What do you wear in a federal prison camp?

Are the clothes comfortable? Do I wear an orange jumpsuit? I am going to try to address the clothing situation in a camp. By the end of this post, I hope that your questions about clothing will be answered, and maybe it will alleviate some fear of the unknown.

What do you receive?

After I arrived at Lewisburg Federal Prison Camp, I was given the following items (this seems pretty standard across the BOP, but you can call and inquire at your specific institution):

• boxers (5)

• white T shirts (5)

• socks (5 pairs)

• khaki pants (3)

• khaki shirt (3)

• black boots (1 pair)

You will also likely be given 2 sets of clean bed linens, 2 blankets, 2 shower towels, 2 hand towels and 2 wash cloths.

If you followed my prior advice, your family would have already sent you money via Western Union, on the day of your self surrender. After quarantine, when you arrive at the camp, you should be able to go to commissary as a new inmate. At commissary, I could purchase athletic shoes, such as Nike, Adidas, New Balance etc.

They have multiple brands of boots, and various lounging sandals. They also carry shower sandals, Crocs, t-shirts, shorts, sweat shirts, sweat pants, athletic socks, longs socks, formal socks, boxer briefs and towels. Again, you can call your specific institution to make sure of your options.

During your first commissary, I would buy one pair of athletic shoes, one pair of lounging sandals, one pair of shower sandals, 3 shorts, 2 sweat shirts and 2 sweat pants. You can try on the shows before buying them. The boxers, socks and t-shirts that are given to you are 100 percent cotton and are very comfortable. You don’t have to purchase any additional items if you elect not to do so.

Laundry

At Lewisburg Federal Prison Camp, there is laundry daily Monday through Friday. That’s why I am not recommending buying too many clothes. Laundry pickup is at 7 am, and is delivered by 1 pm. The laundry is timely and I haven’t experienced any issues with it. So, you probably don’t need to overcrowd your closet with clothes.

In terms of required clothing, the following rules are followed at US prison camps nationwide… Monday through Friday, from 730 am to 330 pm, if you are outside your dorm and not working out, or participating in an athletic event, you must be dressed in khakis. Outside those hours, you can wear whatever you want. There is one caveat to the rule; if you are receiving visitors, you must be dressed in khakis, regardless of the time or day.

I hope this helps answer any questions about clothing in federal prison camps.

Until next time,