From Dragonfly: Probation/Supervision

I just received an email from Sporty informing me that my probation officer contacted her today and they are coming by tomorrow morning to see my home. Once approved, my institution will start the paperwork for halfway house/home confinement. What the courts don't tell us, when we are sentenced, is that in addition to our "good time," most of us are eligible for extended halfway house and/or home confinement. I knew very little about this when I walked into Carswell.

Depending on how long you are in prison, you are eligible for an amount of halfway house time. Security level and medical issues affect the availability of this. During my first weeks here, my case worked submitted for me to have 120-150 days of halfway house... however, it's rare for the full amount of time to be approved... more likely that it will be in the 30 days or so... however, that means I "could" technically be leaving Carswell anywhere from February to May (150 days would be late February). It's most likely that my halfway house time would be in April or May.

Many people get "into" their halfway house time, and since the place has no beds, they remain here. I know several people who are still at Carswell months into their halfway house time. So, we can't depend on it, unless we are told the date that we have an official bed. So, it's just a waste of time to get one's hopes up too much.

The coolest thing, though, is that many halfway houses send you home to home confinement within the first week to month of your stay. If you have a home to go to and don't need to get too many services, home confinement is much more likely. That time lasts until your official "out date." Mine is July 2nd. Probation works with the halfway house to decide the requirements on home confinement. Some have to have electronic monitoring, others just have curfews. If I am sent home at some point in the next 6 months, it is likely I will be spending a lot of time at my new home with Sporty and our Super Dog. I haven't lived with Super Dog for several years, so she and I need some good playing fetch time together.

So, once my home is approved, paperwork will be received here at Carswell. Then, my case worker can submit the forms for halfway house. It takes a minimum of 60 days for those to be processed. Then, it's just a waiting game on when a bed will be available for me at my halfway house. The one I am going to is about 1 hour and 45 minutes from my home, but I don't care. I will be more free than here! Although, my supervisor informed me that I don't want to go to a halfway house - as they are full of felons (ummm, I'm a felon too...). He was being serious though, there are very scary people - including men coming out of prison after 20+ years behind bars. So, I just hope I can do the 72 hour orientation and go to home confinement. In time, I will know.

For those who have asked, I still have no further information on when/if I am going to that camp across the street. I've heard nothing from anyone. One of the other tutors spread the rumor around my job, so now my supervisor is nervous that I'm about to walk out on our new class. I can honestly say, if I am really being transferred, it could take weeks or months... I live one day at a time, so for now, I want to work.