Raniere Moved to US Penitentiary Tucson, Arizona – Likely to Work in Prison Food Service

According to the Bureau of Prison records, Keith Raniere is at the United States Penitentiary Tucson, Arizona.

USP Tucson offers a Sex Offender Management Program (SOMP) and therefore has a higher proportion of sex offenders in its general population.

KEITH RANIERE
Register Number: 57005-177
Age: 60
Race: White
Sex: Male
Located at: Tucson USP
Release Date: 06/27/2120

This is expected to be his permanent prison assignment.

Two days ago, we reported that Raniere was in Oklahoma City, where holdover inmates spend from a few days to a few weeks before moving to their next prison assignment.

Keith Raniere Transferred to Oklahoma City Federal Transfer Center – Likely Headed to Tucson in 30-60 Days/

It is likely he flew courtesy of the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS), better known as  “Con Air”, the agency of the federal government charged with the transportation of persons in legal custody among prisons, detention centers, courthouses, and other locations.

Raniere likely flew with other prisoners on a Boeing 737-400 aircraft.

Unlike in the past, when Raniere flew on chartered planes paid for by the Bronfman sisters, during his Con Air flight, he was not free to set his own travel departure time or freely roam about the cabin.

This time, he traveled in handcuffs, leg irons, waist chain and possibly the “black box,’ a high-strength plastic handcuff cover. It protects the keyhole to prevent picking or tampering with the lock.

[I’ve traveled with Raniere on a private plane. Then, Keith was free to pick his own seat, and his hands were used by him most expressively as he explained various aspects of the purpose of our trip and consumed beverages at will.]

On his Con Air flight, if he wore the black box, his hands were forced in parallel positioning. A chain runs through the box, encircles the prisoner’s waist, is tightened and then locked so that the prisoner’s hands, restrained by cuffs and the black box, are pulled against the stomach.

According to The Forgotten Majority “Although the Black Box ensures safe transport, if used incorrectly, it can cause serious injury.”

The Wikipedia page on the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System says this:

“Passengers aboard a flight are restrained with handcuffs as well as ankle and waist chains which are double- or even triple-locked. Those who pose additional danger may be forced to wear additional restraints, such as reinforced mittens that completely isolate and almost completely immobilize the hands, handcuff covers [i.e., black box] which conceal the keyholes, and face masks to prevent biting and spitting. However, due to FAA regulations, inmates are not physically restrained to their seats in any way except for seat belts used during takeoff and landing…

“Flight and seating arrangements are made carefully with the intent to separate inmates who may conflict with one another. Members of rival prison gangs may be transported on different days to help reduce the risk of an in-flight incident…

“The flight schedules are kept secret from the public and are known only to those directly involved in its operation. Inmates scheduled to fly are given little or no advance notice of their flight, to deter escapes and sabotage, and to prevent harm from outsiders.”

All in all, it was not likely a pleasant flight for Raniere.

If the flight was direct, the duration was likely to be a little over two hours in the air. With the body totally restrained, with a face mask making it more difficult to breathe, with no or limited access to food or beverage or restroom, and with wait times before and after takeoff, attired in a prison uniform that, according to one source, might be made of paper, it was for Raniere — and for all prisoners so transported — an experience in human torture.

Tucson Prison

There is a real possibility that this was the last flight Keith Raniere will ever take. He has been sentenced to 120 years in prison. Unless he is successful on appeal and wins a reversal and a new trial, outright release, a drastic sentence reduction, or a presidential pardon or commutation of his sentence, at age 60, he is unlikely to complete his sentence and will die in federal custody.

His new home is USP Tucson, a Sex Offender Management Program (SOMP) institution.

According to the Bureau of Prisons Handbook for Tucson:

“A primary goal of SOMP institution is to reduce the need to place sex offenders in protective custody, and to create an institution climate conducive to voluntary participation in treatment.”

Raniere, who was convicted of sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking and with predicate racketeering acts of possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a minor, was likely placed here because he would be unsafe among the general population in a maximum-security prison where convicted sex offenders are often targeted for abuse by other inmates.

