Hello, I'm new to this site and require some info. I will be self reporting to Alderson F.P.C. on 7/28/08 what should I know I've never been in trouble before, I've never even been to city or county jail. I'm very nervous. Any info would help. THANKS

Has anyone ever wrote a letter to the judge after sentencing for reduction or at least a transfer closer to home. My husband wants me to write a letter to the judge, but someone told me they won't even look at it no more.:(

you must file a2255 motion, it must be sent to the federal district court where he was sentenced

Hey Shorties Boo...my name is emily and my mom actually just came up upon her 1 year mark last week...alderson is a very good place to be if you are serving federal time...look for my mom she is in A-2..her name is Kris Clark and she is a great person she will help you out...make sure you do bring a certain amount of money with you...also once you are there you can email and call family and friends..i know it is a big adjustment, but if you need anything else let me know! Whats your name I will tell my mom to look out for you..best of luck! E-mail me with anything else! or call me (Edited per PTO Policy please pm member for Phone no.):)

I have been sentenced to 21 months in Alderson and my surrender date is July 28th also. My boyfriends mom lives in Southpoint, OH and we are leaving on Sunday and spending the night down there for us to drive the rest of the way to W. Va. on Monday morning. Did they give you a time to surrender?

My name is Leslie and I'm sure I'll be seeing you there! ;)

Hi Emily and Leslie,
Thanks so much for posting I really appreciate it. My name is Kelly Phillips. I live in the Northern Panhandle of W.V. I will be driving to Alderson (4hrs and 50min). The letter I got from BOP says to report no later than noon. My atty stressed no later than noon as well. Emily I will look for your mom and Leslie I will see you on the 28th. As each day goes by I got more nervous than the day before! This is all new to me. My husband is in FCI Elkton, not a nice place. I was sentenced to 1 yr. I was begining to think no one was going to answer this post. Thanks I feel a little better now. Leslie if I can help in any other way let me know.

Hey Shorties Boo...my name is emily and my mom actually just came up upon her 1 year mark last week...alderson is a very good place to be if you are serving federal time...look for my mom she is in A-2..her name is Kris Clark and she is a great person she will help you out...make sure you do bring a certain amount of money with you...also once you are there you can email and call family and friends..i know it is a big adjustment, but if you need anything else let me know! Whats your name I will tell my mom to look out for you..best of luck! E-mail me with anything else! or call me 814-758-8595 :)

My daughter just came home from Alderson...knew your Mom...
I leave on 7/11 for Alderson for one year and one day.

I just need to figure out what I can bring with me and what I cant. I've got cash ready to take with me but some of the other forums that I've read says you cant bring any in with you. And with my large amount of restitution, I'm almost positive when my boyfriend puts anything on my books that they will take most of it.

And yes, each day that goes by, I'm getting more and more stressed. Worrying what he will be doing while I'm there, and I honeslty believe that I'm doing more harm by stressing than good. I'm a mess. I wanted to work up til 2 weeks before I went in but they went ahead and "let me go". Bastards. I'll be keeping my little girl the whole week before I go. I would LOVE for her to visit me but I do not want her to go through the whole getting patted down thing and all of that. NO children should be subjected to that because of the mistakes their parents made. =(

Also, from Dayton, Ohio, Alderson is between 7-8 hours. Which totally blows on the visitation. My boyfriend drives a V-8 Dodge Dakota. And with the gas prices the way they are. Yuck.

Hello, I'm new to this site and require some info. I will be self reporting to Alderson F.P.C. on 7/28/08 what should I know I've never been in trouble before, I've never even been to city or county jail. I'm very nervous. Any info would help. THANKS

And the same goes for me. I've never been in jail before either.

Makes it kinda scary. From the other posts that I've read, they have an Olympic size swimming pool :thumbsup: at "Camp Cupcake" :p where you can swim in the summer, and rollerblading etc. Some of it sounds horrible :confused: but some of it sounds decent.

I'm "trying" to keep my head up!:sad&blue:

I'm taking a money order (from the Post Office) to start up my commissary account and nothing else...maybe a piece of ID.
My daughter took a money order also and empty containers for her prescription meds.
Ditto us...never in trouble...not even a parking ticket...all a new experience.
My daughter's 5 yr old son visited but not often because of the expense. He took no notice of what was going on around him because he was so happy to see his Mom.

And the same goes for me. I've never been in jail before either.

Makes it kinda scary. From the other posts that I've read, they have an Olympic size swimming pool :thumbsup: at "Camp Cupcake" :p where you can swim in the summer, and rollerblading etc. Some of it sounds horrible :confused: but some of it sounds decent.

I'm "trying" to keep my head up!:sad&blue:

No more pool...it was filled in.
Don't know about the in-line skating.
No more "cottages" either...everyone in a large "range" with cubes.

That pool has been gone for DECADES, but that aside Alderson isn't bad, that area of the county is beautiful and the staff is as nice to you as you are to them. I think it is better to mail a US PO money to the Iowa address about a week before you turn yourself in though, but many have had no problems doing it the other way. You also should be able to wear a plain wedding band with no stones and a very simple religious necklace. A piece of paper with addresses and phones number should be OK too.

