Making Progress

A moment of humor - You might be in prison if you enjoy eating food labeled, “Not fit for human consumption.”

On a more serious note: Maybe the BOP has finally made progress in transferring the RDAP participants trapped at this camp. There are 27 men left in the RDAP program at the Florence camp, who will finish the program here. They transferred the remaining active RDAP phases via Diesel Therapy. I’m still waiting my turn to transfer to a new camp that offers the RDAP program. The RDAP program at the Florence camp has been permanently canceled, and the first phase of the current RDAP class was designated and loaded onto a bus destined for a new camp earlier this week. Does that mean I’m next? An excellent question to which I do not know the answer. They will transfer me to an RDAP camp when the BOP is good and ready and not a minute sooner. The life of an inmate in custody at the BOP can be frustrating, and this is one of those moments. I will survive.

Adding insult to injury is that I’ve been booted from the FSA coursework I’ve been participating in because I’m supposed to be transferred soon. Some say by the end of summer. That was 26 days ago and my scheduled RDAP start date is long past due. I’m supposed to take part in FSA classes to earn credit towards early release, but I can’t participate when the staff insists on kicking me out of the classes. Talk about a catch-22 on an endless road to nowhere! As usual, the BOP is struggling to figure out the RDAP transfers for everyone, and they’ve mangled the implementation of the FSA law. I wonder how long they need to figure that one out ... it’s been 3 years since Congress passed the law. It can’t be that difficult to implement, but this is the BOP (the inside joke: the BOP acronym means for Backwards on Purpose).

My focus remains on self-improvement, and thankfully, I don’t need BOP approval or permission to achieve these goals. I’ve shared my ideas and progress with my wife and received wonderful encouragement. My dramatic weight loss should be a rejoicing occasion when we’re back together again. My wife has explained the benefits of meditation, and I think it good idea. I’m not sure of how, but it will be another area of self-improvement that I should exercise.