The Self-Surrender Checklist

By Michael Santos

Self-surrendering to federal prison is never easy, but I can help by providing some insight with regard to what a person can expect. I know a great deal about living in prison because I’ve been incarcerated continuously since 1987.

I’ve been confined in four federal prison camps during my long journey as a federal prisoner. They include federal prison camps at Florence, Lompoc, Taft, and Atwater. Besides those federal prison camps that give me direct personal experience, I rely upon the knowledge that comes from more than 25 years of experience in higher-security federal prisons and the information I’ve obtained through my extensive interviews with hundreds of other prisoners.

The articles in the self-surrender checklist are written especially for those people who are about to self-surrender to federal prison camps. The series of short articles describe topics of interest to new prisoners. I urge readers to consider each article for details about what to expect when self-surrendering. They’re brief, to the point, and they’re free!

The self-surrender checklist for federal prisoners will help to assuage many of the anxieties that accompany an impending prison term. The articles below do not appear in any particular order, but each has value that may ease a person’s worries. At the same time, they prepare the person (and family members) for a less complicated transition. I may update the checklist periodically but I’m going to begin the self-surrender checklist by offering the following articles:

§ Documents to Bring

§ A sad reality that some new prisoners face when they self-surrender to federal prison is that prison administrators aren’t ready to receive them. What I mean by this is that although the individual received a notice from the U.S. Marshal Service or from the Bureau of Prisons with instructions on where to self-surrender, authorities do not always complete their duties by ensuring that administrators in the prison have all of the necessary paperwork to process the new prisoner. It’s better to know this remote possibility going in, I think.

§ On the unfortunate occasions when authorities in the prison lack the necessary paperwork for intake processing, they admit the new prisoner directly into THE SPECIAL HOUSING UNIT.

§ I’ve written about the Special Housing Unit (SHU) in another section of the checklist and I urge readers to review the article. Placement in the SHU isn’t the end of the world, but it can be unsettling for new prisoners. They will understand that they should take steps to avoid placement in the SHU, otherwise known as the hole. The worst thing, I think, is the unknown. That’s why I try to help other prisoners understand the possibilities that await them.

§ One of the ways that an individual may lessen the likelihood of placement in the SHU upon arrival to a federal prison is to bring legal documents with him. Or better yet, an individual may request his defense attorney to confirm with the Marshall Service and the prison authorities that all documents are in order before the prisoner self-surrenders.

§ As a precaution, the prisoner may request his defense attorney to provide him with a copy of the pre-sentence investigation report (PSI) and the judgment and commitment order (J&C). Prison authorities will not allow the prisoner to keep his PSI with him once he enters the prison, but at least the two documents will provide the prison administrators who complete the intake process with the information they’re looking to confirm. At least that is the hope.

§ Specifically, the prison authorities want confirmation that the prisoner self-surrendering is appropriate for minimum-security camp placement. They want to ensure that the new prisoner doesn’t have a history of violence or other behavior that may be inappropriate for camp placement. They also want to make sure the new prisoner is an American citizen.

§ To that end, foreign nationals or people who became naturalized citizens may want to bring documents that confirm their immigration status.

§ Other documents that may prove helpful to bring include proof of high school diploma (or GED). If the PSI does not confirm high school graduation, prison administrators will subject the individual to patronizing classroom attendance in the GED program.

§ Any medical documents that confirm a prisoner’s needs for medical treatment will also prove helpful to the individual self-surrendering.

§ Finally, the individual should write down important names, addresses, and phone numbers on one of the documents that he brings inside. That way he won’t have any trouble filling necessary paperwork for permission to keep in touch.

§ The most important documents to bring when self-surrendering to federal prison, however, are documents that are necessary in order for administrators to process self-surrendering prisoners into the camp’s general population. I urge new prisoners to have their attorneys confirm with authorities that all paperwork is in order before the self-surrender date. Those who do not have paperwork in order begin their time in the SHU. That struggle is left best unvisited.

