HISTORY MADE AT DOJ

    After five months, yesterday a conniving Congress confirmed the first black

female U.S. Attorney General, Loretta Lynch.  They attached her confirmation to

a barter to pass their stipulations of a trafficking bill, but she is on board finally.

Voters have to look at the senators that they are putting into office.  Senator

Ted Cruz and Senator Jeff Sessions fought against her nomination because of

her support on President Osama's's immigration bill.  Ted Cruz is running for

President.  Believe it or not, the public DOES have a voice when you put these

anti-immigration and anti-prison reform senators in place.  Its time to pay

attention, so that you or your loved one DOESN'T end up in a jail cell like me.

Rhonda Turpin

April 24th, 2015

author, publisher, prisoner

CAMP FEMALE POPULATION DECREASING

by Rhonda Turpin

     Danbury Camp was built in 1973 by the Nixon Administration when the Watergate

scandal occurred.  The White House did not want to place the white collar defendants

behind the fence at the FCI, therefore this structure was born.  It was built for 12

men, with 12 single rooms that still stand today, except each room now has 6 to 8

women residing in the same space.  Also, the area that was previously the "Dirty

Dozen's" bowling alley is still the basement, but currently houses 150 women, sectioned

off into three dorms, with two-women cubicles.  Their previous workout room is

now sprinkled with pet cages that house the Puppies Behind Bars project, and more

than a dozen women.  What was built for 12 men, now has a count of 208. 

    The current count is low, and dropping weekly. 

    Thanks to U.S. Attorney Eric Holder's sentencing initiatives, women are entering

the door with a lot less time at the Camps throughout the country.  Our count is

decreasing, and Alderson Prison Camp's count is now considered low.  Last week,

they informed women here that they would be going to Alderson's RDAP program,

instead of the regular programming site at Greenville Illinois. 

     For almost the same white collar crime that I received a 15- year sentence for

almost a decade ago, women are entering prison today with anywhere from three

months to a year and one day maximum, which is equivalent to a state sentence

for the same crime. 

     Amendment 782 for drug crimes will also continue to drive the population down.

    This system is a form of slavery.  The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines clearly states

that their purpose was to increase the prison populations by 10% each year. 

   The sentencing climate is surely changing, and I hope its permanent, because

this system is broken on so many levels. 

Written as a resident of the basement/previous bowling alley, cubicle A-22,

bottom bunk. 

April 21, 2015

Danbury Prison Camp

author, publisher, prisoner

SAME OLD DRAMA by Rhonda Turpin

SAME OLD DRAMA
by Rhonda Turpin
     What pisses me off is when these lover's triangles interfere with my time.
We were placed on temporary lockdown because Lazette Maurice and her
fake dyke girlfriend, got into it.  Lazette decided she wanted to creep with
Cynthia Salamanca, and Rosa roughed her up, and yoked the shit out of her-
that old ass drama!  First of all, no body is really gay, just a bunch of want
to be had chicks- Rosa turned up on Cynthia also, and two-pieced her twice.
95% of fights in this place is because of domestics and girlfriends cheating
on each other- get a real life, for real.

C-5-15

THE SEX TOY RAID

 by Rhonda Turpin

     People often wonder how inmates release their sexual tension.  Let

me tell you a big secret- SEX TOYS!  This morning at 4:00am at Danbury

Camp, the second major bust in one year took place.  Our night officer

scored again.  He usually does a routine shakedown of general areas when

he gets bored, and last night was no different.

     "Bingo!"  Officer "Sting" said.

      C.O sting pulled out a series of large dildos out of the common area

in the bathroom located upstairs near the library.  One of the dildos was

named Jimmy.  Jimmy was 12 inches long, and 'as wide as the CO's arm.'

Peter was the name of the other dildo.  It was more civilized in that it

was nine inches, with a reasonable circumference, and was jet black in

color.  Hum.......

   That was not the first time that Officer Sting found the Camp stash.

Last year, while conducting a routine search, he started looking up while

at the microwave area in the hallway.  He said later that what caught

his attention was that the tile was slightly lifted up, and shouldn't have

been.  That bust consisted of two dildos, five silver bullets, and a few

rabbits.  Yeah, that bust was major.

