The prison life of Raniere; the conditions he will now experience

Today is the day that Keith Alan Raniere, formerly/known/as (f/k/a) Vanguard now/known/as (n/k/a) Federal Prisoner #57005-177,  will likely find out if he gets to remain free while his attorneys try to defend him against the federal criminal charges that have already been brought against him — and the new ones that the Feds are working on right now.

So, what is this day actually going to be like for him? To find out, Frank Report consulted with some experts regarding the criminal justice system in the Eastern District of New York – and the inner workings of the Metropolitan  Detention Center (MDC), which is currently Raniere’s home-away-from home.

Here’s what we found out (More on the day-to-day schedule later):

• 3:00 AM – A guard woke him up and told him to report to the CO’s Office within 10 minutes (Raniere was most likely being kept in the Special Housing Unit – “the SHU” – since he arrived at MDC earlier in the week).
• 3:10 AM – A guard took him down to the R&D Unit – and put him in a holding cell.
• 5:30 AM – A guard came by and dropped off breakfast (A styrofoam cup of cheerios, a carton of milk, and a banana).
• 6:30 AM – A guard took him to the Dressing Room – where Raniere got a full anal-cavity strip-search and was given a red or orange “onesie” to put on for the trip to court (If the guards liked Keith, they would have let him pick out his own clothes; otherwise, they’d just do that for him without any concern about the size or condition of the clothing).
• 7:00 AM – Two guards — or maybe two U.S. Marshals – put him in handcuffs, leg-irons, a body-chain and a “box” (The “box” holds his hands in front of him – and makes it impossible for him to move his arms). Given his notoriety, Raniere might also have been given a bullet proof vest.
• 7:30 AM – Two guards — or maybe two U.S. Marshals – put him on the Court Bus or in another MDC vehicle – and drove him to the U.S. District Court Courthouse for the Eastern District of New York.
• 9:00 AM – He arrived at the courthouse and was put into a holding cell with a bunch of other guys who have court proceedings today.
• 12: 00 Noon – He’ll be given a brown paper bag that contains a bologna sandwich, a carton of milk, and an apple.
• 1:55 PM – He’ll be taken upstairs to the courtroom.
• 2:00 PM – He’ll be arraigned – and plead “Not Guilty”.
• 2:10 PM – If the presiding judge decides to hold a bail hearing today, he’ll hear from both sides as to whether Raniere should be released on his own recognizance, granted bail, put on “house arrest” with an ankle monitor, or held at MDC until his trial.
• 2:30 PM – The judge will most likely remand Raniere to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons to await trial.
• 2:35 PM – He’ll be put back in the holding cell with a bunch of other guys who already had court proceedings today.
• 5:00 PM – He’ll be put back on the bus (or in the other vehicle) to go back to MDC.
• 6:00 PM – He’ll arrive back at MDC, go through Intake (which involves another full anal-cavity strip-search), and get formally processed into MDC. This will include several meetings with administrative staff, medical staff, and psychological staff.
• 7:30 PM – He’ll be given another brown bag with a bologna sandwich, a carton of milk, and an apple.
• 8:30 PM – He’ll be given a brown “onesie”, a pair of brown socks, one brown tee-shirt, and one pair of underwear.  He’ll also get a bed-roll that contains two sheets and one blanket.
• 9:00 PM – He’ll be delivered to his cell in the West Tower, where he’ll learn that he’s been assigned the upper bunk. He’ll also probably find that the pillow for his bunk is missing.
• 10:00 PM –  Count Time: He’ll stand by his bunk as the cell-block guards count the number of prisoners there.
• 10:15 PM – Cells locked, lights out, and nighty-night!
• 6:00 AM – Lights on, wake-up call.
• 6:00 AM- 6:30 AM – Breakfast.
• 6:45 AM – 7:00 AM – Brush teeth and wash face (This will be “free time” for Vanguard).
• 7:00 AM – Settle in for a day with absolutely nothing to do…

Frank Parlato