Took this week off due to Labor Day

Took this week off due to Labor Day- will be back next week with your
prison drama!!


The Felonista

C-2 Week One- Episode 2 Dumb and Dumber

C-2  Week One- Episode 2
Dumb and Dumber
      Criminal Bloopers is a funny show about how stupid criminals can be.
Well, an episode played out at the Camp this week.  Before I tell you about it,
I would like to say that Itty has kept it moving.  She felt guilty while I was
ironing clothes, and said:
"I will access you a little later." And, of course, later will never come.  It is going
to be really interesting when she has to circle back.  They always do.  Prison is
the task of constantly trying to balance being kind, Godly, and pulling up your
fellow woman to make each other better in this storm, to dodging the snakes
as they constantly try to bite you.  It is not easy, but I do it well.
     Tigger, who looks like a swollen Nutty Professor, where Eddie Murphy played
a double role, has always been a rodent.  This time, in trying to sink her girlfriend,
she burned herself.  She stated that her girlfriend was on the phone talking to her
husband, and she yelled into the phone:
"Quick bringing her those contraband cigarettes, and she's s____king my p#%&y!"
Of course the husband did not believe the rachetness.  Who would when your wife
is 100 pounds, white, and a fem/not gay?  Well, the purpose of her rave was to
cut off her girlfriend's money, and at the same time cut off her extra-curricular
activity.  Never in a thousand years did she expect the "law" to come six deep and
arrest her, double lock her, take her camp status, and ship her out of here in
handcuffs.  See, when she was yelling all this profanity, she forgot the the prison
rule is when you are caught having sex, you are locked up immediately.  The same
principle applies when you yell through the telephone that you were having sex.
Who does that?  Tigger, you are the bama of the day, the donkey of the day,
and the world's stupidest criminal ever.
   Moral of the story is as my grandmother always preached to me:
When you dig a ditch for someone, always dig one for yourself also, because Karma
is going to serve you- its unavoidable.

The Felonista
Rhonda Turpin
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August 28, 2014

C-1 Week One You Can't Son Me

C-1 Week One
      You Can't Son Me
     Previously, Felonista posted once a week, with a Facts/Recap at the end of
the week, for six weeks.  For series three, I have revised the format to posting
twice a week, and a recap/facts/commentary when necessary.
    Recently, a new Russian inmate came in.  I noticed immediately that the rest of
the Russians were not dealing with her. Russians clique- they sit together, eat together,
walk together, and pray together, even if they do not like each other.
    "Be careful.  Do not tell her your business.  She snitched on everyone in her case."
One of the Russians warned me.
   "I don't trust any prisoner with my business, but thanks."  I replied.
   We will call her Itty because of her size.  She was extremely petite.
   "I want to pick your brain, and I want you to edit my work."  She said to me
repeatedly from the second day she arrived.  She showed me kindness, and shared
all her books.  My time is easy to capture.  An intelligent debate about an author
or a book is rare in prison.
   "My nine year old son is sending his book in for you to edit.  He said, tell the lady
that wrote the book to edit my book."  She told me.
  I looked at her sideways, but wanted to see where all this was going.  I can NOT
be sonned, Nor can I be manipulated, so after having her run after me and capture
hours of my time answering her questions and helping her with her new book, I decided
to put a bartering deal on the table.
    "I have an offer for you.  I will help you repeatedly with your book stuff, and walk
you through it, and in exchange I want you to help me get my body in tip-top shape."
    She's a seasoned physical therapist, with professional massage skills, why not?
    "Well that's not a two minute thing.  I would have to assess your body, and show
you your weak points, etc."  She said.
    "Well, helping you and your son with your books is also not a two-minute thing.
I believe in bartering.  Its fair exchange."  I said.
     Her face displayed reluctance.  Interesting.  Did this woman think that she was
really about to son me for the next nine months of her sentence?  I think she did!
    "So, what's up?"  I asked her.
    "I will come to your room and assess you this evening."  She said.
     Well, needless to say, 48 hours later, I am still waiting.  What is even more
interesting is that she is no longer running behind me every five minutes.  She
cut me off of her book lending circle immediately, and although we have walked
past each other repeatedly, it is hard for her to make eye contact.
    Moral to the story- do NOT ever let anyone son you.  If you barter with someone
then they will respect you if they are not trying to use or abuse you.
 
The Felonista
Rhonda Turpin
8/26/2014
author, publisher, prisoner

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

      No Fighting

     I have decided that the fights that keep happening around here is no longer the

topic.  Today it is about our children and grandchildren starting school, and also

the large number of mothers that send money and other items home to assist their

family with the children.  All I have to say is that it is time for a new paradigm. 

Rhonda Turpin

August 22, 2014

Author, publisher, prisoner

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B-11 Week 6 Episode 11 A Fight Month

B-11 Week 6 Episode 11

A Fight Month

    Well, while we are still talking about fights, lets first talk about Meek Mill.

Today his Judge gave him until October on a violation for having a gun in a video,

and having a dirty urine.  Of course his attorney said that the oxicodin found in his

urine was prescribed, and the gun in the video "wasn't real".  The Judge felt like

Meek was not meek, and that he had a problem with anger management, so she

took him out of protective custody, and placed him in general population.  Will

Meek (that is not meek at all) chock a fellow inmate or two out?  The next few

weeks will tell.

     We had an email that felt the need to lay hands on several of her fellow inmates.

I am going to name her yokka T.  She was only here at the camp for a short time,

and yoked up at least three inmates.  There was even a toe-to-toe fight that she

was involved in.  Mind you, this is a camp, and these women are afraid of their

own shadows.  The only reason why she lasted as long as she did was because we

do not have access to the SHU/lock up at this time.  After her last episode where

the woman she yoked up had clear marks around her neck, and a posse of

Captain save the Yoked filed into the police's office, she was cuffed and on her

way- where?  Who knows. 

    The moral of the story here is, IF YOU CAN'T CONTROL YOUR ANGER, THEN

THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES.  Hopefully Meek gets the moral, since no

violence will determine if he is able to be released in October or not.

The felonista,

Rhonda Turpin

August 20, 2014

author, publisher, prisoner

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FACTS, RECAP and COMMENTARY

FACTS, RECAP and COMMENTARY

     Well, wanted the world to know that there are more than fan fights in
prison.  At Danbury Camp, there are a few power struggles going on to.  Today
was the Yoga Wars.  There are a few yoga sets, and my close Sweetie, Winnie
does an excellent yoga class.  I can not attend, because at 5:00am I can NOT
see.  That is real.  I am not a morning person.  Anyway, the police made a
very solid comment that I have to repeat, "You Campers are your own worse
enemy.  You constantly dime each other out."  Thats the truth.  That is part
of the Camp climate.  Felonistas do NOT snitch.  See, an informant is getting
something in return, but a snitch tells on others because they have very LOW
self esteem.  When they dime someone out, for an instant second, they feel
good about them selves, but it doesn't last, so they have to keep telling.
The goal in federal prison is to work hard to get your own at home, and better
yourself, but many campers did NOT get the memo.  I do my time by working
to get home to my own DVD player and fan/air conditioning.  More good news
today in the mail!  I am in every court in the country, and proud of it.
Shout out to the women of Danbury Camp though, cause it is women that are
really trying to do positive things.  I am outie until next week...

