J6 Prison Update 1: Danean MacAndrew
Update from Danean - J6 prison update
From Danean:
Dear friends and family,
Thank you all so much for your love and prayers while I'm in prison. I appreciate each of you so much!
So, as you know, I was assigned to the (higher) "low security" FCI side of Dublin rather than to the "minimum security Camp" side. I had mentally prepared for it, so it was not a big deal nor a shock. I figured, being a J6er, they'd send me to this side. (Please note the difference in my address. If you add that I'm in "Unit F," that'll expedite delivery.)
The FCI side of Dublin is much bigger. There are about 600 of us here, versus 100-150 on the Camp side. There are six buildings - A through F - and I am in building / Unit F.
We live two to a cell. The cells are 8'w x 12'l x 8'h and contain a bunk bed, two lockers, a sink, a toilet and a wooden rod to hang clothes from. There are two slit windows that are about 33"w x 3"h. They tilt open to let fresh air in. One stays open on its own; we prop the other open with a roll of toilet paper, the label of which reads:
"SKILCRAFT - Products Created With Pride By Americans Who Are Blind"
I'd be less surprised if the TP were made by lepers. ;-)
We are not behind bars. The cells all have wooden doors (ours has a beautiful grain pattern) with a vertical 4" x 12" window. The doors have locks on the outside, but they never lock us in our cells, praise God!
I couldn't ask for a better cellmate (aka: "bunky"). Her name is Chris. She is 35, from West Virginia, and was quick to show me Southern hospitality. She warmly welcomed me into our "home" (cells are referred to as "homes") right away, taught me how to tie a flat sheet into a fitted sheet and loaned me her spare blanket to use as my pillow until I was assigned a pillow the next day. I came in with nothing but weird BOP-issued stuff and missed weekly Commissary by a few hours, so Chris loaned me a large cup, a pair of shorts, some prized prison perfume, a pen and about 2/3 of a blank composition book, which was beautifully empathetic and generous! I told her I thought it was cool that she had a Bible on top of her locker. She said, "I don't read it much anymore, so you're welcome to borrow it while you're here, too." She brought me with her to dinner to show me how things work. Chris has been incarcerated for four and a half years and has about eleven more years to go. I love her and thank God for her. We laugh a lot. Please pray for her.
This place has a rhythm, as I suspect all prisons do. Most hours on the half, there is a "10-minute move" where we have 10 minutes to get to our next destination, such as from our Unit to the dining hall, library, chapel, recreation, etc. We are only able to change locations during the 10-minute move. When the ten minutes are up, we are locked in (literally) to that location until the next move. Most everyone feels the rhythm and feels when the move is coming; I bought a watch.
The only place we absolutely must be is in our cells for 4PM and 9PM standing counts. At 3:30 and 8:30, we have to be in our cells waiting for the Corrections Officers (COs) to call count. When they shout, "COUNTING!" we have to stand inside our cells next to our open cell doors with our bright fluorescent lights on above us so that two COs can walk around our Unit to count us. The two COs count E and F Units - approximately 200 of us - so it typically takes about a half an hour until count is clear/complete and we can leave our cells again. After 4PM count, most people go downstairs to wait for the 10-minute move to dinner. After the 9PM count, it's lights out.
So far, my typical weekday looks something like this:
Awake at 6:00
Out of bed at 7:00
7:00 - 10:00 - Coffee, read, shower, computer (mostly prison announcements and a couple emails, which is good)
10:30 - 11:30 - lunch
11:30 - 12:30 - read / write
12:30 - 3:30 - outdoor recreation to sit quietly / read / write / think / walk / exercise
3:30 - 4:30 - 4:00 count
4:30 - 5:30 - get snail-mail / read / write
5:30 - 6:30 - dinner
6:30 - 8:30 - exercise bike in my Unit / read / research on Lexis Nexis
8:30 - 9:30 - 9:00 count
9:30 - morning - sleep
Saturday morning is yoga and Sunday morning is Chapel, which I LOVE!
I'd say the majority of the women spend most of their time in the common area in our Unit. Picture a giant, two-story room with a large central seating area downstairs, then cells along three of the walls upstairs and downstairs. There are a dozen smallish tables and six TVs mounted pretty high in the center of the room. The TV volume is always off. You need to purchase a radio and headphones and tune in to the proper station to listen to the desired TV. I decided to pass on that. I feel like I'm supposed to be spending these months reading my Bible, writing and exercising and TV would just be a temptation to waste this precious time. Plus, a *lot* of drama happens in the common room, and I'm trying to avoid drama at all costs. And it gets very loud. Imagine the volume of 50-70 women under one roof with bare concrete walls. It's shocking how quickly I've grown accustomed to the noise level here.
My very favorite place is the prison yard, euphemistically referred to as "Outdoor Rec." It is by FAR the least loud place. There are 18 picnic tables, so it's a good place to write. (It is the only place in this prison with tables to write at except the common room.) My favorite table is the one closest to the interior chain link fence in the corner of the yard. On the other side of the fence is a large weeping willow tree where the black birds congregate to sing most afternoons. It is lovely to sit with my eyes closed, notice the sun on my face, the breeze through my hair, the melody of the black birds in my ears and just enjoy the peaceful simplicity of those moments. They remind me of the Anne Frank quote that goes something like, "I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that remains."
I'll write more about the wildlife and natural beauty here probably next time. This is already so long. My other updates will be shorter. I just wanted to paint the picture of what life is like here so that you can use it as a backdrop for future updates.
If you'd like to snail-mail me, here is my address:
Danean MacAndrew 76569-509, Unit F Federal Correctional Institution 5701 8th Street Dublin, CA 94568
Thank you again for your prayers. There has not been one moment in here that I have felt scared. In a few ways, I feel more peaceful here than I have in years.
God bless you and may God bless America.
Hebrews 13:3
Love,
Danean