Surrender Day Blues - A Hard Day Ahead

Make no mistake. Today, the day of your surrender, will be the longest day you have experienced. The following is a synopsis of my night leading up to my self surrender and the morning of my surrender.

Being from the Great State of Texas, one thing is certain. Texans Love Steak!!! And I was not going to deprive myself of one last steak with my wife prior to my surrender day. We traveled to Oklahoma City the night before and settled in at a Texas Roadhouse near the casino we were going to spend the evening and had an awesome 20 oz. Bone-In Rib Eye, Medium Rare, smothered in Portobello Mushrooms with typical sides of a Baker Loaded and a side salad. Knowing damn well that it would be a while (60 Months) before I got to eat another "real" steak, I was not about to deprive myself of this basic human need.

The following morning, we left the hotel early (6:30 AM) and started our trek from OK City to El Reno Federal Correctional Institute. Along the way, being the carnivore I am, we stopped at a local Breakfast Diner where I proceeded to devour several orders of thick cut bacon along with several orders of Breakfast Sausages, some real Biscuits and Gravy and fresh squeezed Orange Juice. Trust me, I take my food seriously!

I mention the above for these two simple reasons. First, regardless of your situation, eating a good meal before a shitty situation always seems to comfort me. Secondly, knowing damn well that it would be some time before I got a great meal, I was not going to get myself down and out and deprive myself of a staple I require. I was not about to let the Bureau of Prisons or any internal emotion interfere with my sanity. One more thought: You're going to prison where the food sucks and there ain't no service. I suggest you have a "last meal", "last breakfast", and a sense of humor about the whole thing. What do you have to lose? Savor every minute of the time you have with your wife, husband, family, what ever your situation. And have fun, knowing all along that You Will Get Through This!

After breakfast, we drove into the El Reno Federal complex rather slowly, hesitantly as you could imagine. The car was silent with both of us wondering what the next minute, hour, day and years would provide. We paused before the sentry gate for one last smoke when we got harassed by a 5-0 (of course) for smoking on a Federal complex. How dare we! After the harassing intrusion on our last private smoke together and the constant query of who we were, what are we doing on these sacred grounds, do you know where you're at, etc., etc., we were told to check in with the Gate Sentry and follow the instructions given. Nuff said.

Checking in was simple with the Sentry asking who we were, what were our intentions, etc. Let me set the stage with a little back tracking. I was sentenced during the height of the National lockdown due to Covid. With the Courts shut down, no one was being prosecuted or sentenced during the height of the pandemic, no one was even permitted inside a courthouse. My case was one of the first cases resolved after the Eastern District of Texas opened their doors and began processing the backlog of cases before them. When I appeared at the El Reno FCI, they were surprised, stating that I was the first self surrender since the Covid outbreak began. I didn't feel any more special, but, I had hopes that things would go smoothly.

Being told to park, grab my crap and my wife being told to immediately leave the compound, we moved to the designated drop off location and cried, kissed and said our goodbyes. It wasn't a pretty moment, we were both naturally torn apart by the separation we were about to endure. Trying to stay strong,, I managed to get my belongings and exited the car. Kissing my wife one last time, it was then time to turn around and head for the gates awaiting me. 

Walking along the fence line, two towering 16 feet tall chain link fences with enough razor wire to shred an entire army clean of flesh and approaching the main gate, I was greeted by a BOP Guard who simply asked my name. He immediately made a radio call and a squad of other vehicles eventually arrived and surrounded me, several officers approached me and took my possessions (legal paper work and identification) and proceeded to pat me down. After this initial meet and greet, the inside guard radioed to the tower to open the main exterior gate, a loud buzz shattered the silence and then a pop of locks disengaged to allow the opening of the exterior gate. I was escorted into the barrier (buffer zone) between the two fences, the exterior gate was slammed shut, some more radio calls were made and then the same noise of locks locking, other locks unlocking and the interior gate opened. We then proceeded to pass through the Interior gate, I was again ordered to wait until the radio communications between the tower and the guards were completed and another round of popping locks, gates closing and then the final order to enter the main prison. That was it. I was officially “In Prison”.

The building I entered was originally built as a Reformatory School in 1933. There is no decor inside, only holding cells, an X-Ray machine, more holding cells and a desk. There are cameras everywhere. Each holding cell is approximately 6 feet by 8 feet with a steel bench and a stainless steel toilet without a toilet lid. The “cages” are made the old fashion way, steel bars from ground to ceiling.