If you are a reader you might want to think about packing up a few envelopes of paperback books for yourself too; you can mail them a day or two before surrender and that way you'll have something to read even though there will be a library. In fact, you can pack up several and have your friends or family mail them for you every couple of weeks. You can also subscribe to magazines and newspapers - I always just got Sunday 'cause I loved the bigger crossword puzzles.

I promise that Alderson is going to be WAY less bad then you're thinking. It is filled with woman that made a mistake and are paying the price - most of them will be no different then any of you.

Visiting in Alderson in nice especially for children and nobody will be patted down. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how nice the visiting room is and how child friendly it is. Inmate volunteers come in each week end to keep the kids occupied so the parents can have some "alone" time - or as alone as you can get in a visiting room.

Hi everyone,
I made a call to Alderson, I was told only to bring my money, my I.D., A list of prescriptions from the Dr. And a small soft cover address book. You can wear a relig. necklace amd a wedding band with no stones. Leslie did they tell you what time to report?

I just received today a letter stating to be there at 2pm. It might be the same for you. I'd check it out.

I have no wedding bands and no religious necklace, so looks like I'm going with money and an ID.

Leslie,
Went back and double checked, my letter says no later than noon. Watch me get there by then and they'll tell me 2:00. I'll be pissed. I guess that"ll be 2 hrs earlier when I get out. LOL

The earlier in the day you get there the better off you will be as they'll have time to get you processed in before count. Also, you'll be release early in the morning no matter when you go in - the BOP doesn't get into counting hour by hour.

ajap,
thanks for the useful info. also will i have to go to a halfway house? my sentence is
1yr and 1 day? any info would be helpful.

You will only do 85% of your time. From what I read, about 3 months of your remaining time you will do in a halfway house. But then again, I read a lot of different things about it.

I'm going to double check my letter I received about the time. Dont want to start off on a bad note.

Leslie,
Hi, talked to my atty the other day he told me not to be a min past noon. So I feel you when you say starting off on the wrong foot. Well, we only have 21 days left! I keep tellin myself I'm gonna make the best of a bad situation, but I'm really not ready for this! I'm sure no one is ever really ready. Keep your head up, hope to see you on the 28th.

I keep tellin myself the same exact thing, make the best out of the worst. I have known now for about a year and a half almost 2 years that this was coming. Just hadn't went to court or any of that shit.

Even tho I got sentenced to 21 months, we might be out about the same time.

They say I automatically get 3 months off for good behavior which = 18 months.
Then for completing the 500 hour drug program which the court ordered is another, on average 9 months but up to 12 months. Which if it is 9 months then it = 9 months. If its 12 then it = 6 months.

Who knows. I've read so much about it. Looked into what courses they offer to get some kind of degree. But its so hard not knowing how much time your gonna do and what class to take because they all vary so much.

I can sit here all I want and say that I am not scared. But I am!

And believe me, you'll see me. Look me up on myspace. Leslie Saylor. So you can possibly recognize me.

ajap,
thanks for the useful info. also will i have to go to a halfway house? my sentence is
1yr and 1 day? any info would be helpful.


Because you got sentenced to a day past a year, you will only do about 10 months of that. If they would have sentenced you to 365 days or one year, you would have done exactly that.

From what I've read, you should do about 3 months in a halfway house and the other 7 in Alderson.

Leslie,
Hi, talked to my atty the other day he told me not to be a min past noon. So I feel you when you say starting off on the wrong foot. Well, we only have 21 days left! I keep tellin myself I'm gonna make the best of a bad situation, but I'm really not ready for this! I'm sure no one is ever really ready. Keep your head up, hope to see you on the 28th.


I checked with my attorney just 5 mins ago and he said they told him for me to be there BEFORE 2pm. I'd check again cause I'm sure that you dont want to be there 2 hours more than what you have to. Not even a minute before you have to!

Hope things are going well for you! Myself, I havent been able to sleep, eat, or do anything but lay on the couch. I've completely drained myself. The last week that I have free, I will have my daughter. She will definetly keep me occupied but at the same time, it is going to be more depressing than what I am going through right now.

Let me know what happens or if you find out anything about the things we need to bring with us or whatnot. I have narcotic prescriptions and I am still trying to figure out if I should take the prescription, an empty pill bottle or a full one. Cant find anything out off of the internet or by calling Alderson. Just the homework on all of this is tiresome.

hey emily my moms in b4 i will see if she knows your mom. i am going to visit this weekend with my 5 month old. she hasnt seen him since he was 2 months. she is going to be so excited. hopefully the weather is nice. so we can take him to the playground!

im not sure about meds. i know you cant bring any. my mom has thyroid issues and exema. they put her on percocets the first 2 weeks she was in there. she was a smoker and a drinker, not sure if that had anything to do with it. it took awhile for her to get meds for the exema. ill find out this weekend

they dont pat you down. you cant take in a purse. everything has to be in a clear bag. change, id, keys. they even have a play room for kids and they do arts and crafts. when the weathers nice there is a play ground outside.

