Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I'm a former Marine Captain and I recently was released from a federal prison in Texas. Before that I transferred from the USDB in Leavenworth, KS where I served time from 2002-06. I spent pre-trial confinement at the Camp Lejeune Base Brig. So I have a bunch of different confinement experiences and I'd be happy to answer any questions about the places I was locked up in, or about the system in general. Just got set up with parole and while I'm happy to be free, readjusting to life outside the system is tough.

I'm hoping to meet some nice people on here. It looks like a great forum. Let me say to those who have loved ones in the system, prison is tough, as the excons on here certainly know, but you can get out. I'm going to do what I can to make sure I don't go back.

USMC,
Welcome to PTO and Military Justice Forum. Congratulations on your release! Your insights and knowledge are valuable assets here and I'm sure I speak for all here in hoping you will share with us. It gives us all a bit more hope to know parole is attainable. Hang in there, you'll do fine if you just do (and don't do!) what they tell you! If you don't mind answering, what was your sentence length and did you do anything special to gain parole? My son has been at USDB since 2002 and is likely to be transferred to a federal facility in the not too distant future so any information you can share about that process is most welcome!! Again, welcome to the forum and feel free to post at will!

Lisa.

:) Hello and welcome to PTO :)

USMC,

Welcome to the fold. I am glad to hear you are settling down on parole. I know the adjustment can be a little difficult. Just keep your head up and get on with your life. You will find that working with the Parole Comission is a lot better than working with the Military. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Welcome to PTO!

USMC, welcome to the site!

can you say (if you want to) how it is hard adjusting so that we might get a little insight for when our loved ones come home. i mean is getting a job hard or going grocery shopping or driving or relationships or something entirely different. i dont mean for you to go into your life history, sorry, just what it is that makes it hard.

thanks and glad you found us dd :)

WELCOME to PTO! Semper FI (thats from my hubby) ;)

usmcinfantry,
Congrats on your release. I may chime in with you from time to time as my son will be released from Lejeune next month after a 3.5 yr stay. Hope you will fill us all in on your adjustment to to outside.
Good luck to you and God Bless,
Mombert

Welcome to PTO and thank you for your kind offer. You will find a whole bunch of different people on here who are here for one another. Good luck with your readjustment and stay on the straight and narrow!

welcome to PTO. Glad you found the site, and am glad that you made it home after serving so many years. Your determination to make your life work on the outside is the thing that keeps us, who are waiting at home, hang in there. We believe in our loved ones and second chances. Thanks for the offer of help. I am sure there are many here who will benefit from your experience.

welcome usmc,

my guy's at the DB, too. i wonder if you could share some of your experience about transferring to a federal facility. how long did it take after you got on the list? how long after you got there did they grant parole and how long after THAT did they give you a date? how far in the future was that date? had you tried for parole at the DB? what was your original sentence/offense severity and, if you know it, your salient factor score? were you at the TU before they transferred you to texas?

sorry for all the questions, but my guy is up for parole for the second time this summer and we've (like everyone else) faced much frustration with the system. while i feel like it's so much better for him to be at the DB compared to a state or federal prison (safer and cleaner and calmer and all that), he hears that they pretty much give you a release date as soon as you get to a BOP prison.

thanks a lot and i'm so happy for you that you're out!! watch out for my PMs because i ask even more questions!

:)

k

Welcome and congratulations on your release. I'm sure your knowledge will be valuable for us in one form or another. Thanks for your kind offer and my best wishes.:thumbsup:

WELCOME TO PTO AND WELCOME HOME TOO. I'M SURE YOU WILL FIND ALOT OF INTERSETING TOPICS AND INFO. AS I HAVE, MY OTHER HALF WILL BE RELEASED JULY 07 COOL HUH...:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

Thanks for all the nice words. Sorry it took me so long to reply ... I hadn't been online from when I posted until now. I'll try to answer your questions as best I can.

I was sentenced to eight years. I served just about five in total, and that's including pre-trial at the Lejeune brig. I was fortunate to make parole, because as you probably know, most people don't. There's not a lot of rhyme and reason to why people get paroled. I wish I could say it's "who you know" or even how good you are in there. If it was a case of how good someone was as a prisoner, I would've never been paroled. I had difficulty adjusting my first year of confinement. A lot of difficulty. I went from being a Company Commander to pushing a mop for a PFC. It was humbling, as it's supposed to be, but somehow my head wasn't getting the message my heart was sending out. The message was: behave, do what your told, keep your head down. I don't know if they could have "corrected" me better in the beginning, but when you're used to leading, to suddenly become completely submissive is, I believe, the hardest part for a prisoner.