§ On the other hand, if authorities lock a new prisoner in the SHU, I urge the individual to keep spirits up. The time in the SHU may last a few days or a few weeks, but the person can take comfort in knowing better days lie ahead. It’s such a spirit that has carried me through more than 23 years in prisons of every security level.

§ Shoes and Personal Belongings

When people self-surrender to federal prison camp, they leave behind the liberty to access many of the personal belongings that others in society take for granted. It’s one thing to anticipate the austerity that characterizes all federal prisons, but it’s another matter entirely to experience and live with it for months, years, or decades.

I’m used to the restrictions and limitations of federal prison. They no longer bother me at all. Yet I have a duty to help those who may join our gated communities of the federal prison camp system. I want to help them understand how to live with restrictions on personal property–even shoes.

Obviously (I think) people self-surrendering to federal prison camp should not expect to access cell phones, computers, or any types of technology that people in the real world take for granted. Many prisons give prisoners access to a quasi-email-service and telephone calls, but numerous restrictions apply.

Self-surrendering into the federal prison system is like taking a step back into a much simpler time. It is like when the pace of life moved more slowly–when the most common form of communicating required reliance on the U.S. Postal Service, with days or weeks passing without any news from loved ones.

One recommendation I make to people who are about to self-surrender is that they do not bring much in the way of personal belongings when they self-surrender. The primary reason not to bring much of anything in the way of personal belongings is that prison guards will not authorize the individual to carry many (if any) personal belongings inside the prison.

The rules are quite specific about what a prisoner may bring. But guards do have some discretion. On occasion, a compassionate guard may authorize a prisoner to bring a few belongings that will ease his adjustment. In most cases, however, guards will follow strict guidelines that do not allow prisoners to carry clothing, recreational items, or much of anything inside.

Despite what information the self-surrendering prisoner may hear when he calls the institution for guidance, upon arrival the prisoner may be instructed to send the personal belongings home or donate them.

Some exceptions to this rule include a wedding band without stones and with a declared value of less than $100. Prisoners may also bring a religious item like a necklace with a cross or a Star of David—provided its value does not exceed $100.

Those who self-surrender may wear prescription glasses. They should be unadorned, simple, and the sturdier the better; it’s difficult to replace them once the person comes inside.

A person may bring a religious book and legal documents of limited quantity— I don’t recommend anything more than would fit inside a manila envelope.

One big issue is sneakers. If a person brings a pair of plain, white sneakers, without air pockets or anything that guards may consider fancy, and if the prisoner brings a note from a medical professional indicating the shoes may be necessary for medical reasons, the chances increase that the individual can carry the sneakers inside. If guards insist on him donating the sneakers, the prisoner may ask medical personnel or a counselor to intervene upon his admittance into the prison. Bringing shoes inside is a longshot, though. It’s worth the effort because it may take several weeks (or months) before a prisoner can obtain sneakers. Higher security prisons, on the other hand, may carry shoes in stock.

The rule on personal belongings, however, is to bring as little as possible. Space will be extremely limited anyway, and it’s easiest to adjust in prison when a man begins his journey by traveling light.

Rather than personal belongings, what’s most important when traversing a sentence in federal prison is to begin the journey with dignity, character, and determination to leave prison with those values intact. The more money he can bring to purchase items inside, the easier his initial adjustment will be.

§ Money Issues

§ How much does it cost to live inside a federal prison? That’s a question that few people who live in the world beyond prison can comprehend.

§ Many people live with the misperception that it doesn’t cost a prisoner anything to serve time in prison. Technically, I suppose that is true. But as is the case anywhere else in the United States, the more money a person has, the more comforts he can provide for himself— although those comforts are far more modest in prison.

§ My life is full and it feels meaningful despite the more than 23 years that have passed. One of the reasons I’m able to make as much progress as I make, however, is because I have built a network of support that provides me with the resources I need to overcome the obstacles wrought by confinement. Each month my imprisonment costs an average of $800, and I would say that is a conservative estimate.

§ Why does it cost so much? Well, living in prison is expensive for me because I choose to avoid interactions with the prison population as much as possible. That adjustment strategy means that I limit my exposure to disciplinary problems; it also means that I must purchase my food and other needs from the commissary.

