|
Abbydale Systems LLC. are not responsible for any external links.
Pre-Trial
Before your day in court your attorney should be able to give you some indication of if you are facing prison time or not.
It could be that you get probation, but regardless of the outcome you need to get things ready in case you are sent to prison.
Things to consider are your property (car, house etc.). The many options for dealing with these things are too many to go into on this
webpage but, it is strongly advised to appoint someone as your
"Power of Attorney".
Power of Attorney allows your representative to take care of any legal of financial issues in your stead. Life goes on for your
loved ones and they will need to ensure that they can control your assets for you whilst you are otherwise detained.
You may also want to set up a network of people who will support you during your incarceration. It will
make your time so much better during your stay in prison. This support could be financial or emotional.
Spirits are always uplifted when mail is received.
Depending on the length of sentence you may be facing, you may also
want to get other things in order, like your Will, saying goodbye to loved ones etc. It may also be
advisable to have a health checkup, including dental. In prison the usual treatment for anything dental is to simply pull the tooth.
Jail First
Once you are sentenced to a term of imprisonment in a Texas prison you are going to experience one of
the worst experiences you could ever imagine. Prison is not a fun place to be. Everything you
thought you had imagined about prisons and prison life is going to be proven wrong. This article will, hopefully,
separate out the myths and identify the facts behind prison life in Texas.
The first thing to understand is that, once convicted in court, you are not going immediately to prison. You will be sent to
the jail until the Texas Department of Corrections (TDCJ) is ready for you. This
can take weeks.
Once TDCJ come for you, you will have to leave behind everything you have in the jail, including a Bible.
You will probably be transported in the early morning. You will also not be given any advanced warning other than on the
evening before you get moved.
|
"Jackie Chan's" |
You will be stripped, searched, and then given some badly fitting underwear, some socks and gym shoes (also known as Jackie Chan's)
, and a jumpsuit to wear. These will probably not be new. You may also be given a sacked meal (PB&J sandwich most likely).
These sacked meals are known as 'Johnny sacks'. Eventually you will be handcuffed to a fellow passenger and then
be loaded onto a bus and driven off to start your intake process at a designated intake unit. These are
split up depending on the region and, of course, your sex. These transfer units are where you will be
until you are assigned a permanent unit to serve your time.
|
Transit FacilityThe intake unit (or transfer unit) will evaluate you for
medical, mental and intellect. This can take a few weeks but will ultimately determine which unit you will begin
serving your time in. We deliberately said "begin" your time in as your behavior and attitude will determine how and
where you will continue to do your time.
It is also at the intake unit that your dehumanization will start. You will become the property of the state. They
will treat you with contempt and distain because that is how you will be treated while in the system.
You can forget privacy and dignity, you left that behind when you got convicted.
On arrival you will be stripped, searched, have your head shaved, showered and given your TDCJ number.
|
You will have all of your scars, tattoos and other identifying marks documented. You will be given a pair of boxers, some socks, a pair of "Jackie Chan's" and a jumpsuit.
You will also be given a towel, toothbrush, tooth powder,
a comb, a single use razor, a roll of toilet paper and some soap.
You will be provided with two sheets (these may be
less than full sized as people rip them for various reasons) and a sleeping mat.
|
Toothbrush Type |
Additionally in the winter months you will
be given a blanket and a thin jacket. You may get lucky enough to get a jacket with a hood and/or a working zipper.
That is all you will get. |
While you are "in transit" for evaluation you will be housed in a large dormitory along with about 50 plus
other "guests". You will share bathrooms with these people and have no privacy. Your sleeping accommodation will
comprise of a steel bunk and the thin plastic covered mattress.
It is important to realize that you will be housed with all types of criminals; murderers, rapists,
drunk drivers, thieves, burglars, drug dealers, gang members, etc. Every type! You will all be housed together. You
will probably witness lots of things going on inside the dorms, including fights, gang initiations, tattooing,
gambling, smoking (all kinds) and hooch making. Of course, for your own safety, you will not have seen anything if asked.
