, but work must be was done and this book will guide you through the process. This book will inform you of any fears that may arise, and fear is not a bad thing it keeps one focus. One must prepare for the nastiest food probably have tasted. One must prepare for the longest night of your life because you cannot sleep no matter how hard you try. Jails and prisons can be life-changing events, either for the good or for the bad. The good news to help you combat some of this view is. Jails and prisons are not as violent as they used to be. Once someone enters jail or prison they are now officially the property of that County, State, or Federal meaning the United States government. With that said these agencies will do their best to protect their property meaning, meaning that will do the best to keep you from being harmed, but don’t depend on that, there are no heroes in the correctional facility and that is why they called it the belly of the beast.

Punishment was having to admit to my family that I was not only a convict but a liar too. It was knowing that I disappointed my community and humiliated everyone who believed in me. Punishment was realizing that I was a failure and that, as a convicted, I’d be branded the rest of my days. Punishment was being judged and controlled by people who thought they were better than me. Worse yet it was knowing that they were right.

—Michael G. Santos

PREPARING TO START DOING YOUR TIME

It will be wonderful t know when you are about to start your sentence. This will allow you the opportunity to prepare. For those who are not awarded this privilege, they should have some comfort knowing that the time spent awaiting sentence (if you couldn’t make bail and have to stay in as you go through the legal process) is not in vain since that time will be subtracted from their sentence. For those who are out on bond awaiting their sentence, there are a few things one should think of before sentencing.

MONEY: Money should be the first thing one should put on the side. This money does not have to be a great amount, a few hundred can be enough and of course, the more saved will make staying a little better. This money should be saved up specifically for this journey, just like saving up for a trip. Most people make such mistake not putting such money aside with the hope that their family and friends will always send them money, which may be true, but there are some factors to consider when thinking that your family and friends “got you”. What if your family does not have it like that, you know if your family got it like that or not. If they do not saving your own money before you start your sentence will lessen the burden of them coming up with any money to take care of you in jail or prison right away. This will give them time to adjust to where you are, how to deal without you out in society to help and allow them to rearrange their finance to start helping you in the near future.

Even if your family and friends have this money and you know you can depend on them throughout your entire incarceration you should still have money on the side because life goes on with you incarcerated to things will change, people you know will lose their job, divorce, illness, and so forth. So you do not know where their finances will be a week, month, or a year from now. You can even talk to family and friends and let them know exactly what you are doing, you are collecting money so that when you start your sentence you will have some money to buy your necessities. People are quick to help you much more with you being out than you were in, so get as much money as you can. One will be amazed how for just a few hundred dollars can go to jail or prison especially when you are just beginning your sentence. With just $500 you can begin your sentence and live comfortably for months and by that time one should have already maintained a job in the jail or prison. Family and friends will respect you more without you asking them for money to go start a sentence for a crime you have committed(unless you are innocent).

THAT TALK: That talk is the talk one will have to have with their families, especially their spouse. If one is going to be incarcerated for only days, weeks, or months then this talk may not even be necessary. It all depends on the type of relationship one has with their partner. When one is facing years then this talk is essential. Can or will your spouse wait for you? There is no need to ask them will they be faithful, that is something tested throughout time since they might be faithful now but not hold true for the entire time of the incarceration. What is more important than being faithful in this unusual situation are they going to wait for you and be in the same position they are now in(wife, husband, boyfriend, and or girlfriend). Once you get their answer that is what you must go by and nothing else. Don’t try to predict what the future holds or can she, he be faithful or not, or will they leave you down the line. Don’t stress over those matters, go by your spouse’s answer and let nature take its course.