§ I spend my monthly limit (of $290) every month on food items. I also purchase the maximum amount of postage and telephone access. Those expenditures run me about $500 each month.

§ In addition to the money I spend for basic needs in prison, I also have expenditures associated with my efforts to prepare for a law-abiding, contributing life upon release.

§ I also must include the costs Carole spends to support our marriage through regular visits. When considering all of those expenses, $800 each month may be on the low end; it does not include the rates I would have to pay if I did not rely on my lovely wife for typing.

§ Obviously, prison doesn’t have to cost so much. Prison administrators provide three meals each day. They provide clothing, shelter, and medical care to every prisoner. Some prisoners live without any financial assistance from outside, though living in such a way is more like subsisting. Easing the pains of confinement and maintaining a connection to society requires access to at least some financial resources.

§ With access to $100 each month, a prisoner can cover the costs of phone calls and postage, but that would be about it.

§ With access to $200 each month, a prisoner can purchase hygiene items and modest amounts of food in addition to paying for telephone and postage.

§ Access to $300 each month, gives a prisoner resources to purchase athletic apparel like sweats, sneakers as well as aspirin or medication that the health services does not provide. It would be sufficient to pay for food as well as the costs of connecting with society.

§ With access to between $400 and $500 each month, a prisoner will have resources to purchase everything possible to ease his time in prison while simultaneously covering the costs to prepare for his successful emergence into society when the prison term ends.

§ Like anywhere else in America, it costs money to live in prison. Much more than someone outside might expect.

§ Medical Issues

Every federal prison is like a fully-contained city. Administrators provide those in the population with all the amenities required by law, including medical care. Although I’ve been locked in prisons of every security level since 1987, I’ve been blessed with excellent health. But I’ve written the stories of hundreds of other prisoners, and the length of time I’ve served qualifies me to provide a macro perspective for readers who have some interest in the access federal prisoners have to health care.

Prisoners may sign up for sick-call services. Currently I’m confined in the federal prison camp in Taft, California. The sick-call procedures here are similar to the sick-call procedures I’ve known in every prison where I’ve been held.

Essentially, if a prisoner feels ill or thinks that he needs medical attention, the protocol is for him to report to the medical clinic for sick call. It is held between 7:30 and 8:00 each weekday morning.

At sick call a nurse will ask the prisoner his symptoms. Then, ordinarily, the nurse will schedule the prisoner for an appointment either later that day or within the next few days. When the prisoner reports for his appointment, the nurse will perform her diagnostic checkup and then do her best to provide treatment. More frequently than not, the treatment is limited to ibuprofen. I purchase my own ibuprofen from the commissary so that i can avoid sick call procedures.

Some prisoners have more serious health complications. For those with chronic care needs, the nurse or doctor will establish a protocol. Those who are surrendering to federal prison may want to ensure that their doctor provides sufficient documentation to verify all treatment needs. That documentation doesn’t guarantee that the prison health-service provider will treat the prisoner in the way he wants, but he can expect the prison system will provide the minimal amount of treatment required by law.

Those prisoners who have serious medical complications may serve their sentence in a medical facility. The federal prison system operates several medical facilities. Some of those facilities have an affiliation with excellent outside medical institutions, like the Mayo clinic. I’ve spoken with prisoners who served their sentences in prison hospitals in Springfield, Rochester, and Butner; each of them raved about the outstanding medical treatment they received.

Obviously, many prisoners suffer from depression. My advice to such prisoners is to find strength from within rather than to seek it through prescription medication.

As far as medical issues are concerned for federal prisoners, though, it’s best to expect administrators to provide the minimal amount of medical attention required by law, but not much more.

§ Attitude Issues

Inordinate amounts of anxiety plague people before they self-surrender to federal prison. The individual may experience sleepless nights, worries, and fears. That’s understandable. A good attitude, however, will help the adjustment.

Although more than 23 full years have passed since I began my journey through federal prison, I regularly speak with others who are just beginning their terms in federal prison camp. Soon after settling in they find that the worst part of the experience isn’t prison. It’s the time that precedes prison, when they struggled with worries about how life would change.