These activities will also be going on in most of the prisons too.
There is no air conditioning in most of the prisons in Texas. In the summer it will get very hot, unbearably so.
It is not unusual for people to die because of the heat. They will put a couple of huge fans in each dormitory and these cause
trouble sometimes as they barely cool everywhere in the dorm so people will 'fight' over the them. You may also get some iced water every now and then but hat will be all.
You will be unable to have visitors until you are out of transit and there will be no telephone in the
dorm. We understand that many Texas prisons now allow inmates to use tablets, however, we strongly suspect these are only
available once you are in general population at your assigned unit
The staff at the facility treat everyone equally regardless of their crime.
To them, you are the scum of the earth and most of the staff will treat you as such. What they say; goes.
You will get appointments (called Lay-Ins) to go to your evaluations. If you miss an appointment you can be
given a disciplinary case. These are not good and can result in all manner of punishments, depending on the infraction, from lost
privileges to being sent to solitary confinement (Segregation).
You will get lay-ins for medical, education, psychiatry and several others to assess your security risk, education level,
family background, health issues etc. You will also have to take your G.E.D. if you haven't already got a High School Diploma or G.E.D.
Whilst you are 'in transit' your movements will be strictly controlled and it may be weeks before you are
relocated. You will get to go outside only for going to your lay-ins, meals or for one hour of recreation. Other
than that you will be in the dorm. There are a couple of TV's in the dorm, one of which is usually showing sports. The
program shown on the TV is by majority vote and the channels can only be changed by a correctional officer. This is
usually done every hour if needed.
|
It is recommended that you try and maintain outside contact with family and friends
as they will be able to send you money and commissary. In a transit facility you will not be able to buy certain items that are
available once you get into general population (Gen pop). This includes electrical items like a hot pot, fan, clock or radio. Fans
are more or less necessary in order to be able to tolerate the heat in summer. Fans need to be ordered in advance by someone on the
outside by filling out and submitting a form. This form is available from here.
The electrical items will be engraved with your TDCJ number to help prevent theft. You also need to keep a hold of the receipts for your electrical goods to prove ownership.
|
Hot Pot
|
|
You can not get electrical items until you have been moved from a transit unit.
One of the items you will definitely require is a commissary bag. You will need this for transporting your commissary items, so it should
be one of the first items you purchase. You could 'rent' one from a fellow inmate, however, they will probably expect something in return.
Once you get assigned a unit you will be transported (usually overnight) to the new unit. You will not be forewarned nor told
your final destination. This is for security reasons. This is known as 'catching chain'. For transport you will be handcuffed to another inmate and you will be able to take your
possessions with you in your commissary bag or bags.
Assigned Unit
Once you arrive at your assigned unit you will be stripped and searched and given some new clothing. You will be given a shirt and pants (known as a two piece) and
eventually you will be moved into your assigned housing. This could be a dorm or an individual cell. When we say 'individual' cell
we mean a two person cell. This will have a bunk bed, toilet and sink. There will be a day room with metal tables with stools attached. These will be bolted down.
There will be a TV which will be governed by the same rules as were in place in the transit facility.
One major difference between a transit facility and a regular prison is that you will be assigned a job. This will not be a choice. You can request a job change
but there is no guarantee you will get a job you want. For doing your job you will get absolutely nothing. Yes that is correct, nothing. Effectively you are slave labor.
Additionally, if you don't show up for work you will probably get a disciplinary case (get written up). This can result in many
different punishments.
While you are in TDCJ you are considered to be 'State property'. You can get written up for any injury you may get.
This will probably be for 'damaging State property'. The discipline received (if any) will really depend on the injury and how it was obtained. The
correctional officers will usually assume the injury was the result of you doing something you shouldn't have been!