Had he been located in a normal maximum security prison, Raniere would have likely spent his entire life in protective custody in a special housing unit [SHU] which is, in effect, solitary confinement.

One former federal prisoner told me that Raniere would be dead within 30 days if he were in the general population of a regular maximum-security prison.

That is why he is in Tucson. At Tucson, it is believed he will be able to live among the general population of prisoners since the vast majority are also convicted sex offenders.

Here is a little glimpse at rules and conditions, from the BOP handbook for Tucson:

INTAKE, CLASSIFICATION AND THE UNIT TEAM

Raniere was given a social screening by Unit Management staff and medical screening by Health Services and Mental Health staff at the time of his arrival and provided with a copy of the institution’s rules and regulations, which include information on inmate rights and responsibilities. It also includes information on sexual assault and abuse.

Raniere was assigned to a housing unit, a self-contained inmate living area that includes housing sections and office space for unit staff.

His unit is staffed by a Unit Team directly responsible for him and the other inmates living in the unit.

The staff includes a Unit Manager, Case Manager, Correctional Counselor, and Unit Secretary. There is also a Staff Psychologist, Education Advisor, and Unit Officer on hand.

Unlike Raniere, most of the prisoners are not there for life, and much of the prison’s educational activities are geared to help prisoners when they are released. How much of the educational programs Raniere will participate in remains to be seen, but, by virtue of the long-term plans for him by the government, all those geared for bettering him for a return to society are likely to be useless.

DAILY INMATE LIFE

Raniere will get a cell, and he will have a bed, which he is responsible for making each morning. He is also responsible for sweeping and mopping his cell floor, removing trash, and ensuring it is clean and sanitary.

Raniere will get a locker and he can contain his personal property inside it.  Shoes, when not on his feet, are placed underneath his bunk.

Keith cannot keep sexual photographs, pictures, drawings, or any other materials promoting the sexual exploitation of children, written correspondence in which individuals are discussed in a sexualized way, written or pictorial materials promoting violence or reflecting a degrading attitude to persons based on gender.

Keith must be in prison uniform Monday–Friday from 7:30 a.m – 4:00 p.m. and must wear boots issued from laundry unless he gets a soft-shoe pass. Raniere must maintain his uniform in a neat and professional manner, with his shirt tucked in and pants around the waistline. Hats will not be worn indoors. He must carry his identification cards at all times upon departing his cell.

For a change of attire, the Commissary sells clothing that is limited to gray and/or white in color.

He will be permitted to own a radio, an MP3 player, and a watch; these items are available at the commissary.

The Neater Keith Keeps His Bed the Sooner He Gets to Eat

Unit meal rotation is ordinarily based on weekly sanitation ratings of each unit. Each inmate is responsible for the cleaning and sanitation of his cell. The unit with the highest sanitation is called first — and the unit with the lowest rating is called last — for all meals. 

Raniere’s cell doors must be closed when he is not inside it, and he cannot have visitors to his cell. All of his social interactions must be conducted in common areas of the unit. He cannot visit other units.

Raniere, if he so chooses, can have a shower every day.

Bring Your Own Chair

Raniere will be given a chair that he can use inside his cell and that he can bring to the common areas to watch TV and to play cards and approved games during established hours, providing appropriate noise levels are maintained.

Rise and Shine

Wake-up for Raniere and all inmates is 6:00 a.m. Late sleepers who are unable to maintain rooms or arrive at work on time are subject to disciplinary action.

COMMISSARY

 

Raniere can spend up to $320.00 per month via his commissary account.

If you wish to make a deposit to Raniere’s account through the mail, send funds to:

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Keith Raniere

Inmate number: 57005-177
Post Office Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001

No Internet, But Email – Sort of

The Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System (TRULINCS) is the computer network that provides inmates access to multiple services. At no time do inmates have any access to the internet.

TRULINCS workstations are installed in housing units and common areas. They provide prisoners with telephone access and a restricted version of email that will only allow text messages and no attachments. A cost of $.05 per minute is charged for using this service. Messages are limited to 13,000 characters.