In talking with new prisoners, I frequently emphasize the importance of keeping a positive attitude. It’s easy to lose perspective, thinking that prison is the worst thing that can happen to an individual. Truly, the individual who moves into his sentence with a positive attitude may find it an opportunity for inner growth that may enhance the rest of his life.

I define attitude as the way an individual considers his circumstance. He has many choices. He can look at his situation as a cause for self-pity and complaining. He can grow bitter and angry. Or he can accept where he is and work to make the most of it.

Complaining only aggravates the individual’s feeling of being treated unfairly. Holding onto anger or bitterness only drives others away.

The individual who accepts his imprisonment as an opportunity to grow, on the other hand, will create new relationships that enrich his life. He may become a source of inspiration for others. A positive attitude certainly helps in passing through a lengthy prison term.

Every minute presents an opportunity to advance and I structure my time in ways that will allow me to make the most productive use of time. All of my activities relate to the goals that I strive to achieve. The key to emerging from prison stronger than when they began lies in one’s attitude.

§ Writing/Reading Issues

People who are about to self-surrender to federal prison may find solace through writing and reading. I have. It didn’t matter what stage of confinement I was in or where I was held. As long as I could communicate my thoughts to the world, I felt as if I were transcending prison and living amongst the free.

I urge new prisoners to devote significant amounts of time to writing and reading. Those actions can ease the pain of confinement. New prisoners may want to embrace reading and writing as strategic components of a deliberate adjustment strategy.

In the beginning, when I was charting my course through prison, I would spend time identifying books that I wanted to read over a given period of time. While studying toward academic credentials, I relied upon literature to educate me further. All of the books that I read bore a relationship to the career that I wanted to pursue upon release. To document the effort and record what I learned, I wrote a book report for each book I read.

I don’t recall the year that I read the most books. I do remember, however, setting a goal to read 100 books during a given year; I don’t think I ever reached that goal. The most books I read in a single year, I think, were about 70 books. But each was substantial. Now I read far fewer because I spend so much time writing. In 2010 I wrote more manuscripts than books I read.

I now use a template for the book reports. After recording identifying characteristics like title, author name, publisher, etc., I write the reason why I read the book. Then I write what I learned from the book. I conclude the book report with a few paragraphs that describe how I expect the book will contribute to my success upon release.

Over the past few years, as I make my final preparations for the career I want to build upon release, writing has become much more central to each of my day’s adjustment. I urge new prisoners to document their journey through prison through writing. A time will come when the prison term ends, and a written record will help them as they try to describe the experience to loved ones. I find writing extremely therapeutic, and all of the prisoners I introduce to the solitary craft of writing find value in the act.

Federal prisons have recently begun offering prisoners access to a quasi-email system. They may use that system as a writing tool. As I do with my daily blogs, I write to reach out and inform friends, families, and my growing support network of the steps I’m taking to prepare for the obstacles I expect to encounter upon release.

I strive to document every day, and I write to build a library that will help me triumph over every challenge. I don’t know whether the strategy will work, but I believe that total transparency will help me in the future. Through regular writing, I intend to test the theory.

I recommend the act of reading and writing to all who anticipate a stint in federal prison because both activities have been immensely helpful to me.

§ Exercise and Education

Those who anticipate a journey through federal prison may ease their stress by participating in self-directed programs that strengthen the body and mind. Such a strategy has kept me strong through more than 23 consecutive years of imprisonment and I recommend it to every new prisoner I meet.

One reason that focusing on exercise and education helps me is that I do not need to depend upon the prison system to offer programs. A prisoner can make meaningful strides toward improving his fitness and broadening his mind through his own efforts. All it takes is discipline and a 100 percent commitment to emerge stronger, with more opportunities than when he began.

With regard to exercise, all federal prisons offer opportunities to improve fitness levels. Some prisons make free weights available, others do not. Some prisons make cardio machines available such stepping machines, elliptical machines, and treadmills. Others do not.

