NEW YORK -- Martha Stewart, convicted of lying about a stock sale, has been ordered to serve her sentence at the federal prison in Alderson, W.Va.

Stewart had asked to serve her five-month sentence in Danbury, Conn., close to her 90-year-old mother and her home in Westport, or as a second choice in Coleman, Fla. But the federal Bureau of Prisons instead chose Alderson, a minimum-security women's prison that houses about 1,000 inmates.

Stewart issued a statement Wednesday confirming the prison selection. She repeated that she had hoped to be designated to a "facility closer to my family and more accessible to my appellate attorneys." But she said she was pleased she was assigned so quickly to Alderson, and noted it was the first federal prison camp for women in the United States.

"I look forward to getting this behind me and to vigorously pursuing my appeal," she said.

A federal judge has ordered Stewart to report to prison by Oct. 8.

Alderson was chosen largely because of its remote location, a source close to the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press. There was concern that the Connecticut and Florida prisons were too accessible to the media, the source said.

Those prisons also had more serious overcrowding issues, the source said. The Coleman prison, for example, is crowded with inmates moved from other Florida prisons because of the recent hurricanes.

Dan Dunne, a spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons, declined to comment on the decision.

Stewart, 63, and former stockbroker Peter Bacanovic were convicted in March of lying to federal investigators about why Stewart sold 3,928 shares of ImClone Systems Inc. stock in December 2001.

They received the same sentence -- five months in prison, plus five months of house arrest.

Both were allowed to remain free while they appealed, but Stewart announced plans this month to begin serving her time anyway in order to "reclaim my good life." Her appeal remains alive.

The West Virginia prison, nicknamed Camp Cupcake, opened in 1927. Located about 270 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, it is known for its open environment. There are no metal fences surrounding the camp.

Like all other inmates, Stewart would be expected to work most of each day. The primary jobs there are grounds maintenance, sanitation and food services. She can earn between 12 cents and 40 cents an hour at these jobs, which begin shortly after a daily 6 a.m. wakeup call, Dunne said.

Inmates at Alderson sleep in bunk beds in one of nine large dormitory-style rooms that house between 26 and 90 inmates per room. There are no individual cells. Lights out is about 8:45 p.m. on weekdays, a bit later on weekends, Dunne said.

Its best-known inmates include Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a member of the Manson family who tried to shoot President Ford, and Sara Jane Moore, who also tried to kill Ford.

Shares in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., Stewart's multimedia empire, were down 20 cents at $15.56 in midday trading Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange.

Ummmm, I spent 18 months at Alderson from 2001 to 2003, and the lights were never out at 8:45. Count was at 10:00 p.m. and lights out was at 11:00 p.m.7 days at week! All new commits start out in the same place -- in the ranges, where 124 women are housed 2 to a "cube". After 3 months of good conduct you are eligible to move to a cottage which is exactly like a college dorm - two inmates to a room with a door that closes, windows that open and close, a tv room that is almost like a living room. Not sure where these reporters get their information, but its almost always inaccurate.

I absolutely agree, Vicki. These reporters need to get their FACTS straight before they report this stuff. 8:45? Yeah, right. Umm.....but what do we know Vicki? We were just there, thats all!!!! Jeesh...........

In addition, Alderson is in the Appalachian Mountains, not the Allegheny Mountains. Sheesh! My home in West Virginia is about an hour from Alderson. Right, Chrisa, what do we know! :) We used to get run out of the TV room at 1 a.m when they closed on weekdays 'cause we were still in there crocheting!

LOL, those were the days, huh, Vick? Crochet queens, don't forget, LOL.

So typical of the BOP not to place her near her family! Though I've heard that Alderson is a better place than Danbury. Regardless, her time is relatively short and she'll be back home to her family before too long. Zelda

Ladies who have graduated from Alderson....Is the place really old? Is it staffed by "hillbillies?" Did you have problems with mice and rats? My husband was at Ashland, built in the 30's, and use to have rats and mice running across his bed, even though he is a clean freak. When he learned that Martha was going there, he laughed because he thinks she'll be very wide eyed when she sees the kitchen!

Parts of Alderson are old but many of the bulidings are brand new. No mice, no rats. Hillbillies? I shall remain quiet on that one.............LOL

Clare Hanrahan, one of the School of America protesters, wrote a book about her experiences in Alderson from December 2001 to June 2002: Jailed for

Justice: A Woman's Guide to Federal Prison Camp. She sells it priviately. The book is not bad at all.

Contact Clare at chanrahan@ncpress.net.

I never saw a rat or a mouse, even in the older cottages where I was housed. We did have squirrels who are so tame that they begged for animal crackers and hard candy from you when you sat outside at the picnic tables and benches. Since squirrels are of the rodent family it might be technically said we had them! :)

As far as hillbillies are concerned, and since I am a one, yes, we had them on staff! :)For the most part, the staff at Alderson is fairly laid back. However, there is a new warden there since I left, so I am not sure how things have changed.

And yes, Martha, or anyone else, might flip out seeing the CDR kitchen, but I have to admit, the food was a lot better there than anywhere else I was during my four year "hitch".

Clare Hanrahan, one of the School of America protesters, wrote a book about her experiences in Alderson from December 2001 to June 2002: Jailed for

Justice: A Woman's Guide to Federal Prison Camp. She sells it priviately. The book is not bad at all.

Contact Clare at chanrahan@ncpress.net.

I was one of the School of the Americas protesters, and Clare sent me a copy of her book before I went to trial. It was very helpful to me, and it gave me a good idea of what my new "home" would be like, even though I was pretty sure that I was not going to Alderson. I went to Danbury, and, while some of the details of her book didn't apply to my situation, much of it was pretty accurate. Fortunately, I did speak to people who had been to Danbury before I went... because, if I had just read Clare's book, I would have been quite shocked (and unprepared) when I arrived in Danbury and was immediately dispatched to....... the SHU!!!!

There is no SHU in Alderson.

alice

No, meowmachine, there is no SHU at Alderson. For a while Alderson would seg inmates at the Regional Jail in Beckley, but that was starting to change right before I left in January 2003. Although they were still sending girls to Beckely, they were also sending them to the seg unit in Danbury, but refusing transfers because of the expense. Go figure.

I met Clare shortly before she left Alderson - nice lady. I also met several School of the Americas protestors before I left.