The Felonista,
Rhonda Turpin
August 14, 2014
author, publisher, prisoner
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B9-Week 5, Episode 9 The Fan Again....

     First, I would like to mention a second fan fight, but refuse to go into detail because

somebody lost the fight that I like.  Theresa, it is alright if you lost Baby- you

stood your own, so you get an A for effort!!!

    Last week, in the previous episode I talked about a fan-fight with Martha

Ramos, where she got whooped.  Well, from that incident you would have thought

that she had learned her lesson.  Not!

The Real Women of C-Dorm; Ms. Venee, Weinna, and Bink almost had to spank

Martha again, and Ms. Venee is of the Church, and had to jump off the top bunk

(I know- WHY are they still making Grown Ass women sleep on the Top BUNK??!!

the feds are ruthless!) and step to Martha about the same ish, but a different

day. 

    After her fight with Cindy, she was moved to the room I lived in.  I was in a smaller

room, with five other women.  Martha was moved in the room with me because she

couldn't seem to get along with the women downstairs in the larger dorm. 

   Well, the first night she slept in room 10, it was about to go down.

   "I need the fan on, the window open, and the door open, because I can't breath."

Martha announced. 

   "Martha, it is snowing outside.  If the window is open, snow is going to blow in on

me, because my bed is directly up under the window."  I said.

   She walked over to the window and opened it anyway.  I was tight, but I remained

silent.  When Martha saw that she wasn't getting a reaction from me, she continued

on her mission.  The other four inmates were terrified of her, and considered her a

bully.  They put their coats and pulled their blankets up over their heads.  The fan

was on also.  With the door wide open, it was a cross ventilation of a strong breeze

mixed with a thin midst of snow. 

    "Martha, we need to compromise.  If you want the fan on, lets close the door and

the window."  As I suggested the compromise, I was already in motion.  I slammed

the window shut, and then the door. 

    "No! I can't breath!  I am hot also!"  She whined.

   "Well, I am going to need you to take off atleast a layer of those clothes.  We all

have on pajamas, and you have a sweat suit over a pair of long johns. Of course you

are hot!"  I said.

   Martha refused.  She stood in the middle of the floor wrapped heavy in her winter

outer gear. 

    "I am turning the fan back on."  She said, after opening the window again.

     I cut the fan off.  We stood in the middle of the floor, having a stand off. 

The other bunkies did not want to witness anything, so they covered their heads and

turned to face the wall.

    Each time she got up to turn the fan on, I jumped up to turn it off.  Finally I got

tired of the game.

   "Martha, I am securing my property.  I am not going to sleep in here with the snow

blowing on me.  It is freezing in here.  If you touch this fan again, I may loose, but

we are about to fight."  I said calmly, as I walked around the room, putting all my

personal belongings in my locker.  When an inmate goes to the SHU, the officer

comes and packs their property out.  Usually inmates take a hit, because out of

six people living in the room, many roommates will not notify the officer of what

is yours, so the officer forgets to pack it, and they keep it.

    It was about to get hectic in that room!

    "SHU!  I am not about to go to the SHU!  I already got into a fight too about the

fan with Cindy!  Forget it- I am going to Ms. Perkins tomorrow on you!" She screamed.

    Ms. Perkins was our counselor. She also was in charge of bed moves. 

   "Girl, I don't care who you go to, just make sure you tell the story right."  I replied.

   Finally, she settled down, and removed a layer of her clothes.  She fused the entire

time, until we both finally went to sleep. 

    When she went to Ms. Perkins, she moved her immediately, again. 

   This is one of many fan-fights at Danbury, and I am positive it is just as many

at other institutions. 

Rhonda Turpin

August 12, 2014 

author, publisher, prisoner

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Week 5, Episode 8 FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

      Within the hum-drum of prison life, I experienced yet another challenge.
The lights do not come on until 6:00am, but I am an early bird, so this morning
i found myself getting dressed in the semi-darkness, as usual.  I kept pulling
on my pants, and they were resistant at the waist.  They refused to go past
my derrierre.  What the ____-?!##%% Well, after repeated tries to pull them
"all the way up", I conceded.  I have not gained weight, but maybe the material
strunk- that was the only conclusion I could come up with.  As I bent down to
put on my boots, it was embarrassing to notice that I had my darn pants on
backward??!!  How crazy is that.  Glad that the rest of the dorm was sleeping,
I quickly took my pants off and turned them around.
At home you take mirrors for granted, as well as being able to turn the light
on to get dressed.  Yet other luxuries that the free world takes for granted
daily, along with having a fan, or even air conditioning.

Rhonda Turpin
August 7, 2014
Author, publisher, prisoner
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SERIES II, WEEK 4, Episode 7 THE BEST FAN FIGHT

