Volunteering in the Federal Prison Camp

There will be times in the federal prison camp where you can volunteer to help other inmates, the BOP (bureau of prisons) prison staff and correctional officers.

My suggestion is that you know what you are getting yourself into before volunteering. I say that because other inmates are watching and suspicion is a doorway to a lot of bad and good things. It’s best to just not volunteer for anything until you have observed everything yourself for a while.


When you do decide to volunteer and help other inmates, make sure you follow through with your services because your word is very important. Inmates look for people who they can trust and those who honor their words will be the ones they respect.

Wait to be selected when it comes to helping a BOP staff member or correctional officer. Offering to help is admirable but when other inmates are watching, it can be a sign that you are looking for favor or as I mention in an earlier post, a rat.

If someone in the BOP staff happens to select you to help with something, just do it, be polite and keep quiet with no conversation unless they ask you a question. When you are finished with what they asked you to do, politely let them know you are done and wait to be dismissed. This will show the staff and officers that you respect their authority and you start gaining their confidence in you also. Remember that other inmates are still watching and this will be a testing time of your trust and honor to them because believe it or not, you are part of a family.

In regards to helping other inmates, someone new to the prison camp is a prime target for those wanting to take advantage of your generosity. You will be asked to help out by just simply sharing some of your commissary items, be careful because that is the first sign of a trap. Learn to say no from the beginning and just observe, the other inmates already know who is taking advantage of people and you will learn quickly who to trust.

Volunteering to help is good and eventually you will make friends and help each other with favors and exchanging of services. But the goal here is to survive the time you are incarcerated and get back to your family. So again be a man of your word to everyone, friend or foe, because in the end your word and how you act on it will become your strength and the best equipment to survive.






7 Comments to “Volunteering in the Federal Prison Camp”
on 23 Jun at 4:36 am1Tea N. Crumpet

Rickey! I am shocked (shocked!) that you don’t have many responses to your postings. I am a regular visitor of Bill at Down the Rabbit Hole. I have a darling friend in a federal camp– we’ve never met, but a mutual friend blogged about him and I started writing to him. (I had dated the man who entrapped him– what a jerk he was and he’s never changed!) We are both happily married to other people and I think that writing is the best way to get to know someone. I do mail art on my letters and he says I have a bunch of fans at his camp– this makes me happy!

Your topic is terrifying, but your posts are extremely well written.
on 24 Junat 9:03 pm2Rickey

Tea,
Thank you for visiting and Yes, I agree there are only a few responces to my posting but what you do not see is the people who have contacted me personally. My goal is to inform people of the truth and to bring some comfort to those who are getting ready to self-surrender or a family member.
Regarding your mail art, that’s wonderful because mail call is one of the highlights of the day and every inmate welcomes it. Art is a great pass time for most inmates. I use to barter services by doing calligraphy work on letters, envelopes and birthday cards for inmates.
A lot of men enjoyed sending drawings to their kids and I’m sure that your mail art has inspired a few reproduction for other mailings.
Keep writing because it gives them hope more than you will ever imagine.
on 10 Sep at 12:29 am3mary

hi you have given a lot of info-and i thank u.. R.. I HAVE A QUESTION MY HUSBAND IN A FEDERAL PRI….HIS BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP AND I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR HIM PERHAPS..I HAVE SENT ,LETTER,CARD S,MAG.BOOKS,$..AND IDEAS?
on 10 Sep at 5:22 pm4Rickey

Hello Mary,
One of the most touching gifts I received from my wife on my birthday was a specialized card she created herself. She took a few of our photographs and scanned them into the computer and wrote neat captions next to each picture. My favorite one was on our anniversary where she took our wedding pictures and again scanned them into the computer and personalized the homemade card. Very memorable and special to our relationship. Books were also a great gift I enjoyed receiving.
on 22 Sep at 8:05 pm5Dee

Hi Rickey,
I wanted to let you know I found your site today and have just about read every posting. I have a friend who is in camp right now. He is having to deal with a SIMS report he has no idea about which is causing a delay on starting his driving job. Any suggestions?
Thanks! Can I ask how long you have been out?
on 23 Sep at 3:24 am6Rickey

Dee, thank you for visiting. I am not familiar with the SIMS report, sorry.
I have been out 2 1/2 years.
on 16 Jan at 11:19 pm7rawdeal

I just found your web site and am awaiting prison camp. Thank you so much for the valuable information.