I just need to figure out what I can bring with me and what I cant. I've got cash ready to take with me but some of the other forums that I've read says you cant bring any in with you. And with my large amount of restitution, I'm almost positive when my boyfriend puts anything on my books that they will take most of it.

And yes, each day that goes by, I'm getting more and more stressed. Worrying what he will be doing while I'm there, and I honeslty believe that I'm doing more harm by stressing than good. I'm a mess. I wanted to work up til 2 weeks before I went in but they went ahead and "let me go". Bastards. I'll be keeping my little girl the whole week before I go. I would LOVE for her to visit me but I do not want her to go through the whole getting patted down thing and all of that. NO children should be subjected to that because of the mistakes their parents made. =(

Also, from Dayton, Ohio, Alderson is between 7-8 hours. Which totally blows on the visitation. My boyfriend drives a V-8 Dodge Dakota. And with the gas prices the way they are. Yuck.

my mom also said you can bring in a calender with no bindings and a paperback bible

Hi everyone,
I made a call to Alderson, I was told only to bring my money, my I.D., A list of prescriptions from the Dr. And a small soft cover address book. You can wear a relig. necklace amd a wedding band with no stones. Leslie did they tell you what time to report?

last time i went to visit before they let us in they let a big group of women out. they were hugging and crying- it was really nice. i couldnt help but be jealous. we will have mom back soon though.


The earlier in the day you get there the better off you will be as they'll have time to get you processed in before count. Also, you'll be release early in the morning no matter when you go in - the BOP doesn't get into counting hour by hour.

Hey Leslie I feel you, I'm having a hard time sleeping thru the night and all i want to do is lay around and do nothing. I have no energy! Your right the last week of freedom will be depressing. I'm gonna be there by noon as my letter and atty told me to be. Don't beat yourself up to much, I try not to.

Hey Shorties Boo...my name is emily and my mom actually just came up upon her 1 year mark last week...alderson is a very good place to be if you are serving federal time...look for my mom she is in A-2..her name is Kris Clark and she is a great person she will help you out...make sure you do bring a certain amount of money with you...also once you are there you can email and call family and friends..i know it is a big adjustment, but if you need anything else let me know! Whats your name I will tell my mom to look out for you..best of luck! E-mail me with anything else! or call me 814-758-8595 :)

Hi. I just got sentenced 2 days ago. I thought it would be so much easier after I found out, but it is harder since I got sentenced to 24 months. I was expecting a lot less or probabtion even. I really would feel better if I knew someone ther. I am thinking about looking up your mom. I hope I can call you sometime in the near future also at the number above. I am really really scared and I have not been able to sleep or eat the last 2 days. I have put in a request for West Va. It is not definite yet but........

I am a smoker so I was wondering if you were allowed to smoke in prison?

I am a smoker and was wondering if you could smoke in prison

Kikitkim, I'm a smoker as well, there is NO SMOKING in any Fed prison, I checked it out about 6 months ago. Its gonna suck, but if we keep busy time will fly.

I'm a smoker too. Hopefully things aren't too boring the first 2 weeks of A&O or I'll be going nuts.

I get my daughter this Wednesday and I am keeping her until the Friday before we leave. For a week and a half almost. I hope that me being depressed won't have an impact on the time that we have together. I know that when her father picks her up on Friday, I am going to be a mess.

Have you found anything new out that we dont already know about the place? I look everyday on any website that I can and they really dont give you a whole lot of info.

I am not sure i will be at Alderson but that is where I requested. How many of you got placed where you requested? I heard Martha Stewart wanted to be placed in Conn. but got sent to Alderson...and heard she was very disappointed? Is it that bad? Just very scared. I hope if I go there, I will get to meet some of you there....

This may come too late for some, but hopefully it will help others about to enter Alderson.

My sister-in-law self-surrendered on July 25th, so though I certainly don't know all the ins and outs, I have learned what's required upon entering.

Do take:

Money order, no cash (federal money order is best bet)

ID: Driver's license AND SS card

Proof of high school diploma or you will be mandated to take the GED course.

Lists:

Visitation: 20 max

Phone: 30 max (pre-pay phone cards can be purchased from prison, so no collect calls are necessary, but it's not cheap. Calls to cell phones are acceptable, but cannot be used for collect calls. There are stipulations in place, such as;

No:

3-way calling
speaker phone
if you have call waiting and another call comes in, ignore it or you will immediately be disconnected.

Email: Available, but only if your internet provider doesn't block the system. Much cheaper than phone calls, too. You must accept initial email in order to correspond in this way.

Letters: no limit, but mark back of envelope as to the contents

If your husband is in another federal prison, you both will have to ask for special permission to write one another. No phone calls are allowed.

Hope this helps.

Hello, I'm new to this site and require some info. I will be self reporting to Alderson F.P.C. on 7/28/08 what should I know I've never been in trouble before, I've never even been to city or county jail. I'm very nervous. Any info would help. THANKS
hey kiddo how you doing just happened on this site, hope all is okay with you tuc is really up for the reason he is seriosly looking for a car so he can come and she you, think happy thoughts