But after the first year I got my act together (especially after some punishment) and I was a good boy for the rest of my time. I tried to get parole while at the DB, I was denied. Then I got word I was eligible to be transferred to a BOP facility. I was unsure of how that was going to be, because federal prisons vary widely (or so I had heard), but I didn't make any protest. No TU in between, I was chained up and sent to Beaumont where I spent the rest of my time.

They didn't give me a release date as soon as I got there. I arrived in Beaumont in September of last year and got out in March of this year. I got parole notification in December. I don't know how it works for other people, but I wasn't given a hard date at that time. It was simply like, "You will be paroled in the future." Not in those exact words, but close enough. That time came in March, so it wasn't too long but it became a waiting game during the winter. And I'll say I thought the Texas winters would make it warmer inside the prison, but that wasn't the case. :)

Again, I'm not sure why I was granted parole and others weren't. When it was time to make my case, I explained how prison affected me, what I had lost, what I had gained (and yes, there is stuff to gain) and tried to give them an overview of what my life would be like outside the military. I do believe having solid reasons help. Being humble helps (but who wouldn't be in a parole hearing?). And certainly admitting that it was just for you to be locked up is essential. The last thing they want to hear from someone who's spent 5 years in prison is that they were railroaded and so forth. I have my own issues with my arrest, conviction and sentencing, but I wasn't going to share them with the parole people.

As for adjusting to the outside, it's a whole new world. While the time did go faster than expected, I had been in the military for eight years before I went to prison. It was what I knew and the only real job I had as an adult (I only worked part time jobs in the summers during college). So yeah, everything is different. Finding a job has proven difficult. It's a federal conviction so that will have an impact on your work life. Right now I'm working construction. It's decent money but it's something I don't really have experience in, so I'm learning from the ground up. I'd like to be able to use the skills I acquired as a Marine Officer, but for now, as a parolee, I need a job, and this will do.

Driving has been interesting. My brother has let me use his Harley, so that's been helpful (and fun). It was pretty cool to smoke my first cigar in five years just very recently. I was passionate about cigars, especially as a collector, so losing that privilege was hard while in prison. I'm hoping to build my collection back up again. But all in all it's a lot of rediscovery. You get used to incarceration, though, and while I wouldn't say I want to be back in my cell, you just find it weird sleeping in a normal bed. I'm sure the ex-inmates on here can understand it, and I'd say they're probably the ONLY ones who can understand that. My back actually hurt the first few nights sleeping on a real bed with a mattress that wasn't as thin as they could get away with.

Relationships are something that will mend, I can see that now. I just have to get used to being out of the military day to day routine. Even federal prison was much more military than I had expected. Most of the boss men there are former military or reservists, so it has the same "feel" as USDB or the brig did.

So I'll conclude by saying, release does happen, but don't expect miracles when your loved ones return. It's really a "one day at a time" situation for me but luckily I have a support network. Ultimately, I was punished, I served my punishment and now I want to get back to being part of the world again. I realize I'm not equal to everyone yet, but I'm working on that.

WOW, THAT WAS A COMPELLING STORY.. I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK IN ALL YOU DO. AND IT'S LIKE YOU SAID IT IS A ONE DAY AT A TIME PROCESS, THANKS FOR ALL YOUR INSITE ON THE ON LOCK THANG... :p :p :p :p :p :p :p HARLEY???? COOL...

