Incarcerated 44 Years - Part II

USP FLORENCE - HIGH
U.S. PENITENTIARY
5880 HWY 67 S
FLORENCE, CO 81226

The United States Penitentiary (USP) in Florence, Colorado, is a high security facility housing male offenders. It is part of the Florence Federal Correctional Complex (FCC)

USP Florence is located on State Highway 67, 90 miles south of Denver, 45 miles south of Colorado Springs, and 40 miles west of Pueblo.

Judicial District: Colorado

On May 8, 2003, I was released from the United States Penitentiary, Florence, Colorado, one of the most dangerous United States Penitentiaries within the Federal Prison System that predominantly houses gang members.

This penitentiary was on total lock-down every few weeks due violence between the gang members.

Upon my release after a total of 44 years of incarceration I was instructed to report to a contract federal halfway house in San Diego, California. This contract halfway house was known as Correctional Alternatives, Inc, located at 35th and Oceanview Avenue. This was a section of the San Diego County Work Furlough Program, owned by a father and son that had a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a transition program, supposedly helping people being released from prison to make a transition back into the community. For approximately 90 days.

The only services that they provided were a bunk bed in a dormitory setting, three T.V. dinner size meals a day and two bus tokens a day. No medical services, no toilet articles, no clothing and no job lead. However the Federal Bureau of Prisons paid them big money to provide us with needed services. The only money that we had was whatever we were able to save from our prison jobs. In prison, prison jobs paid from $0.11 - $1.25 an hour depending on your job. I worked as an Adult Continuing Education instructor and made $.80 an hour. I was released with $500.00. This went for clothing, hygiene supplies and a bus pass.

I do not want to bore you with a lot of details. So I will move on.

For a period of time I looked for a job daily. The bottom line was because of my long history of incarceration, my age and physical health I was not employable.

While incarcerated I was taken to an outside hospital for major surgery and was diagnosed with Crone's disease. If not treated it could easily kill you. But it is not contagious. As a result I qualified for SSI and was approved for it. My total monthly income is $940.00. Can you imagine living in San

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