Self Surrender Day – Lewisburg USP

In this post, I will describe Lewisburg USP – satellite camp – Self Surrender Day

I was in the driver’s side passenger seat of the car. My father was driving, and my mother was in the back. We took the right turn into the Lewisburg USP. I looked out the window, noticing the tall trees lining both sides of the road and the well-manicured grass.

THE FACILITY

As we pulled up to the main facility, I was somewhat surprised by what I saw. The facility is made up of 3 sections: the Camp Section, the RDAP Section and the Medium Security Prison. The Medium Security Prison looks like a gothic church surrounded by a 15-foot white wall encased in barbed wire. The Camp is to the left of the Prison, approximately 0.25 miles away. The Camp consists of two residential buildings, a gym and an administration building. The Camp reminds me of a state park with residential buildings. There are no fences and no cement. There is green grass, baseball fields, a running/walking track, basketball courts, bocci ball and handball ball courts. It’s very large and things are widespread. You never get the feeling of confinement in this camp. Dare I say… it looks beautiful.

The camp also has a 6000-square-foot gym, with tons of free weights, machine weights and cardiovascular equipment. It looks like a Bally’s gym from the early 2000s. I was told that it’s the best gym in the BOP, and probably better than 90 percent of the commercial gyms in the free world.

The residential buildings are very clean. Each residential building has a movie room and multiple TV rooms separated into the genre of TV one wants to watch. The TV rooms are spacious.

Each inmate has their own cubicle/dorm room. You have a bed, locker, and a desk with a chair. There are four wings in a building (two upstairs and two downstairs). Each wing is separated into two ranges. Each range has its own bathroom. Each bathroom consists of two toilets, three showers, two urinals, and three sinks. There are approximately eight inmates per bathroom. The units are very clean, and maintained by orderlies.

Each residential building has plentiful microwaves, water fountains and hot water dispensers. In terms of the inmate population, it consists mostly of nonviolent drug offenders and white-collar felons. Everyone is nice, and safety is definitely not a concern. Everyone knows that, as far as prison is concerned, this is as good as it is going to get, so everyone behaves. Not at all what I would have expected if I had not hired Dan Wise of the YouTube Channel RDAP Dan (and the founder of Federal Prison Time Consulting).

The administration building contains the computer room, library, barbershop, commissary shop, chapel, medical clinic, dental clinic, dining hall, learning center, and officer’s station. It is also very clean and modern. The technology is also very modern with fingerprint ID access to computers. This building reminds me of my college admin building at Hopkins. Again, I was pleasantly surprised and grateful.

FOOD AND COMMISSARY

The food here is good, and commissary stocks a variety of items. Currently, you have a $50 per week limit on commissary. We shop every Tuesday, and everything you can get at a convenience store is available. It is convenient and inmates are very happy with the products it offers. Along with commissary food, you are served 3 meals a day. With each meal, you also get fresh fruit. Inmates here are very happy with the food, and I also have no complaints. With commissary food also available, there’s no reason for anyone to complain.

THE SURRENDER PROCESS

Due to COVID-19, the surrender process takes place in the Medium Security Prison. Normally, one would just surrender to the Camp, but due to COVID-19, one has to self-surrender to the Medium Security Prison. When you self surrender, you can only surrender with your ID and legal papers. NOTHING ELSE.

You go through the customary strip search and will be given a prison ID. You have a brief interview with a case manager, and you will have to spend a 14-day Quarantine in the SHU. While in the SHU, you will have to produce 2 negative COVID-19 tests. One, when you enter, and one when you leave. This is for the safety of the inmates and the staff, and I am happy the BOP is implementing the policy.

To prevent cross-contamination, you will have no access to a phone or library books. You can, however, ask your family to mail you books. This is absolutely crucial. You need to have your family mail your books prior to you surrendering; so they arrive the day that you surrender. If not, you will have nothing but your thoughts to keep you company (like myself, but I will share that story for another day). Please, please take this piece of advice, and mail yourself enough books to keep yourself occupied for at least 14 days.

I will be giving a more detailed essay about my 21-day experience in the SHU, but for now, please prepare for at least a 14-day quarantine, and please make your family aware that you will contact them after your 14-day quarantine, so there are no surprises or anxiety. After your 14 day quarantine, you will be taken to the Camp, and then your prison experience begins.

I’M GLAD I HAD DAN TO HELP ME PREPARE

Hiring a federal prison consultant with a good reputation, like RDAP Dan, made a huge difference in how I prepared for this day. If you are reading this, I highly suggest you reach out to Dan and his team as soon as possible.

Until next time,