If you take daily medication, you will be able to keep on taking them but you will have to obtain them daily from
the 'pill window'. You will be watched while you take the pill and your mouth checked after taking it to
ensure that you swallowed the pill. Pill window is typically called both in the morning and in the evening. You will
be able to see a doctor but any medical procedures are performed at a secure hospital facility. For south Texas these are
usually performed at the John Sealy Hospital on Galveston Island.
You will probably find that life is a little better in general population. You will have access to church, education, medical,
and the library. Any movement to anywhere has to be via a lay-in, failure to do so can result in a
disciplinary case. You will also be able to go to a barber, and be given a tablet (at some units). Always get permission to
visit the barber otherwise you may get an 'out of place' disciplinary case. You will also be able to buy the electronic items named above.
You will have absolutely no control over who shares your cell/dorm with you, so a lock for your possessions is advised. You will
be given a razor, toilet paper and soap every week. You will probably be able to shower most days but
the showers are not private and generally in a different block. You will be given a small towel and fresh clothing when you shower.
Some units will assign you your own set of clothing, others you ask for your size and you get clothing from a
pile of clean clothes.
The commissary in general population will have a lot more choice of items this includes clothing, electrical items and shoes. A list of
commissary items that may be available can be found here.
Note : Not all items are available at all facilities.
Commissary is not like just going a regular store. The number of trips you make there, and how much you can spend there, are limited. Your family and/or friends
can send you an order in for commissary and this can be outside of the scheduled dorm turn to go to the commissary.
You should try and make sure that you get at least a bowl, spoon and a mug fairly early on as removing any of these
items from the dining room (known as the Chow Hall) is grounds for disciplinary action. Sometimes a visit to the
commissary can take hours and they can and will close it whenever they feel like it. They can also run out of items, even while you are
still in the line. You prepare a list of what you want before you get to the window, if they don't have an item, then you are simply out of luck!
Be aware that your commissary must fit into a certain allotted space or it will have to be thrown away if noticed.
Some facilities use a foot locker and all of your personal items are supposed to fit into this.
You will, of course, be able to have access to three meals a day. These meals are cooked and served by your fellow inmates who,
most likely, were not in the catering business in 'the free world' so don't expect cordon bleu meals. You will also
be under a time limit (determined by the correctional officer) so don't expect to have a relaxing meal. If the unit is on lockdown
(which is usually at least twice a year) then your meals we be brought to you in your cell. These meals will be a sacked meal (Johnny sack) which
you eat in your cell. During a lockdown you are confined to your cell 24 hours a day. You may go for a shower every
three days or so.
Count Time
Several times a day the unit will perform a count. All inmate movement is forbidden during these times. Some units will
require those in dorms or cell blocks to 'rack up'. Rack up means that you have to get on your bunk and remain there until count is complete. This can take
an hour or more. Some counts need you to show your identity card (which you should carry with you at all times) others don't. Count time means that
wherever you are you need to stay there to be counted. Count won't clear until every inmate is accounted for. If you are out of place for a
count you will undoubtedly get written up for a disciplinary case. Counts are taken very seriously.
Parole Expectations
If your case allows you to make parole then you may get a lay-in to see the parole office. Do not get your hopes up,
even if you have a clean disciplinary record. Texas is not known for giving parole at the first attempt. Why would they? They have
got you for free labor! Work time and good time (number of disciplinary case you have) will account for nothing. You will be made
to sign away all claims for both before they parole you. All of the hours you worked will count for nothing. You will be given
a new social security card and a state Id card if you need one. Before you get released, either on parole or at the completion of
your sentence, you will be given a set of civilian clothes and $100. That $100 is for a bus ticket out of Huntsville, or wherever else
you are released from, to get you home or to a halfway house (if on parole).
|
If you have any additional information on what
people should expect when facing a prison sentence, please let us know so we can review and add
it.
To send us information for review, please send a contact form by clicking here.
For information and support to assist felons and reduce recidivism, visit Felon Helper today!
Please consult a licensed attorney for legal advice.
|
|