First I would like to start out by giving a shout out to the felonista of the month-
Precious! Why I chose her is because she is real, down to earth, and never changes.
She also will curse a person out and yoke them up if they get wrong, and I love that
about her too.  Many women in here are wanna-bes- we have wanna be strippers,
doctors, nurses, and bosses.  In the feds, you can come in and lie about who you
really are if you choose.  You cannot get away with that in state prison.  There are
lots of people that know you, and if they don't know you personally they can make
a phone call and check to see who you are and who you were on the streets.
Precious makes no pretenses, and she's working hard to better herself and make
it on the streets, and that is really what a felonista does.  Precious, you ARE the
felonista for the month!
    Now, lets talk about what this weeks episode is about- fan fights in prison.
The best fan fight was between Cynthia Robinson and Martha Ramos.  That is their
real names.  They both are gone home now as of a few months ago.  Cynthia
Robinson was a small woman in statute, and I am not sure of her age- she had
grown daughters and was a grandmother, so I know she was not a spring chicken.
Both women were of Latina descent.  Cynthia looked black, and used to rep as
black because she only dated black guys, and her hair was not "good hair" by our
standards.  Martha was straight Puerto Rican, from New York.  She was thick,
hitting 50 in the butt, and the way she talked mess you would have thought she
could really fight.
    At Danbury Camp, we have two fans per dorm, for 50 women.  The fans are
situated at each opening of the dorm.  If you sleep in the middle of the dorm,
when the weather is scorching, you are going to miss out on a breeze.
We called Cynthia "Cindy".  During one scorcher, Cindy wanted the fan straight,
so that everyone could benefit.
     "I need the fan on me.  I can't breath."  Martha said.
She was a hypochondriac to the tenth power, and had every illness known to
men, and women too.
    "You're not going to have the fan just on you!  Its 50 women in this dorm, and
old people!"  Cindy said, while turning the fan back toward the isle.
  Martha turned the fan back toward her bunk.
    "I can't breath!  I have to have the fan on me!"  Martha said.
   Cindy turned the fan back.  Martha jumped up, and roughly turned the fan toward
herself, while Cindy still had her hand on it.
   "Bitch, No you didn't!"  Cindy said loudly.
   "Yes. I did.  I am going to have this fan on me."  Martha said, while literally
using the fan to push Cindy out of the way.
   It was on.  Cindy two-pieced Martha so fast, Martha didn't know what hit her.
Because Martha was a lot bigger than Cindy in size and stature, she tried to
"man" handle her.  When Cindy realized what she was doing, she danced around
the grab, and began wailing on Martha directly in her face and upside her head
with precision and flurry.  Martha was dazed, but still standing, trying to grab
little Cindy, while Cindy put in work on her head and her face until she drew
blood.  Once Cindy drew blood, she started beating Martha to the body.  Martha
tried to grab her and even save face and hit her, to no avail.  Cindy showed her
no mercy, and punished her.
     The dorm did break it up after Martha was punch drunk.  It was no longer a
fair fight, because Martha couldn't see, and was bumping into everything.  One
of the Latina women that Martha hung with took her to the bathroom to help her
get cleaned up.  The side of her face was swollen, her eye was swollen, and her
body was sore and bruised.  Her mouth didn't look good either.  Cindy didn't
have a mark on her.
       Because this is a Camp, the pesky little rodents, also known as resident
snitches slipped notes to the counselor and officer the next day, to inform them
that it had been a fight about the fan.  They called Cindy in first.
   "Do you know anything about a fight Ms. Robinson? "  The officer asked.
   "Nawh.  What?"  Cindy said.
They looked her over, and didn't see any marks anywhere.
   "Alright, you can go."  The officer said.
   When they called Martha, it was a different story.  Her eye and the bruises
looked worse than the day before.
    "What happened to your face?"  The officer asked.
    "I fell off the bed and hit my face."  Martha lied.
   "Do you have any witnesses?"  The officer asked.
   "Yes."  Martha said, and gave the witnesses names.  They confirmed her story,
and that was that.
    Cindy earned a lot of respect after that, and nobody wanted to rumble with her
after witnessing the whooping she put on Martha.
     This is indeed the best fan fight ever.  Stay tuned for fan fight two......

Rhonda Turpin
August 5, 2014
author, publisher, prisoner

SERIES II, WEEK 3, Episode 6 FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

SERIES II, WEEK 3, Episode 6

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

     I have talked about different things that annoy me while serving this sentence.

The most puzzling thing is the ownership issues that inmates acquire.  Where does

it originate from?  Today, while I was in the shower, an inmate came into the

shower area and asked, "Who is in my shower?" 

Now, it was obvious she was talking to me, because the bathroom I was in only had

five showers, and the four remaining stalls were empty.  It was just me and her

in the shower area.  Did they not learn how to share as children? 

Is it a thing where a person wants to control something, since they have lost

control of their lives outside of here? 

    At first, I ignored her.  I knew that if I answered, it would not be nice. 

    "I said, WHO is in my shower?"  She asked again, but this time full of attitude.

    I ducked my head out of the shower stall, making sure my goods were still concealed,

and replied, "Which one is YOUR shower?" and waited for a reply.

    "I can't use any other shower Ms. Rhonda.  This is my shower."  She explained.

    "So, you are telling me that if this shower was broken, you would not be able to

shower, out of the 20 showers in the building?  And further, did you bring this shower

from home?  You have only been in prison two months."  I expressed.

   "Oh, No!  I was just saying.." She attempted to explain.

   "Listen.  Go home.  You can claim a shower at home.  You only have a few days left!

    Stop claiming all this prison mess."  I schooled. 

    It is common.  Inmates claim the chairs in the TV room; the showers; and even the

picnic tables outside.  All of the stuff they are claiming in prison is sub-standard.

The chairs in the TV room are hard plastic, and very uncomfortable.  A chair in prison

is not designed for comfort.  It is nothing like you can purchase for your house.  Who

would want to own rights to that?  The shower is the same thing.  They are community

showers.  None of them are designed for single person use.  I understand institutionalization,

and when the long timers claim all of this overused garbage, I have empathy for

their situation.  A short-timer gets none.  Its amazing.  My kitchen; my everything.

This is false ownership. Everything that you use as a community belongs to our oppressor-

FBOP.  There needs to be more encouragement and rehabilitation to assist women to

get their own when they are released, not get comfortable with prison junk. 

Rhonda Turpin

July 31, 2014

author, publisher, prisoner

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SERIES II WEEK 3, Episode 5 : AMERICA's CIVILIZED PRISON SYSTEM

       Throughout the last ten years of being housed all over the country, I have

heard all of the 3rd world tales of prison life from foreigners.  Still, Is America

really civilized? 

        I did a count today.  Nine big screen TVs in the building; 2 microwaves, and

state of the art gym equipment.  New spinners.  A new elliptical, more to come. 

In the federal prison system, the items I named above are purchased from the

Inmate Trust Fund.  Part of the proceeds from the canteen profits are used to

benefit us.  We do not have any say-so in what is purchased, but everyone in the

building benefits.  How civilized.  A roommate I had from Honduras told me that

there is no televisions, workout equipment, or computers (I am writing this blog

from a federal prison email, by the way). There is no beds, clothing exchange, or

running hot water in Honduras prisons either.  Many luxuries such as a balanced

diet, fruit and salad with the meals, and chicken on the bone at least once a

week is unheard of in most countries.  The flip side is that other countries do not

have a government that creates broad laws to capture even 65 and over populations

for cashing their dead husbands social security checks.  "I needed it to pay my

house note, so that I wouldn't be a burden to my children."  A 68 year old grand-

mother recently told me before she was released, after serving eight months. 

For some women, the living conditions here are better than home.  Still, its

wrong for a government to incarcerate by the masses for 100s of petty crimes.

We have been getting an influx of Asian women.  A few of the women sold

fake, knockoff purses or wallets.  They were sent to federal prison.  It is a

federal crime because the designers copyright and trademark their merchandise.

Is prison really necessary for these petty crimes? 