     "Ladies, does anyone wish to claim these items I found?"  CO Sting

announced on the loud speaker throughout the Camp.  Absolutely not. 

We do what we have to do during critical times- it is not the first

bust, and it most definitely will NOT be the last. 

Danbury Federal Camp

March 13, 2015

author, publisher, prisoner

C-4-15

Camp Visitor

     Today was deep.  They announced at 4:00am that we would be having a

"visitor" at the Camp.  They said a federal judge was coming to check out the

Camp for the women to come here that were at the FCI being held at Brooklyn.

In prison, each time there is an expected visitor they go all out.  Its all a waste.

The person visiting usually rarely pays attention to their tactics, and I am

positive that this will be the case.  The Judge cancelled until tomorrow, so

more scattering for inmates tonight and tomorrow, then its RESUME normal. 

Danbury Federal Prison Camp

Rhonda Turpin

author, publisher, prisoner

C-3-15

A GOOD LAUGH GOES A LONG WAY

     We all know people that are truly funny.  It is nice to have one living

next door to me.  I live in A-dorm, which is comprised of 50 women residing

in 2-women cubicles.  Let me translate- no privacy.  If your neighbor snores,

it feels like she's in the same cube. This evening I was walking from the

community bathroom to my room, and heard "Jay"(our comedian) tell our

bus driver, "You are not even a good white! You need to find another race!"

Well, I try not to let my neighbors know I ear hustle, and secretly nosey, so

I tried to keep a straight face walking pass the cube they were in.  It

didn't work.  Our bus driver said, "Ms. Turpin!" so that I could comment, and

I burst out laughing so hard I almost peed on myself.   Today was a good

day because it was my first day of Zumba class, after doing Bob Harper's

biggest loser tape, and I felt productive.  In the Zumba class, my bunkie Amanda

said behind me, "my body doesn't move like that.  All of the white girls here

are moving another way, in the opposite direction."  And sure enough, they

were!  Another good laugh watching them in action.  The class was a lot of

fun because I love to dance.  Prison is hard.  We all miss our children, grand-

children, parents and mates, but its nice to have a good laugh and people

like Jay keeps laughter radiating throughout the dorm. 

Laugh- it's soothing to the soul....

Rhonda Turpin

author, publisher, prisoner

Danbury Federal Camp

3/5/2015

A Prisoner's Daily Schedule

      Often, when I call on the telephone, or get a letter from someone, they

either ask me what I am doing, or what I did today?  Well, today was a good

day.  Everyday is not.  I got up this morning, waited for 5:00am count to clear,

and then from 5:15am to 6:15am, I did yoga with a class.  I watched the sun

come up, as a struggled to hold my warrior pose, focusing out the window at

the sky.  Its refreshing.  Then, I went to UNICOR, where the factory is closing,

but they had a few last hurrahs before slaming the doors.  Then I went to

work out in the gym, with Bob Harper's BIGGEST LOSERS CD.  My grandson

often asks what did i eat?  For lunch I ate a chicken patty, with a small helping

of carrots, and for dinner, tofu with vegetables and rice, and then later, a

bowl of generic Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.  Today was commissary day

at the Camp- we only go once a week, but I often deprive myself because I

rarely NEED anything after more than 10 years in prison- its always a WANT. 

I went last week and spent 90 bucks, and I really do NOT believe in that. 

I grind hard for a few pennies from book royalty checks, and I am not trying

to give it all back to the feds.  Nope. 

   I have a second job of mopping the kitchen floor five days a week that I

love.  I work alone, after everyone has left the kitchen, and its always peaceful.

I am not institutionalized.  Every old song, the sun rise, a full moon, or a

smell takes me mentally back home, to the life I left.  This is not living- it

seems civilized, but remember, my daughter needs me; my six grandchildren

need me and their quality of life rests in the balance as long as I am here; and

I have a host of friends that are waiting on me to assist them with certain

aspects of their dreams.  I am a master grantwriter, and funding developer!

Today was not wasted.  I do NOT believe in that either.  I write, and write,

and write, and my words seep through the bars and prison steel and concrete

that they have all around me. 

Rhonda Turpin

author, publisher, prisoner

Danbury Prison Camp

March 3, 2015