At the 6 month team meeting in December Dave signed some papers about halfway house locations, dates etc. Then, last week at the next team meeting they told him the halfway house time was not going to happen, as the halfway houses are too crowded and will no longer be taking SO inmates. He was surprized, as he's known others who went to HWH (several months ago). My questions are: Is halfway house time totally at their discretion? Is home confinement an alternative? Is that also at their discretion? Are there any guidelines for HWH time etc.? It's only about 60 days, but he feels kicked in the stomach once again.

Hi Pah417

The best thing to do is not to compare other cases with your loved one's. Halfway houses can get very crowded and sometimes there is no room for newcomers. It happens. I know this may sadden you but the rules and restrictions of the halfway house can be overbearing so doing the rest of the time in prison and going directly on probation is not such a bad alternative. At least he knows how to keep his nose clean where he is at presently. It will save him the grief and stress of relearning what he needs to do in a new place. Peace

ive heard this time and time again, from people in prison who didnt get to go to a HH house.... a HH is FAR better than any prison, regardless of learning the new rules and environment. there is far more freedom in a HH than a prison (including camps). anyone that tells you he's just as well off staying in prison is yanking your chain.

What are the rules at a halfway house? do you get to visit with your loved one?

I disagree - I declined a Halfway House; where I would have gone here in SC at the time housed State and Federal people together and after 18 months in county jail I never wanted to live with some of those people again. Also, I was being released to a city where I had NO ONE to help me. No friends, no family, but I did have a paid for house; I just had no interest in putting up with a new place when I owned my own home AND I had it pretty good at Alderson.

I know things have changed at Camps, but at the time I had my own room (not a cell - a ROOM), I had a job I enjoyed and I really felt I was better off staying where I was.

Robr

My opinion is expressed here in order to offer another point of view. I do not yank anyone's chain since you put it that way. I am insulted. Peace to you.

sorry if youre insulted, have you spent time at a halfway house? im sure there are some bad ones out there, but i can assure you, coolidge house in boston is a hell of a lot better than prison camp and from what other inmates have told me and what i've read here, boston is hardly a 'nice, lenient' HH.

sga0411:
yes, you get visit with your honey 7 days a week (during specific hours) and you can even bring him meals (god, i almost died when my wife walked in with outback steakhouse!!), he can leave to do laundry and go to work. many people will meet their loved ones for lunch during work hours. it's not exactly allowed but if you're careful you'll be fine. with permission he can have a car and drive to work, he can have a cell phone for work, after he has a job he's eligible for day, then weekend passes to go home. he can leave the HH a few times a week, sometimes up to 4 hours to get dinner or go shopping or do whatever in the area.

it is FAR FAR better than prison, and in Boston at least it was easy to pretty much avoid everyone else there if you just stayed in your room (it was a private room with its own bathroom and shower and shared with one other person in my case, some rooms were 3 people however).

From what I heard, some of the halfway houses were "releasing" inmates after a few days, as long as they had a home and a job. Of course, the inmate still had to pay for room & board for the duration of the sentence. I think I'd rather accept the 'new' environment, and hope to get out earlier.

However, my hubby said that alot of guys have been getting denied their transfer to HWH because of the overcrowding.

I am currently in the halfway house in Houston, and it's nice to hear that there are some good ones out there. I can quite honestly say that the halfway house in H-town sucks! I have been there for over 7 months, and my release date is not until 4/8/06. (Boot camper) A lot of the rules and restrictions we have are a result of the new CCM, such as he refuses to let me go on home confinement even though I've been working for 6 months, have no write-ups, have been taking passes for 6 months, and am in complete compliance. He also took away a lot of priveledges we already had once he started. It's dorm living, horrible food, and I could go on and on. However, no matter how bad the halfway house is, it is still a thousand times better than prison!!!! I am working, taking care of my own financial responsiblities again, can actually talk to my husband regularly (he's still locked up), and I get to spend every weekend with my children. So, for me it is a LOT better!

A few points:

(1) Yes, halfway house placement, while strongly encouraged by the powers that be, is descretionary. There is no mandate/law that requires the BOP to release an inmate to a halfway house. Nor, is there any law that requires a Halfway House to accept an inmate.

I've seen it go both ways. I've seen Wardens who were in favor of halfway houses and sent everyone to a halfway house, even to the point that for those inmates who refused, he had them written up for refusing a program. And, I've seen Wardens who didn't care much for halfway house and used them as recommended by the Unit Team only. I've seen Wardens who didn't allow many inmates to go to the halfway house because he wanted to keep his 'per capita' down. Meaning, that the more inmates that he had in the prison, the better things would look for him budget wise. (The cost per inmate goes down as the population goes up). Sad, but true.

(2) As for whether halfway houses are a good thing or a bad thing - it's up to the individual. It is easy for one person to make a statement for or against halfway houses, and then just as easy for someone to brush off their remarks/opinion because the did or did not get to go to a halfway house. None the less - both opinion as valid because they are the perceptions of that individual. As for me...... speaking as someone who will never go to a halfway house, yet I have extensive (both very good and bad) experience with them, I would prefer to pass on going to a halfway house. I am of the same thought as remiella in that I would rather stay within a known enviroment than switch to something with more 'freedom' but less 'control'. I would jsut rather do my time and then be done. That's me... but that doesn't mean it's for everyone.

(3) Halfway houses are good and they serve a necessary, very valuable need for this about to re-enter society.

IMHO of course. :)

Greyghost

Once again Greyghost your sagely advice has given us all food for thought. Your insights are priceless. To sum it up, I believe that 90% of our attitudes about situations lies firmly between the ears of the affected individual. It is our attitudes, intellectual abilities,and faith that determine our perceptions of situations. These are the same atributes that will allow us to sink or swim in the journey called life. For me, I try to look for the good in everything and to see difficulties as challenges that I must rise to meet. It is my sincere hope and daily prayer that each us have "Fair winds and following seas" in our life's journey and look at our daily challenges as stepping stones and not stumbling blocks. Keep the Faith.

Michael :thumbsup:

Very, very good insight Michael. Thats how I chose to look at my entire experience. Would I rather be in a halfway house than prison? YES!! Would I rather be in a halfway house than home? No way! But after 4 different federal prisons, OTC twice, I just wanted to be out of prison. So for me, it was a good thing. I had no family to speak of, no car, no clothing, nothing really, save for what I carried away from the prison with me. Wow, I think back on those days, and things have certainly changed for me! So it can be done. Some halfway houses are much more strict than others. Mine was one of the good ones which is of course part of the reason I feel the way I do.

Regardless of whether you go to halfway house or not, the thing to keep in mind is that your life is not over, you can recover and go on to live a good life.

Thanks Rob! You're a pilar of knowledge....

Every 1/2 way house if different. Every individual's experience is different. So much of it depends on the inmates attitude and maturity level. My experience says that it plays a positive role during re-introduction after a long time being down.