If you ask a federal prosecutor, they will say, 'absolutely'. 

What would I be doing if I were home today?  First, lets talk about what I would

NOT be doing.  I do not drink out of plastic cups in my house.  I drink out of glass.

I also would not be using recycled plastic silverware.  Plastic is not healthy.  How

many times can you wash out a plastic commissary bowl, that you also cook in,

that is not microwaveable?  I can answer that- hundreds of times. 

If I were home, I would be sitting in front of a computer or laptop, putting work

in or a grant, or job creation, or writing a book, or marketing.  I would be talking

to my grandkids.  I would serve dinner on real plates, with stainless steel silverware,

and we would drink something out of a glass.  Ice would come out of the freezer,

and not a luxurious federal icemaker. 

      I would also be on the phone or waiting on a phone call from the love of my

life if he was not sitting right next to me. 

   Well, the thing is, I am not at home.  I am stuck in federal prison, surrounded by

small luxuries, financed by our families (canteen is very expensive, and most of

the profit comes from money sent from the streets).  I am about to go and listen

to my MP3 (another federal luxury), and research case law to get the hell out of here

(another luxury, the feds pay a minimum of $3000 a month for lexis nexus online

law library), then crawl under my freshly laundered white sheets because the laundry

washes our clothing three times a week- read a book until I get sleepy, using my

modern, florescent night light, and dream of home that may be sometimes

uncivilized by federal standards. 

Rhonda Turpin

author, publisher, prisoner

SERIES II WEEK 2, Episode 4 FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

SERIES II

WEEK 2, Episode 4

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

Prison:  TOO BIG TO FAIL

     We heard this phrase repeatedly when the banking system caused the last

recession after inflating mortgages into improper investment vehicles.  The system

is still recovering.  It is public knowledge that the United States Justice System

spends over 80 billion dollars a year to house inmates all over the country. 

  There are many benefactors.

  The food we eat comes from companies like Sysco, and lots of other large vendors.

The feds do not deal with small vendors.  I am not sure if the state does or not.

Then we have the produce providers.  Then all of the cosmetics that are marked

up for inmates to purchase, and the place to make a profit.  Then we have the

uniforms, mattresses, and other commissary items that are big tickets. Then

we have the pharmaceutical companies, providing only their types of meds to

inmates.  The phone companies experience billions of dollars from inmate calls.

The layers of profits from inmates being incarcerated is like peeling an onion.

It is very hard to get to the core. 

     The All-Drugs-Minus-Two went retroactive, and over 46,000 inmates are eligible

for release by next year.  That is a fourth of the federal prison population, and will

definitely eliminate a lot of overcrowding.  The reason why Congress did not pass

the good time bill, or any other initiatives because they stated publicly that with

so many releases pending, they did not want to create a mechanism for even more

releases.  The question is why not? 

     What would happen if the prison system experienced an emergency shut down?

All of the small towns that rely on prisons for employment and business attached

to their tax base would be wiped out instantly.  The large food companies would

take a major hit, and their stocks would plummet.  The phone companies would

take a major financial hit, and many of the smaller phone companies that were

set up to rape inmates and their families out of their cash would instantly go out

of business.  The people that would benefit most would be the taxpayers.

They are footing the large bill for the prison system. 

Imagine Dumping 80 billion dollars a year BACK into the economy, instead of just

a small percentage of wealthy individuals reaping the benefits of this cash cow. 

    The United States prison systems as it stands is really too big to fail, and

that is why they keep locking more and more Americans up for laws that don't

even exist in most countries(like conspiracy in America). 

That is the reality.

Rhonda Turpin

July 24, 2014

Danbury Camp

author, publisher, prisoner

WEEK 2, Episode 3 THE FOOD CHAIN

SERIES II

WEEK 2, Episode 3

THE FOOD CHAIN

     I am a city girl.  I love the outdoors, but I have never lived outside in the raw.

The closest I came to living in the wilderness was when I was a Camp Fire Girl and

then a Girl Scout and was sent to Camp Yekiwi.  We lived in cabins and roasted

marshmallows around the fire.  There was outhouses, and the showers were the

same as the parks.

      I spend many hours walking around the track outside, gazing at the sky, and

daydreaming of life outside of prison.  As I walked the other day, for the first time

in my life I witnessed a murder.  A small rabbit was snatched by a large black snake.

It was the cutest little rabbit.  So small, and so helpless.  Recklessly, i tried to

stomp my feet and yell at the snake.  "Stop it! Let it go!"  I yelled to no avail.  The

shrilling scream that the trapped rabbit was making as the snake dragged it out of

clear eyesight pierced my heart.  I looked around for something to stop the damned

murderer.  The nearest weapon was 20 feet away.  It was a garden hoe, with a metal

edge and a long handle.  I frantically glanced back and forth, from the yelling rabbit

being dragged into the brush, to the garden tool that would help me save the rabbit.

As if able to read my thoughts, the snake was moving it's prey at record speed.  I

did not know snakes could move that fast.  Two other inmates sat on the bleachers

watching me.

   "What is that screaming, a bird?"  One of the inmates asked me. 

   "No, its a rabbit. Its a black snake that has attached him, and has dragged him

into the brush."  I explained glued to the spot that was now empty.  The rabbit's

screams had also stopped.  This bothered me profoundly.  I could not concentrate

any longer on my exercise routine.  I left the track, but could not get the sight

of the tiny bunny being attacked. 

     "Its the food chain Bunkie.  We are from the city, but I am sure it happens many

times.  Everything preys on something else."  My roommate explained to try to make

me feel better.  It didn't.  When I finally dozed off that night, thoughts of the bunny

rabbit being murdered invaded and took over my thoughts several times. 

    I couldn't believe my luck.  Again, while walking two days later, another bunny

got snatched, dragged and murdered.  It could have been the same black snake. 

    Prison life is a lot like the mishap of the food chain.  Many women prey on the

weaknesses of other women, and feel that they are justified.  Further, there are

many, many snakes around, waiting to snatch, drag and murder your spirits, and

many times you do not even see them coming until they are already too close to

you to flee to safety. 

       The more I thought about it, I realized that nature's food chain is not much

different than the prison human spirit chain- only the strong survive.

Rhonda Turpin

July 23, Danbury Camp

author, publisher, prisoner

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP A CHANCE AT FURLOUGHS

     This week, our new Warden Mr. Quay took the helm.  After serving

10 years in the federal system, and doing time at 4 different prisons all

over the country, I welcomed Warden Quay's adherence to policy. 

    Non-transfer furloughs were almost obsolete at Danbury Camp.

   The first 2 requests are in, with many more to come.  There are

over 200 women housed here at the Camp, and more than 90 percent

have less than two years left on their sentence, which makes them

furlough eligible. 

