Unescorted Prisoners Take the Bus -- Or Do They?

Have a look at this article, and come back when you're finished...

http://www.parade.com/news/intelligence-report/archive/unescorted-prisoners-take-the-bus.html

Recently, there has been an alarmist article that has been making the print media and the Internet. The claim is, The Federal Bureau of Prisons is permitting convicts to transfer themselves between facilities. The journalist credited for the story is J. Scott Orr. While the article is compelling, it blurs the facts.

Badly.

"Thanks to a little-known policy at the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the guy sitting next to you on the bus could be a convicted felon. As part of a cost-cutting program, the BOP allows more than 25,000 prisoners each year to ride unescorted and unannounced between federal correctional facilities. At least 50 have escaped, including a drug dealer who is now considered armed and dangerous."

True and false. For many years now, prisoners being released from Federal and State Corrections facilities have been afforded transportaion home -- usually, this means a (non-refundable) Greyhound ticket. Unless the inmate has been declared not guilty in the court system, most detainees fall under parole directives, meaning that while they have cleared the corrections facility (release), they may be required to report to a group home, halfway house, or work facility. This is a non-secure place that is where a released inmate reports per conditions of parole. A transition house, not a lock-up.

"Traci Billingsley, a BOP spokeswoman, says that almost all of the inmates are traveling to halfway houses where they will come into contact with the public anyway. She adds that the other 6% of inmates are traveling to minimum-security facilities, most of which don’t even have fences. Prisoners who will travel alone are screened to make sure they 'pose no significant risk.'"

If you read that carefully, Ms. Billingsley wasn't directly quoted. It's easy to blur the line between what is percieved to be a "minimum-security facility" and residential re-entry centers (RRCs), also known as halfway houses, to provide assistance to inmates who are up for release. A prisoner in the system can be transfered between facilities, but BOP and ACA policy would never, ever just hand the detainee his property and records and a ticket and say, "Go to FCI Pekin", or "report to USP Tucson." These transfers are done on unannounced prison transports (secure prison planes and buses). These are always done under security and the general public rarely if ever come in contact with these transports.

In case you weren't aware, I'm a transport officer and training officer with BOP. To be assigned to a transport position, one must recieve many hours of security training including protocol, use of restraints, and weapons training. On duty, between facilities, I carry a loaded 9mm automatic pistol. Prisoners are taken from one secure facility to the other most often via the The Federal Transfer Center (FTC) in Oklahoma City in restraints.

When I left Greyhound, I took a position delivering and testing buses (professional driver, closed course). Then, looking for work closer to home, I was recruited to drive for the bureau.

Back to convicts-at-large; People freak easily over this. I've seen messages on message boards here on the 'net about released inmates that were traveling by line haul carriers like The 'Hound. In all my years of "flogging the dog" (driving for The 'Hound), the released inmates were usually my best behaved passengers. They are parolees now. They want to go home and get on with their lives. The absolute LAST thing most of these men and women want to do is violate their parole upon relaese for fear of being re-arrested. Understandably, most are on guard and don't want to answer a lot of questions about what they locked up for. Truth be told, they aren't all murderers and rapists.

I've discussed my position on some other message boards and groups. I should save my breath. I've met much opposition by (so-called) "industry experts" that are hell-bent on telling me I'm full of it. Industry experts that have never driven a motorcoach, never riden a motorcoach, never worked in a lock-up, nor have ever been locked up. Industry experts that their major claim to fame is living at home with their parents, logging onto the Internet in the morning, and staying on-line until late at night. They know all about Greyhound, more than I ever will. They know the buses, the routes, the ticketing, company policies, and hiring practices chapter and verse.

Too bad they never cashed a Greyhound paycheck.

As ever I remain,

The Greyhounder