USMC,
It's Easter Sunday as I read your reply. I see parallels in your words about your release to The resurrection, of sorts. I can only imagine, and will someday experience, the insecurity and wonder of adjusting to a world that moves at such a lightning pace while a life is held in limbo. There are big issues to be dealt with by parolees and I am so glad you have a support network to help you sort everything out. Your realistic approach to rebuilding your life will go far. Your last sentence bothers me, though. That you are not "...equal to everyone else..." seems self-defeating. In my opinion, you are just as equal as Anyone else on this planet! Not knowing the circumstances and issues of your offense/conviction/sentence, I will bypass that and say that you were convicted, you served the time and now you are returned to society. You paid the price for whatever offense you committed and although you have lost some civil rights, you have not lost your right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (unless you violate parole!), and let NO ONE tell you otherwise. Whatever it was you were alleged to have done has, by legal standards, been atoned for. The moral "rightness or wrongness" of your offense is a score you must settle within yourself and with those you are alleged to have wronged. Maybe it's my perspective as a public defender, or maybe as a mother with a son incarcerated, but I cannot, and will not, accept that a convicted felon is any less a person with less rights than any other walking around on the street. In fact, I think the only difference in many cases, is that the self-righteous naysayers just haven't been caught! I don't know where you live but check with your parole officer or community agencies to see if there are opportunities reserved and/or created for ex-convicts that provide a better route to regaining your life than "starting at the bottom."

Thank you so much for contributing your perspectives. My son, like you, had a difficult first year, okay two, in adjusting to USDB. There was nothing serious, but it set him back a bit. He will have been in 5 years this July and will be moving to Gen Pop then, if all goes well. He has had one "official" parole/clemency board and was denied both, although he only requested clemency, not parole. He's not eligible for parole until 10 years served, so we didn't expect it anyway. Your insight into what parole boards want to hear from an inmate is very helpful.

Again, thank you for sharing with us. And keep your chin up! I think Mombert's signature says it best. I've quoted it to my son in a letter and it must have actually struck a chord with him because he mentioned it in a phone call. Please keep posting!!

Lisa.

Do they still have a TU, trustee unit, there? I spent 11 years out at the TU.

Thanks for the responses. I guess I didn't mean that I'm not the same as others morally, I meant legally. And in time I expect some of those rights to be restored. Sorry if it wasn't clear.

Yes, they still have a TU. I didn't live in it, though. 11 years? Very nice indeed.

I think that was me reading more than you wrote. Holidays are tough and I tend to get kinda froggy when people start talking about loss of rights. Just me and my outlook! You're doing great!!

Welcome to PTO sir. So very glad to have you join us. I know that your experiences will benefit many here. Thank you so much for being willing to share. God bless.

You got 8 years and already did 4 or 5? You could of done a little more time and been totally finished. I got transferred to the FCI-Low in Beaumont also. I recalled reading or hearing that the DB would honor all extra-good time requests from the FBOP. So what I did was dig up the correct form and had a bunch of different correctional officers sign these forms and multiple times then submitted them all over time. I did not know if I would ever get that time. In the end they actually gave it all to me and I was able to cut maybe 2 months off my sentence doing that.
It was my goal to get out before 2000. When I arrived my release date was around some time in Feb or March 2000. I did better than I though with those forms. I made it to Dec 24, 1999. That date was on a Sunday so I got an extra 2 days released. But hey, back then they did not know any better or did not care.

Don't worry about your "conviction" too much. Only place where it shows up is in the NCIC, though there is a high probability of it being wrong. Seems the military loves to report to the FBI the initial charges with led to your "arrest" and the FBI puts it in the NCIC as what you were convicted of.

Welcome USMC... I must say that your last sentence struck a chord with me too. Then I read Denadas entry and she hit many of my points so I would just be repeating her. You did your time, Move on and enjoy your NEW TIME ...God Bless. Be good to yourself the rest will follow.

Thanks again for all the good responses. I really appreciate it. Can I ask has anyone on here had experience with the Parole Commission? Just trying to see if my early encounters match yours.

Also, ExUSDB, as a former inmate yourself, you know that if you have the chance for parole you're probably going to take it. I saw a few of my buddies get extra time added on to their sentence when they were nearing completion and I didn't want that to happen to me. I figured parole was better than waiting it out, and good time can evaporate for someone in the blink of an eye. But I'm glad you made it out before the new millennium, it's good you're free.

As for the background check, yeah I'm curious as to who's going to see that and how much I should say when asked. I agree that I should be able to get a better job, and I'm working toward that now. I just want to make sure I'm not caught in a lie. I notice most employers ask generically if you were convicted of a crime. I'm sure there are topics on here about this, so I don't want anyone to have to repeat themselves. You all sound so supportive, it's great.

You seem highly intelligent. You are already on the right track. Welcome and best of luck to you!

Great story. I will make sure I tell my son what you were saying about being paroled. Not to blame the system but admitt your wrong doing, and tell what you are going to do when you get out. Also how prison has helped you.
Thanks for that.