     Furloughs are when you can leave the prison, and meet with your

family, for an approved amount of time.  You can eat outside food, and

talk to your family without the restricted rush of a 15 minute phone call,

and a monitored, timed visit.  You can have in depth conversations with

your family members, and especially your children. 

      There are several other initiatives going on, but the consideration of

social furloughs was the highlight of the week for me. 

Rhonda Turpin

July 18, 2014

author, publisher, prisoner

AN UNLIMITED BUDGET

by Rhonda Turpin

     If someone had an unlimited budget, and told you to create your dream,

what would you create?  What is your passion?  What would you provide to the

world as your mark long after you are dead and gone?  Well, everyone is viewing

the Netflix series, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK.  The show originated at Danbury

Camp, while its author served a short stint here.  At this very moment, I am

being housed at Danbury Camp, serving a 15-year sentence, where I have already

served 10 years.  I do not see any of the buffoonery that is presented in the

comedy- oh, it is a comedy, isn't it?   Prison is real.  When people make it seem

like a bunch of derelicts, and a comedy, the real message is not clear, so I am

here to bring it to you.  Today, at the Camp, I would say that 95% of the 205 women

housed here are mothers and grandmothers.  Many women are waiting and hoping

that the U.S. Sentencing Commission approves the ALL DRUGS MINUS TWO

retroactivity, so that they may receive two levels off.   Children need their mothers

at home.  We are at a Camp.  That means that everyone here is a non-violent

offender, and has less than 10 years left on their sentence.  We could all be

paying into the tax base like other countries. 

     ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK is a powerful statement.  I am thinking that the

author meant that the prison system represents the color orange, and that it

needs nothing short of the Civil Rights Movement to restructure it.  That makes

it black in color, because black people were involved in fighting for their Civil

Rights, and also the prison population is reverting back to prisoners of color

as the majority.  For a few years, ORANGE was white women in the majority, or

close to it at the Camps. 

       If I had an unlimited budget and platform right now, what would I do with it?

I would first of all lobby the public and Congress to get the Smarter Sentencing Act and the

Recidivism Reduction Act passed.  The Smarter Sentencing Act cuts drug sentencing

for non-violent offenders in half, saving the taxpayers billions of dollars over the

next 10 years.  The current bill for prisoners is 88 billion annually, according to the

Department of Justice budget report March 2014, available on their website. 

      If the member of Congress did not want to get on board, I would publicly post

their comments, with why they did not want the bill to pass.  I would veto them in

every way possible. 

      I would get both bills passed by any means necessary.

      Piper Kerman did add other peoples efforts to her social media accounts, but

there was no real advocating for the bill. 

     Secondly, I would create a visiting service for federal inmates.  Many states have

visitation projects, sponsored by large non-profits for a minimal cost.  Children need

to see their parents.  Federal prisoners are usually housed far away from home.

   While in Alderson, actress Rosie O'Donnell talked about how she would like to

implement something like this, when she came to visit Martha Stewart when I was

being housed at Alderson.  It was an excellent idea, but Rosie never acted on the

idea and passion. 

     Piper was here.  She witnessed first hand experience of what prison does to

women and their children.  I love trannies, but to further humiliate the female

population, she staffed a trannie, instead of real women. 

     I read her book, and me and others do not see any of the incidents that she

recorded as fact about Danbury.  Maybe is was because she had unlimited resources

while she was here also, so her prison stay here was actually funny.  Prison is

real, many families are footing the bill, and mothers are attempting to parent

from a jail cell.  How funny is that? 

Rhonda Turpin

author, publisher, prisoner

July 16, 2014

Danbury Camp

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

     What a week?  I always receive so many blessings daily in this storm, and this week

was no different.  President Obama published a survey and new rules on clemency/

commutation of sentences. The survey was on our computer, and of course I applied.

This system is broken, and the President and Eric Holder understands this.  Will

I be sitting at the table with my children and grandchildren, and the rest of my family

this holiday?  It is always a possibility.  See, the thing is, you never know what God

has in store for you, so therefore how I spend my days is by being right with the people

around me, remaining positive, and busy, and capturing everything that comes my way-

I don't know what is for me or not. 

     Mother's Day is a very big week in prisons throughout the country, and it is no

different in Danbury.  Most of the population are Mothers and Grandmothers.  There is

usually a big meal, a special dessert, and even a movie played just for mothers here.

Where are the children and grandchildren, and how are they?  That's the question.

Because Mothers/Grandmothers are in here on this day, who is doing Mother's Day dinner

for 200 families/many children and grandchildren?  That is what the feds never considered.

There is a serious domino effect to having a parent or grandparent if that is your support

system, being locked up.  The New York Times posted statistics recently that said children

with at least one parent in prison is 6 times more likely to end up in prison themselves.

The same article talked about how each America that is paying FICA/federal taxes pays

about $260 a year in taxes to keep the $80 Billion dollar prison farce going.  This is not

about community safety, and it surely is not about rehabilitation.  If you do not have the

drive to rehabilitate yourself, then Hip-Hop Atlanta, Housewives, Scandal, and several

other shows become your world of reality in here.  I don't blame the women that escape

the pain of missing their children by pouring hours into the big screen televisions we have

here.  I feel their pain, and everyone deals with it differently. 

    It is just that because 25% of all Americans are convicted felons and America is

definitely a prison Country, I would like for it to do better- we are supposed to be so much

better, especially on Mother's Day.

My Mom is gone- Fellas, if your Mom is living, give her a hug today. 

     For you mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day, and I would like to serenade you-

    "Be glad that you are free, cause many a man whose not, be glad that what you had

ain't what you got."  That is Prince/Roger Nelson/The Artist, or whatever his name is-

I loose track, but this Sunday, cherish your freedom and time with your children/grandchildren,

cause thousands of women are in prison, missing their children, and mothering on the

telephone.

 Rhonda Turpin

May 7, 2014

Danbury Prison Camp

author, publisher, prisoner

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worldbookspublishing@gmail.com

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

     What a week?  I always receive so many blessings daily in this storm, and this week

was no different.  President Obama published a survey and new rules on clemency/

commutation of sentences. The survey was on our computer, and of course I applied.

This system is broken, and the President and Eric Holder understands this.  Will

I be sitting at the table with my children and grandchildren, and the rest of my family

this holiday?  It is always a possibility.  See, the thing is, you never know what God

has in store for you, so therefore how I spend my days is by being right with the people

around me, remaining positive, and busy, and capturing everything that comes my way-

I don't know what is for me or not. 

     Mother's Day is a very big week in prisons throughout the country, and it is no

different in Danbury.  Most of the population are Mothers and Grandmothers.  There is

usually a big meal, a special dessert, and even a movie played just for mothers here.

