Patrina Parker (page 60): from Fluvanna, 1 June 2001

Dear Website,

Well, the answer to your question about writing about my perception of the Fluvanna situation and how it has hurt me - yes, please enter it on the web site. I am looking forward to the whole world reading what's going on with women in prison.

Mentally, I have not been able to handle it. I'm trying my best to cope, but all that I've worked and hoped for seems to have slipped away. And I've done nothing to deserve this.

I've suffered from depression most of my life; diagnosed a manic depressive, I've been on medication for 15 years (almost half of my life). But before coming to Fluvanna I've been successfully drug free (all psychotropic drugs) for the past year, and quite stable I might add. All due to the psychological program and stable environment in Carswell that I once thrived in.

Here in Fluvanna they have NO psychological program to help people like me. I don't want to have to go back on medication. I want to go back into society as a "well human being" and be the mother to my son that he deserves. I can be very proud of and look forward to being a productive member of society, setting a good example for my son who admires my growth and drive in spite of my circumstances.

I'm at my wits' end trying to figure out once again where I went wrong and why was my life disrupted here again - for a head count.

Please let me know if this is what you are looking for to go on our web site.

Thanking you in advance for your time, patience, and help.

Anxiously awaiting and looking forward to your reply,

(Sincerely) Patrina Parker

* * *

(Her statement)

I am currently incarcerated at Fluvanna Correctional Center State prison which is a maximum security facility. There is a contract between BOP and DOC to house over 200 federal inmates, due to overcrowded federal prisons. My security classification is low.

I am writing you today with high hopes and great expectations. I arrived at this state facility in November of 2000. I was sentenced in a federal court in March of 1995 to serve 235 months in a federal prison. I have served quite a bit of my sentence. I have no disciplinary problems to speak of.

I will give you a brief description of the living situation of FCCW. My living quarters are as follows. I live in a wing with 55 women. The cells are 2 women cells with doors. We have 4 stand up counts: 7.00 AM, 11 AM, 3.30 PM, and 9.30 PM. Recreation consists of walking in a circle outside for 30 minutes, or if we are lucky we will get to go to the gym or play softball twice a week. If we are walking in a circle, we must keep moving forward, we cannot stop or go the other way.

The federal inmates here in Fluvanna are limited in jobs. The majority of federal inmates sit around in the day area and play cards. There is a smoke wherever and whenever policy here, so if you don't smoke you are still constantly being put in danger because of all the smoking that is taking place around you. This facility is a 23 hour lockdown prison. If you don't work outside the building you must endure the smoke. The staff have recently attempted to cure the second hand smoke problem by using one of the wings as a healthy living wing (non-smoking).

Hair must be cut above shoulder length. If it is past the shoulders, you must cut it or you will be placed in segregation. There are two federal inmates in segregation at this present time exercising their religious rights not to cut their hair. They have been in segregation over two months.

Visitation is one hour per week on a Saturday or Sunday.

To visit the law library, you must submit a request form before you are permitted to go. Upon receiving your request back, you are scheduled a one hour appointment with no exceptions. One hour per week is the law library's appointment schedule. There are two typewriters in the law library. The cases are stored in Dell computers. If you are not an inmate law aide, you cannot touch the computers for research. The law aides must find the things that you are in need of.

Food service is ridiculous. They serve child size portions of food. The food is horrible. Salt is not used to prepare the food. Almost all of the food is donated. It is a mystery what the Food Service staff is doing with the budget money. It's definitely not spent on the food.

You are permitted to spend 40 dollars a week at the commissary, and that includes your stamps and all personals.

The telephone system is set up for collect calls only, whereas in the federal prisons an inmate has a choice of collect calls or direct dialing. Our families have informed us of the outrageous cost of the phone calls.

No televisions, unless you purchase one from commissary, which consists of a five-inch TV for $60.00 or $180.00 for a five-inch color TV. No microwaves.

The federal inmates here in Fluvanna are being violated of their Equal Protection rights of the United States Constitution. No other federal inmate in the United States has to endure the hardships that the inmates here have to endure.

Thank you for taking the time.