As I’ve tried to document through my writing, however, more important than the resources available inside a federal prison, an individual must rely upon the resources available from within his own spirit. If a man can muster strength from within, he can triumph over his environment. It wouldn’t matter whether federal prison administrators locked him inside a cell, whether he was confined to a high-security federal penitentiary, or whether he was confined to within the boundaries of a federal minimum-security prison camp. A man’s state of mind is much more crucial than his surroundings, and through my writings I strive to prove it every day.

That leads to educational development. Some prisons offer courses through which an individual can work toward earning academic credentials. Those opportunities may include the high school equivalency certificate, a college degree, or even a degree from a university. Some may offer vocational programs. Others seemingly do not offer much of anything at all.

Again, regardless of what the prison offers, an individual who embraces a 100 percent commitment to emerge stronger than when he went in will find opportunities. Or he will create them. I always urge the prisoners around me to develop skills and credentials that can lead to success upon release. In my books, I document the ways that I strive to live as an example.

New prisoners must work continuously to renew hope. They may rely upon a commitment to improving their fitness through exercise, and they may improve their minds through educational exercises. By reading about my long journey through prisons of every security level, they should have confidence that regardless of what obstacles or restrictions imposed by the system, a man can always make progress.

§ Jobs and Quarters

After serving more than 23 years in federal prisons of every security level, I’ve come to the conclusion that two of the most important factors to an easy adjustment concern jobs and quarters.

Those who are new to the system may not know that prison administrators assign jobs or “work details” to all federal prisoners who are able to work. The jobs serve a purpose of providing administrators with accountability of all prisoners and supposedly reduce idleness. In reality, many of the jobs are makeshift. They can frustrate an individual who hasn’t mastered the art of self-direction.

Jobs in federal prison do not pay much. Monthly incomes may vary from as low as $5.00 per month to as high as perhaps $300 per month for those who have seniority in a few coveted prison industry positions. I would say an average prison job would yield an income of between $18 and $25. The pay isn’t enough to cover the basic costs associated with confinement.

As I’ve written about in the books I write, I’ve come to the conclusion that a prisoner would serve himself best by focusing on creating opportunities that will help him emerge from prison successfully. Prison jobs may or may not generate an income that lessens the pain of confinement. Yet I’m convinced that it’s more important to prepare for the challenges that await release than it is to ease time inside.

With that in mind, I always recommend that prisoners find job that will offer freedom of time. That time can prove valuable for prisoners who know how to discipline themselves. As I’ve written in my books, a man who disciplines can create meaning in his life and open opportunities that will enable him to leave prison stronger than when he comes in. It is important, however, to position oneself to find the right prison job. For me, the right prison job has always been one that allows me to work on independent development projects.

Besides the prison job, prison quarters are also crucial to a productive adjustment. Ordinarily, prison counselors or other staff members assign quarters in federal prison. After an initial assignment, prisoners may request a quarters change that he thinks would be more suitable to his productive adjustment. Yet the prisoner must prepare himself for the reality that not all prison staff members give a hoot about an individual’s productive adjustment. I’ve heard prison counselors say that it isn’t their job to provide the prisoner with the quarters he wants. They must only provide quarters. More often than not, counselors will obstruct a prisoner’s efforts to ease his way into a productive adjustment. Those types of obstacles I have found are part of the prison reality.

Through my books I’ve shown the strategies I’ve embraced to thrive in spite of the restrictions, limitations, and obstructions wrought by confinement. I urge new prisoners to read those books. They may help him find strategies that lead to the best prison jobs, the best prison quarters, and the best strategies that lead to success upon release.

§ Acquaintances Inside

Those who self-surrender to federal prison should exercise care with regard to their adjustment. While serving time in prisons of every security level since 1987, I have always been careful in choosing the people with whom I associated. Relationships in prison can have a huge influence on whether an individual makes progress toward preparing for the challenges that await release, or whether an individual gets trapped in a vortex of trouble with the criminal justice system.