Where are the children and grandchildren, and how are they?  That's the question.

Because Mothers/Grandmothers are in here on this day, who is doing Mother's Day dinner

for 200 families/many children and grandchildren?  That is what the feds never considered.

There is a serious domino effect to having a parent or grandparent if that is your support

system, being locked up.  The New York Times posted statistics recently that said children

with at least one parent in prison is 6 times more likely to end up in prison themselves.

The same article talked about how each America that is paying FICA/federal taxes pays

about $260 a year in taxes to keep the $80 Billion dollar prison farce going.  This is not

about community safety, and it surely is not about rehabilitation.  If you do not have the

drive to rehabilitate yourself, then Hip-Hop Atlanta, Housewives, Scandal, and several

other shows become your world of reality in here.  I don't blame the women that escape

the pain of missing their children by pouring hours into the big screen televisions we have

here.  I feel their pain, and everyone deals with it differently. 

    It is just that because 25% of all Americans are convicted felons and America is

definitely a prison Country, I would like for it to do better- we are supposed to be so much

better, especially on Mother's Day.

My Mom is gone- Fellas, if your Mom is living, give her a hug today. 

     For you mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day, and I would like to serenade you-

    "Be glad that you are free, cause many a man whose not, be glad that what you had

ain't what you got."  That is Prince/Roger Nelson/The Artist, or whatever his name is-

I loose track, but this Sunday, cherish your freedom and time with your children/grandchildren,

cause thousands of women are in prison, missing their children, and mothering on the

telephone.

 Rhonda Turpin

May 7, 2014

Danbury Prison Camp

author, publisher, prisoner

fb/rhondaturpin

worldbookspublishing@gmail.com

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

     What a week?  I always receive so many blessings daily in this storm, and this week

was no different.  President Obama published a survey and new rules on clemency/

commutation of sentences. The survey was on our computer, and of course I applied.

This system is broken, and the President and Eric Holder understands this.  Will

I be sitting at the table with my children and grandchildren, and the rest of my family

this holiday?  It is always a possibility.  See, the thing is, you never know what God

has in store for you, so therefore how I spend my days is by being right with the people

around me, remaining positive, and busy, and capturing everything that comes my way-

I don't know what is for me or not. 

     Mother's Day is a very big week in prisons throughout the country, and it is no

different in Danbury.  Most of the population are Mothers and Grandmothers.  There is

usually a big meal, a special dessert, and even a movie played just for mothers here.

Where are the children and grandchildren, and how are they?  That's the question.

Because Mothers/Grandmothers are in here on this day, who is doing Mother's Day dinner

for 200 families/many children and grandchildren?  That is what the feds never considered.

There is a serious domino effect to having a parent or grandparent if that is your support

system, being locked up.  The New York Times posted statistics recently that said children

with at least one parent in prison is 6 times more likely to end up in prison themselves.

The same article talked about how each America that is paying FICA/federal taxes pays

about $260 a year in taxes to keep the $80 Billion dollar prison farce going.  This is not

about community safety, and it surely is not about rehabilitation.  If you do not have the

drive to rehabilitate yourself, then Hip-Hop Atlanta, Housewives, Scandal, and several

other shows become your world of reality in here.  I don't blame the women that escape

the pain of missing their children by pouring hours into the big screen televisions we have

here.  I feel their pain, and everyone deals with it differently. 

    It is just that because 25% of all Americans are convicted felons and America is

definitely a prison Country, I would like for it to do better- we are supposed to be so much

better, especially on Mother's Day.

My Mom is gone- Fellas, if your Mom is living, give her a hug today. 

     For you mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day, and I would like to serenade you-

    "Be glad that you are free, cause many a man whose not, be glad that what you had

ain't what you got."  That is Prince/Roger Nelson/The Artist, or whatever his name is-

I loose track, but this Sunday, cherish your freedom and time with your children/grandchildren,

cause thousands of women are in prison, missing their children, and mothering on the

telephone.

 Rhonda Turpin

May 7, 2014

Danbury Prison Camp

author, publisher, prisoner

fb/rhondaturpin

worldbookspublishing@gmail.com

MISUNDERSTOOD

          I have concluded many times that I must look extremely soft.  In one of

my previous episodes, I shared with the readers about how inmate/fool Donita

Good bitch slapped me, and the results of her rediculous actions. 

        Would you believe that a few days ago, a disgruntled co-worker was also

feeling a wee bit froggy?  I could not believe it.  She was relocated from working

beside me by the administration.  They had their reasons.  I attempted to go

hard for her, to no avail.  Because I have lots of cowardly haters in the building,

one got in her ear, and tried to get her riled up.  Ofcourse they told her that

I had her moved, giving me too much credit as an inmate. 

     I was sitting at this same computer that I am sitting at now.  She came and

sit at the computer next to me, that is not even one foot away.  She weights close

to three hundred pounds, which brought her body even closer to mines. 

     "I am fed up.  I feel like just smacking a bitch in here."  She said, while looking

at her computer monitor before signing in. 

     I started to address it, but instead I waited to see if there was any real meaning

to her words. I halted typing just in case, and put my feet flat on the ground.  She

didn't know it, but she was about to get a seasoned ass whooping if she would have

put her hands on me. 

    She did the right thing.  She finished typing and waddled her big beach whale

butt out of the computer room without looking back.

   See, the thing about prison is that people are always judging a book by its cover.

  Especially female inmates, and they shouldn't.  I am probably the most misunderstood

because I am introverted, educated, soft-spoken, even-keeled, and love to spend time

with myself.  Inmates keep reading that as a sign of weakness, instead of what it

is.  Real bosses move in silence, without many words, and that is the way I was

brought up.

Rhonda Turpin

May 4, 2014

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worldbookspublishing@gmail.com

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

       This week has been a good week so far, but also an emotion week for me.

 For any of you that has already

read my book titled LIVING IN PRISON WITH MARTHA STEWART, you know that my

grandson Ricky was in the car with me when I self-surrendered to Alderson Prison

Camp 10 years ago.  He will be 14 on July 10.  He used to live with me before I came

here, and was my first grandson.  Today he is my part time media assistant, and

I am hoping that eventually he becomes my career manager.  He is extremely smart,

and makes the honor roll every report card.  When he is going through life's trials,

I do also.  He was sad about something minor at school, and it sent my entire

world topsy-turvy.  I walked it off, and worked it out in the gym, but still I cried for

him before I went to sleep and could not find peace that night.  Its a lot of mothers

in prison and grandmothers.  As I said repeatedly, this is NOT a game, and it is not

funny.  My grandkids quality of life is affected by me being in here, because I am their

support system.  Guess what Ricky wants to be?  One guess?  A criminal attorney!