If your spouse or partner is honest enough and tells you they cannot wait or you sense that they cannot wait, you are facing a lot of years then it will be best to end the romantic relationship and if you two can start a new relationship strictly as friends. Time is the enemy to the relationship of the incarcerated. Most relationships do not last once you start your sentence, the longer the sentence the probability of the relationship lasting decreases. A friendship relationship with someone you care about will last longer than a romantic relationship. If you can remain only as friends then there is no expectation on either part. It is better to be on friendly terms. This is much more beneficial for the one who is about to start their sentence since they will be the ones with idle time to wonder if their spouse or partner is being faithful or not. If one does end the relationship and remains only as friends there is always the possibility of reuniting back to a romantic relationship once the incarcerated is closer to release or completely free. The best thing for the one who is about to start their sentence is to have someone type of communication with someone in the real world. Someone once a while you can reach out to either through a letter, visit, and these days even through email. Institutional problems will arise and sometimes knowing someone outside will make a major difference in how someone is treated in jail or prison once a situation arises. There is nothing like someone calling the institution their loved one is housed wondering why you still have not received specific medical attention, and so forth. That is why it is important to have such talk, it is better to lose a wife, husband, girlfriend, or boyfriend and gain a friend that will be with you throughout your sentence, especially a lengthy one.

REALIZATION OF WHERE YOU ARE HEADING AND THE ACTUAL TIME ONE MUST DO.

Losing your freedom or having a life treating illness probably ties for the worst thing a person can experience. Going to jail or prison needs to wake up the person and know that it is not a safe place. But these days most jails and prisons in America are not like what is portrayed in television and movies, seeing badass guys killing each other, starting a riot, or raping anyone that walks in looking like a weakling. Does violence occur in jails and prisons? Yes, but it is isolated and does not happen much often, and throughout the book, we will discuss how to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of some of this violence that takes place in the belly of the beast.

Jails and Prisons in America are not like the olden days where they have chain gangs and a master over your head making sure you work the field or you will be wiped. Violence in Prisons and Jails nowadays has drastically gone down due to the strict punishment one will receive for causing violence to another inmate. Years before when an inmate cause harm to another inmate(assault, rape, or even murder) the inmate only receives a few more years added to their sentence, and to some inmates they have no problem doing just a few more years knowing that they will also earn fear and respect among inmates, correctional officers, even administration; and also follow them throughout the penal system and the streets; yes, especially if the harm was inflicted on someone disliked for many reasons, from their case to the way they were conducting in the institution.

Years before when an inmate beat another inmate that was it. Both will go to the hole or the one that stated the assault will go to the hole, lose some good days, or even transferred to another block of the jail where they will never see each other or to another prison. Now when an inmate commits such a violent act against another inmate they can and is usually charge as the same crime was committed on a civilian on the streets, meaning they will be charged just like they were on the streets and will go through the same process and if convicted, which they usually are they will receive the highest penalty the state can impose.

The length of time a person will do is lesser than the time the Judge had given the individual. Only a select few will do the entire sentence the judge has given to them, for example, if a judge has given someone a life sentence they have to do that life sentence. Some states still do have life with parole, which is rare but a person will do a lengthy amount of time being considered for parole. Another person you would end up doing the entire sentence judge has given them is the one who keeps on giving infractions and institutions. That is why a person is given good days and good conduct days, if they behave they earn good days and their sentence is shortened, if they don’t behave their sentence remains the same, and that is why people get an early release.

In the federal system, an inmate will do 85% of the time. They can also get a year or more of their sentence if they participate in the drug program the BOP(Bureau Of Prisons)  has to offer. The BOP system has two drug programs, Nonresidential and residential. There are two ways to be eligible for the RDAP (Residential Drug Abuse Program) program or to be accepted into this program.

Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). RDAP is the Bureau’s most intensive treatment program. CBT is used in a modified therapeutic community model where offenders experience living in a pro-social community. Offenders live in a unit separate from the general population; they participate in half-day programming and half-day work, school, or vocational activities. RDAP is typically nine months in duration. The Bureau and National Institute on Drug Abuse combined funding and expertise to conduct a rigorous analysis of the Bureau’s RDAP. Research findings demonstrated that RDAP participants are significantly less likely to recidivate and less likely to relapse to drug use than non-participants. The studies also suggest that the Bureau’s RDAPs make a significant difference in the lives of offenders following their release from custody and return to the community.