Although I have more than 23 continuous years of prison behind me, I still exercise caution every day. One of my strategies for growth includes minimizing the quantity of people with whom I interact. It’s not that I’m trying to be asocial. Rather, I have an obligation to my family and to those who support my work. The responsibility is mine to minimize my exposure to potential problems. I can control my own behavior, but since I cannot control how the hundreds of other federal prisoners in Taft federal prison camp behave, I limit my exposure to them.

The people with whom I choose to spend time embrace values that approximate those by which I profess to live. They focus on fitness. They focus on developing skills and resources that will transition into opportunities. They carefully evaluate all decisions, assessing the risk-reward factor of each.

Federal prisoners who live less deliberate lives expose themselves to altercation with other prisoners and to altercations with staff. Both can bring problems that I strive to avoid. If a prisoner focuses on how he wants to emerge from prison, then he must stay vigilant on minimizing his exposure to problems inside.

In other books I’ve written, like Inside, I’ve described the difficulties that have followed those who interact with less disciplined prisoners. They may feel pressured by prison cliques or prison gangs. Those types of relationships bring bad influences that frequently lead to behavior that follows a “group think” type mentality. It’s inconsistent with a commitment to success upon release.

I urge those individuals who are about to self-surrender to federal prison to educate themselves. They may find value in reading the books I’ve written or the daily blog posts that describe strategies for success. Prison recidivism rates offer ample evidence of the failure that these abnormal subcultures perpetuate. Each individual prisoner has a responsibility to overcome the bad influences that persist day after day. I’ve been resisting such influences for longer than 8,600 days now, and through the books I write, I strive to show other prisoners the reasons that they should resist such influences, too.

Success through prison does not come by accident. It requires deliberate decisions every day. One of those decisions concerns the acquaintances prisoners keep. I urge other prisoners to choose acquaintances carefully.

§ Family and Friends

Those about to self-surrender to federal prison would be wise to think about their relationships with family and friends. I have been a prisoner for longer than 23 years. The journey has been long, but not without meaning, happiness, and fulfillment. I attribute the peace of mind that I’ve kept through prison to my relationship with family and friends.

Nurturing relationships with family and friends through a lengthy prison sentence requires work. The prisoner must remember that he is not alone in experiencing the hardship of imprisonment. All of those who love a prisoner, to some extent, struggle through the difficulties that imprisonment brings. Each prisoner has the responsibility of helping his family members and friends triumph over the challenges of confinement.

Some of the difficulties that prisoners must consider include limitations on telephone access and restrictions on visiting. By writing regularly, a prisoner can keep connections to loved ones alive. Writing, however, requires a commitment. The prisoner must write without expectations of receiving a response. People outside may not take the time to write letters, address envelopes, send mail. Prisoners must write anyway.

Prisoners can help themselves by recognizing that all of the challenges that people outside face. While in prison, the system will provide food, clothing, shelter, and a community. It’s very much a communistic system, with the institution providing everyone in accordance with needs and the individual serving the needs of the institution. I detest it, but I’ve learned to grow despite the wretchedness of it. One of the reasons I grow is because I commit each day to prove worthy of the love I receive from family and friends.

While the system provides for my needs, I understand that my family and friends must go on with their lives. Whereas I can commiserate with people in prison who endure the same struggles as I endure, my wife cannot so easily talk with others. She must live with the stigma of having a husband in prison. In our case the challenge may be less intense because we lead such a public life as a kind of voice from within the prison system. Other wives, however, struggle with this system. It’s up to each prisoner to help.

Children also suffer. They do not always know how to respond to friends. They do not have the peace to speak about the problems a father’s imprisonment brings to the family. Those complications manifest in different ways. The prisoner must consider them and think about how he will influence growth despite the complications wrought by confinement.

The lives of friends will move on, too. They will focus on their careers, their immediate relationships outside. As months and years separate a prisoner from society, those ties will weaken. Prisoners must prepare themselves for such eventualities. The harder he works to nurture family and community ties, the more effective he will be in maintaining them.

All of those efforts feed my optimism that opportunities will open for a better life upon release. I urge those about to embark upon a prison journey to consider how they can work to build and nurture their own strong networks of support.

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