When your children or family members are traumatized by any events that happen to

you, they sometimes develop a passion for whatever you were lacking.  Doctors sometimes

had relatives that were seriously ill; police officers suffered family crimes often; Families

of cancer patients develop movements to fight cancer, and the list goes on.  I do not

want my grandson to be an attorney.  I do not like attorneys, and I have never met one

that was a person of his word for the long term.  It is almost impossible for an attorney

to be wealthy and 100% truthful to all clients- it just doesn't go together. 

     It has been a good week because I am truly blessed in this storm.  When one door

shuts, another quickly opens, therefore I am always receiving blessings.  This time

is hard, but not impossible, thanks to God carrying me on many occasions when the

load was too heavy.  The blessings raining down daily lets me know that I am still in

His favor. 

     It has been a good week for meals also.  In federal prison we do eat well most days.

The day I began this writing, I had chicken parmesan, with spaghetti, garlic bread, and

home made lemon tarts.  I could never afford to eat this well at home, three times

a day.  At most, I would have had a turkey bologna sandwich, with all of my fixings on

a week night.  I do not like to cook, and I hate microwaves, so at home I take the

easy way out often.  I would rather be at home, working and paying bills, and eating

a bowl of cereal for dinner, instead of being fed daily in preparation of my

psychological slaughter.  It is a method to prison.  It is meant to break your spirits,

and many fold. 

       A group of us had an observation.  After four years, it is standard for the majority

of your family and friends to abandon you.  Sadly, we used to look at someone coming

in and predict the decrease in their visits, letters, emails, and money.  It was almost

like clockwork.  Why do some families do that?  One of my blessings is my two daughters

and grandkids. They love me unconditionally, and that is very rare.  Then God keeps

sending me angels.  Eva Tan, a visitor from the PVS program is one of those angels

that comes to see me for the last two years once a month, keeping me spiritually

grounded, and in touch with the outside world.  Leticia is another angel who comes

to visit me and keeps me on top on my game, and well connected to the outside world.

Where did these angels come from?  There are many more.  I have a new angel named

Rachel also, who has stepped up as a friend.  These are a few of the blessings that

I never saw coming, and what makes this time mild most of the time.  Prison was

designed to break your spirits, and punish you, but when you are surrounded by angels,

its impossible.  I get stronger, inside the walls of prison.  That's amazing.  I know.

I want to go home, and I am ready today, and will remain ready.  In the meantime,

I will keep you entertained!

     President Obama and Eric Holder put out an initiative for Clemency this week.  I

may be eligible to get my sentence commuted to time-served.  The thing is with fighting

your sentence is you must apply for everything you think you are eligible for, and every

case is different.  I have won 2 direct appeals on my own, and received a hearing from

all nine justices last year in the Supreme Court of the United States.  Do you know how

it felt to get mail/direction from Chief Justice Roberts?!  I was speechless, and carried

the letter in my hand for a few days.  I am inching forward, toward home. 

     That is really all that matters. 

  Rhonda Turpin

  April 30, 2014

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worldbookspublishing@gmail.com

Week Five, Episode 9

     Previously, I talked about what it felt like having a roommate from Hell.

If rule number one in prison is to never let anyone disrespect you, then rule

number 2 is never let another inmate dictate your schedule.  Inmates attempt

it a lot.  Today I was annoyed several times.  The first time was when I went

to take a shower this morning, and because the showers are attached to the

same area as the toilets, one of the women blew it up while I was showering.

    "Courtesy flush!"  I yelled.

   Many of the new women that came directly from home and never been locked

up is clueless as to what a courtesy flush is.  Its something you learn in prison.

It is when you sit on the toilet to defecate and constantly flush it as you use it.

It causes the smell to go down the drain, instead of sit there and linger. 

   "I am not finished yet!"  The newbie said.

   "Ms., Please! What the heck did you eat!  Please flush the toilet!"  I complained.

She did, once.  The bathroom smelled like a bottomless sewer, and the foulness

turned my stomach.  Women coming in have not been on the same prison diet

as me, and it is no telling what was causing the extremely pungent smell.

   "Its a bathroom, Hello!" She screamed back, annoyed. 

   No she didn't have the nerve and audacity to get an attitude!  She was trying to

kill me with toxic fumes.  She should have another felony charge for that!

    So that is how my morning began. 

    To try to restart my day, I went to the track and walked got my five miles in.

The sky was cloudy and it looked like it was going to pour rain over Danbury any

moment, but it held off until I finished walking. 

    I need to move on, but let me just continue my rant about this toilet thing

for a moment.  At home, we all have the toilet in the same room with the shower.

It is standard all over the country.  What is not standard is a stranger, coming

in and blowing the place up.  I do not understand how people get institutionalized.

I am annoyed at least once a day in here, and miss home constantly.

   Today, rule number 2 kicked in.  I usually get up on Sunday, shower, put on my

sweats, and then begin my day.  Today was no different.  My bunkie usually cleans

on Sunday, so I make a point to stay out of her way.  She was up before me to do

her hair.  She retrieved the cleaning supplies at lunch time.  Each time I came to

the room, I disappeared to give her time to clean.  At 3:22pm I went to the room

to do my hair and start preparing for work.  She jumped up off the bed, and started

pulling the bins from up under the bed, and pulling stuff out of the room.

    "I am sorry bunkie.  I am about to clean."  She said.

    "Go ahead.  I am about to sit on the bed and do my hair out of your way."  I answered.

That's exactly what I did.  I put my curtain up, and commenced to curling my hair

for the work week.  I even put my headphones on to block her and everyone else out.

   This happens often.  I don't know if this occurs in a men's prison, but women do it

repeatedly.  Each time its done to me, it makes me feel like they are attempting to

dictate my day.  I was expected to go back out of the room, after being gone all

day.  Not!  Prison life is about living with lots of strangers, and some of them are

on some other stuff. 

         Back to Arn-2- what I liked most about living in maximum security was that

most of the officers were afraid, and therefore there was not all of the rules that

existed in general population.  In general population, if you were caught with out your

identification you received a shot/ticket.  If you were not properly dressed and your

bed was not made up, you received a shot/ticket.  The rules were petty, and

strictly enforced.  I noticed quickly that Arn-2 had no rules most of the time.

   If you didn't feel like getting up for work, you simply slept in.  Nobody was in

full uniform.  The common attire was house slippers and a doo rag or head rag wrapped

around your head.  If you didn't make your bed, or come out of your room, that was

your prerogative.  The unspoken rule was to leave max inmates alone if they left

staff alone, and they did most of the time.  A few of the seasoned officers that

were not afraid to work in max informed new officers to relax and not upset the

mood.  Arn 2 inmates stuck together, and turned up quick.  If an officer wanted

to enforce the rules and ask about beds being made and uniforms not being worn,

they were called every curse word ever spoken, and some I'd never heard before,

and then talked about bad. 