One way someone can get into RDAP is the judge can sentence you to the program but keep in mind that just because the judge has sentenced you to the program that does not mean that BOP has to accept you into the program. Once the federal judge has sentenced you to the BOP he has no control over how your sentence is done BOP has that right. What helps when the judge’s sentences to the program are that it starts the paperwork the process, of you going to the program, for example when you go for classification and they see that the judge has sentenced you to a drug program they will send you to a facility that already has a drug program or to a location closer to the drug program, and the drug program will be notified. Another way someone can get into RDAP is to apply for it their self. Both ways before one is even interviewed for this program an investigation will be conducted, they will go through your case files your PSI (Pre-Sentence Investigation), your history to see if you have or had some type a drug issue. So it is best to start leaving a paper trail that you have some type of drug problem. Admit to your lawyer that you have a drug and or alcohol problem, maybe that drug and or alcohol even contributed to the crime you committed. When you get interviewed during your pre-sentence investigation admit that you have a drug and or alcohol problem, this is the time to come clean about your drug and or alcohol problem coming clean can save you some few years behind bars. Just smoking marijuana and a little bit of wine is not considered a drug or alcohol problem in the eyes of BOP and you will not be accepted into the drug program.

The Nonresidential Drug Abuse Treatment is a 12-week, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) treatment program is conducted primarily in a group setting. The content addresses criminal lifestyles and provides skill-building opportunities in the areas of rational thinking, communication skills, and institution/community adjustment. This program is for offenders who: Have short sentences, May not meet the criteria for the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), are awaiting RDAP, are transitioning to the community, have had a positive urinalysis test. This drug program much easier to get into and anyone who signs up for this is usually accepted, you do not earn any good days for this Nonresidential Drug Abuse Treatment, and this treatment is not highly accepted as completing a drug program, if ordered by the court, by some agencies once an individual is released; some of these agencies are, your probation officer.

A federal inmate also receives some time in a halfway house. The amount of the time they receive in the halfway house depends on many factors, from the length of the sentence, to if they need more time in society to transition back to society. If one does participate in the RDAP program they are guaranteed six months in the halfway house; getting six months in the halfway house is part of the RDAP program, but participating in the Nonresidential drug program does not guarantee an inmate six month in the halfway house. After completion of the nonresidential program, the inmate will be recommended six months in the halfway house but that recommendation is mostly never honored during the classification of sending one to a halfway house. Most federal inmates will get some time in the halfway house from two months to six months even without going to the RDAP or nonresidential program, but to be guaranteed six months in the halfway house then one must go through the RDAP program. But if one files for the SECOND CHANCE ACT, then they can earn up to one year in the halfway house.

What is the Second Chance Act? On April 28, 2008, the Second Chance Act of 2007, 18 U.S.C. § 3624. Was signed into law to improve the outcomes for people returning to communities from prisons and jails. This legislation authorizes federal grants to government agencies and nonprofit organizations to provide programs and services to help reduce recidivism.

What is the First Step Act?

The First Step Act, meaning The Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act came into law on December 21, 2018, as President Trump signed into law. The act was a bi-partisan effort to improve criminal justice results, as well as to reduce the size of the federal prison population while also maintaining public safety. The First Step Act requires the Attorney General to develop a risk and needs assessment system to be used by the BOP to assess recidivism risk and criminogenic needs of all federal prisoners and to place prisoners in recidivism reducing programs and productive activities to address their needs and reduce recidivism, The firs step act, provides the system guidance on the type, amount, and intensity of recidivism reduction programming and productive activities to which each prisoner is assigned, including information on which programs prisoners should participate in based on their criminogenic needs.