Others worked inside the prison, performing some meaningless tasks, generally because they had testified in federal court against some more important co-defendant, and were judged, officially, to be in danger from retribution for this act. Inmates often wanted to work inside the kitchen, which was believed to be good duty, with little supervision and more personal freedom.

My first trip to be mess hall, the dining facility, brought me back to my army days. The food was adequate, but  basically institutionally boring cuisine, which I am sure is part of the punishment scheme. The civilian in charge was one of those old, rough around the edges but basically benevolent, chief cook types that pervade the US military.  I was to later learn, from experience, that food at federal facilities was light-years better than the poor-to-unsatisfactory food served at county jails, but we will get to that later on.

Lights out the first night was depressing, and not at all like being a military recruit. This was not to be a positive experience. After living as a civilian for twenty years, being back in the barracks whilst in my early forties was not fun. New inmates must take a top bunk, have an extremely small locker, and share a desk with their "suite-mate," I was going to sleep for the first time in a four-year string of such nights, but fortunately, it was in a minimum security facility.

The security levels in the Federal Bureau of Prisons are important to their residents, as the different living conditions determine the level of comfort or discomfort, your companions, and even personal safety, during your your incarceration. The BOP determines your level after examining your crime, amount of violence in your case, whether an illegal alien, whether weapons were used, and multiple other factors.

The security levels are:

• Minimum Security - has dormitory-style housing, with limited (or even no) perimeter fences. Inmates work, and participate in educational programmes. Most are located near, or within, federal institutional or military facilities, where they serve as a captive work cadre. They are known as Federal Prison Camps, or FPCs.
  

• Low Security - Called Federal Correctional Institutions, or FCIs, they have more restricted movement, a higher officer-to-inmate ration, and usually double-fenced security, keeping the inmates contained within.
  

• Medium Security -  These have higher security, and generally cells instead of dormitories, drug treatment programmes, and greater controls on the inmate population.
  

• High Security -  Usually United States Prisons, or USPs, they are characterised by close control of inmates, and a high level of security. No personal freedom; 23 hours a day in the cell.
  

• Administrative -  Pretrial detention centres, prison hospitals, or facilities specialising in the detention of extremely violent, or escape-prone inmates. These often have inmates from all levels of security, and as such, must have the ability to contain them, from the least, to the most dangerous.

The next morning, I commenced the orientation programme. This would prove to be both a learning experience, and a hint of what was in store for me down the road.

Next Week: Admissions & Orientation.