    "Your breast is bigger than mines, shut up!"  Dino or someone else would yell

to a male officer with breasts. 

     Usually at least one person ended up going to the SHU when one of the new

officers surfaced.  That would be the only way to keep the crowd from being

rowdy and calling the officer names. 

    There came a time when there was a staff change.  We got a new unit

manager.  His name was Mr. Eleby.  He was a Michael Jordan look alike.  I don't

know if he shaved his head on purpose to look more like Jordan, but that didn't

help.  Same height.  Same complexion.  Same physique. 

      His mission was to change Arn 2 inmates for the better, and to classify

inmates into there right status who should not have been in max.  He reminded

me of the Morgan Freeman character that was sent to the terrible high school

in the inner city to try to change things.  Mr. Eleby had a plan. 

Rhonda Turpin

April 27, 2014

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worldbookspublishing@gmail.com

Week Five, Episode 9

     Previously, I talked about what it felt like having a roommate from Hell.

If rule number one in prison is to never let anyone disrespect you, then rule

number 2 is never let another inmate dictate your schedule.  Inmates attempt

it a lot.  Today I was annoyed several times.  The first time was when I went

to take a shower this morning, and because the showers are attached to the

same area as the toilets, one of the women blew it up while I was showering.

    "Courtesy flush!"  I yelled.

   Many of the new women that came directly from home and never been locked

up is clueless as to what a courtesy flush is.  Its something you learn in prison.

It is when you sit on the toilet to defecate and constantly flush it as you use it.

It causes the smell to go down the drain, instead of sit there and linger. 

   "I am not finished yet!"  The newbie said.

   "Ms., Please! What the heck did you eat!  Please flush the toilet!"  I complained.

She did, once.  The bathroom smelled like a bottomless sewer, and the foulness

turned my stomach.  Women coming in have not been on the same prison diet

as me, and it is no telling what was causing the extremely pungent smell.

   "Its a bathroom, Hello!" She screamed back, annoyed. 

   No she didn't have the nerve and audacity to get an attitude!  She was trying to

kill me with toxic fumes.  She should have another felony charge for that!

    So that is how my morning began. 

    To try to restart my day, I went to the track and walked got my five miles in.

The sky was cloudy and it looked like it was going to pour rain over Danbury any

moment, but it held off until I finished walking. 

    I need to move on, but let me just continue my rant about this toilet thing

for a moment.  At home, we all have the toilet in the same room with the shower.

It is standard all over the country.  What is not standard is a stranger, coming

in and blowing the place up.  I do not understand how people get institutionalized.

I am annoyed at least once a day in here, and miss home constantly.

   Today, rule number 2 kicked in.  I usually get up on Sunday, shower, put on my

sweats, and then begin my day.  Today was no different.  My bunkie usually cleans

on Sunday, so I make a point to stay out of her way.  She was up before me to do

her hair.  She retrieved the cleaning supplies at lunch time.  Each time I came to

the room, I disappeared to give her time to clean.  At 3:22pm I went to the room

to do my hair and start preparing for work.  She jumped up off the bed, and started

pulling the bins from up under the bed, and pulling stuff out of the room.

    "I am sorry bunkie.  I am about to clean."  She said.

    "Go ahead.  I am about to sit on the bed and do my hair out of your way."  I answered.

That's exactly what I did.  I put my curtain up, and commenced to curling my hair

for the work week.  I even put my headphones on to block her and everyone else out.

   This happens often.  I don't know if this occurs in a men's prison, but women do it

repeatedly.  Each time its done to me, it makes me feel like they are attempting to

dictate my day.  I was expected to go back out of the room, after being gone all

day.  Not!  Prison life is about living with lots of strangers, and some of them are

on some other stuff. 

         Back to Arn-2- what I liked most about living in maximum security was that

most of the officers were afraid, and therefore there was not all of the rules that

existed in general population.  In general population, if you were caught with out your

identification you received a shot/ticket.  If you were not properly dressed and your

bed was not made up, you received a shot/ticket.  The rules were petty, and

strictly enforced.  I noticed quickly that Arn-2 had no rules most of the time.

   If you didn't feel like getting up for work, you simply slept in.  Nobody was in

full uniform.  The common attire was house slippers and a doo rag or head rag wrapped

around your head.  If you didn't make your bed, or come out of your room, that was

your prerogative.  The unspoken rule was to leave max inmates alone if they left

staff alone, and they did most of the time.  A few of the seasoned officers that

were not afraid to work in max informed new officers to relax and not upset the

mood.  Arn 2 inmates stuck together, and turned up quick.  If an officer wanted

to enforce the rules and ask about beds being made and uniforms not being worn,

they were called every curse word ever spoken, and some I'd never heard before,

and then talked about bad. 

    "Your breast is bigger than mines, shut up!"  Dino or someone else would yell

to a male officer with breasts. 

     Usually at least one person ended up going to the SHU when one of the new

officers surfaced.  That would be the only way to keep the crowd from being

rowdy and calling the officer names. 

    There came a time when there was a staff change.  We got a new unit

manager.  His name was Mr. Eleby.  He was a Michael Jordan look alike.  I don't

know if he shaved his head on purpose to look more like Jordan, but that didn't

help.  Same height.  Same complexion.  Same physique. 

      His mission was to change Arn 2 inmates for the better, and to classify

inmates into there right status who should not have been in max.  He reminded

me of the Morgan Freeman character that was sent to the terrible high school

in the inner city to try to change things.  Mr. Eleby had a plan. 

Rhonda Turpin

April 27, 2014

fb/rhondaturpin

worldbookspublishing@gmail.com

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

FACTS, COMMENTARY, RECAP

        When I got up this morning, I closed my eyes and drank my apple Cider

vinegar mixed with honey drink.  It is the highlight of my month, and it works.

Exercise is working to keep me looking right also.  Prison life has the same old

hum-drum routine everyday.  It is very annoying, and it can be depressing if

you let it, but I refuse to think that route.

     This week #President Obama,_ and #Eric Holder,_ has decided to pump up

the clemency process.  For people outside of prison, this announcement does not

have a lot of significance.  For inmates serving time for drug crimes, this is

exciting. 

Today they published the rules.  I have served 10 years, and I will be attempting

to apply.  Men from all over the country are now filling up Danbury FCI and its

an interesting week.

Rhonda Turpin

author, publisher, prisoner

April 24, 2014

worldbookspublishing@gmail.com