I'm glad this will hopefully help your son, love4son. Appreciate that, folara1.

usmcinfantry,

Re: I saw a few of my buddies get extra time added on to their sentence when they were nearing completion and I didn't want that to happen to me.

I was confused when the personnel @ the brig said they would have to re-calculate my sons release date after his appeal netted him a 1 yr reduction in his sentence. All of a sudden they were taking away good time saying he lost it the year before, Then said it was recalculated based on his new sentence. He was of course frustrated as we all were but, you really want to believe that they are doing things by the book and stay positive. Maybe this is exactly what you watched happen to some of your friends.

As for blaming anyone else for what happened I understand that as does my son. I do have issues with the way he was treated during his stay, I think they go overboard on what is considered wrong doing. I also have to agree with you on them using a "Draw a name out of a hat technique” for granting parole. So sad but so true.



Wondering if you may have any input on what we should expect from him upon his release and after his return to our home town.



Never the less we will pick him up on the 4th of may and make sure he gets to swim in the ocean as he wished before we head back home.
:clap::yay::)

PS: As for the quote on my posts it was part of a charecter letter written for my son's 2nd parole hearing. The quote came from his cousin who served 3 tours in Iraq as A army sniper.

Mombert,

I'm so glad to hear your son will be released soon. In some ways the Lejeune brig is worse than USDB, so I understand how difficult it must have been for you and for him.

As I've said, I spent the bulk of my confinement at Leavenworth, but the beginnings of my time were at Lejeune. And even though I was a pre-trial detainee, and you'd think we'd be treated somewhat differently from sentenced prisoners (we weren't proven guilty yet), that was far from the case. Except for the different color uniforms, we were all prisoners. When I first got there, it was a bit jarring to be told right in my face I was a "scumbag prisoner" and "your rights are gone" and so on.

My biggest memory of Lejeune was the time when we were moving in formation across the hall. There were three lines going down the middle of the hall. Two yellow, one red. You cross them and the guards kick the sh*$ out of you. Had a guy push me across and I dragged him with me. They kicked the sh&% out of us. Luckily I refrained from fighting back and just went back to my cell. That's Lejeune for you -- hope your son didn't experience anything close to it.

What should you expect from him? Not knowing him, it's hard to say specifically. If he was quiet before he went in, he may suddenly be boisterous. If he was a rabble rouser, you may be startled at how reserved he's become. Just don't crowd him, I say. Three and a half years is no joke, especially at the hands of sadistic Marine guards who enjoy pushing prisoners around. He may be angry, he may be ecstatic, he may be exactly the way before he went down.

For me, in these weeks since my release, I'm happy for my freedom, but also keenly aware of the things I can't do because of parole. Can't drink, can't hunt, can't visit one of my buddies who I did time with because he's in another state. Workwise, I'm in training to do bail enforcement/bounty hunting, after someone approached me where I live. At first I thought that would be a little too much irony, but I realized my time locked up, for better or worse, made me think like a con. And I think that will help me hunting fugitives.

Your son will just need to know he has support (which is obvious, from your deep support on here) and that he'll have time to breathe when he gets out of there. Does he have a job lined up? I think that will probably help, too.

That's nice of you to take him to the ocean. I used to live in Wilmington, great beaches there.

Talked to my boy yesterday and he said the Red and yellow lines are gone now. He seemed to think they were covered in the 80's but you know how stories seem to change as time goes on.
I'm so happy to have someone that has seen lejeune in action as sometimes I think that no one believes my stories or thinks my son is just being a baby and blowing things out of perportion. I could say alot but I choose to keep my mouth shut for now (I'm sure you know why). After the 4th I will feel free to open up a little more.
Hope all is well and thanks for the insight.
Mombert

The red and yellow lines were there as of 02. I got the feeling they'd come in and out of use, as determined by who the OIC was. I'm glad they're gone though. And yes, I'm sure your son isn't a baby. Most have legitimate grievances there, but that's the way it works. There were a bunch of times I wanted to speak up about things, but the guards weren't too high on the exchange of free ideas, let's just say.

Wow, what a story. I'm going to PM you, MC, because I'm originally from Idaho. So, parole dates really don't mean anything? Yikes ... that's a tough pill to swallow. I'll discuss more on PM.

Thanks for the information on your experiences, though.