The hours of telephone operation begin at 6:00 am and end no later than 9:30 pm. All calls are limited to 15 minutes. Telephone calls are subject to monitoring and recording by institution staff.

Raniere is limited to 300 minutes per month and an extra 100 minutes per month in November and December. Raniere will be allowed to have thirty (30) approved numbers on his phone list.

SECURITY PROCEDURES

Official counts will be taken at 12:00 midnight, 3:00 a.m., 5:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m.

The inmate is expected to be standing at his bedside during the official counts held at 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

He can sleep through the counts at midnight, 3 a.m., and 5 a.m.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Raniere, like all other inmates who have been medically cleared, will have to maintain a regular job assignment.

Food Service is usually the first assignment an inmate receives upon arrival at the institution.

Raniere is expected to be assigned there first and will likely work there for a minimum of 90 days.

Later, he may get to work in the recycling industry in a UNICOR factory. The factory sustains an inmate employment of approximately 100 inmates. Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Each workday provides a 45-minute lunch break for a total of 7.25 hours worked each day. UNICOR inmates’ pay rates begin at $.23 per hour and graduate upward to $1.15 per hour.

Cheap Food

The prison is funded at $3.40 per inmate per day for food, equipment, cleaning supplies, eating utensils, and miscellaneous items.

Raniere’s food and associated costs therefore will be $1241 per year.  According to Credit Donkey, for persons outside of prison to eat on a “moderate” budget, it costs $3,000 per year.

Prison Meal Schedule Monday through Friday:
Breakfast 6:30 a.m.
Lunch 11:00 a.m.
Dinner 5:00 p.m.

Weekends:

Coffee Hour 6:30 a.m.

Brunch 11:00 a.m.

Dinner 5:00 p.m.

Raniere will eat in the dining room. No radios, school books, newspapers, personal cups, and no commissary foods are permitted in the dining room with the exceptions of salt and pepper, hot sauce, soy sauce, and sliced jalapeno peppers.

Happily for Raniere, the prison’s Food Service provides an all-you-can-eat soup bar during the lunch meal on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Unhappily, the soup is rumored to be about 98 percent water and served at room temperature.

If Raniere continues to be a vegetarian, there are “no-flesh alternatives” available. Fruit is served during all breakfast meals, but he can’t take it out of the dining room. Fried foods are prepared in vegetable oil, with limited use of spices. Two percent low-fat milk is used. Low-calorie syrup, salad dressings, and sugar substitutes are also used.

Raniere will know all about this intimately since he will likely work there for at least 90 days. If he acquits himself well, he may stay on longer and become a cook.

Classes

USPTucson offers a variety of Adult Continuing Education classes, including a Parenting Program, an Electrical Apprenticeship Program, a Cook/Baking Apprenticeship, and many others.

He could take The Custodial Maintenance Course and learn to be a janitor.

The course is described as one that “prepares students to clean public and private buildings in a clean and orderly fashion. This class will be 100 hours of classroom instruction and a minimum of 20 hours of hands-on experience. Among other topics, students will learn how to sweep and scrub hallways and stairs, empty trash and garbage containers, wash windows, clean carpets, wax and buff different floor surfaces, and notify management concerning a need for repairs.”

Since business was his forte, Keith Raniere could take the Business & Accounting Certificate Program or Business Accounting.

VISITING

With coronavirus rules in place, visiting has been suspended at the prison.

Normally, inmates are limited to three approved adult visitors (age 16 and over). That does not include infants.

Visiting Hours are as follows: General Population inmates will have social visits at the USP on Fridays from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on
Saturday, Sundays and holidays from 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Business may not be conducted during visits. Inmates are allowed to have up to 12 visitors on their approved list.

All visits will begin and end in the Visiting Room. Kissing, embracing, and handshaking are allowed only upon the arrival and departure of visitors. [No necking]

Inmates may not move around in the Visiting Room once seated and are subject to special seating assignments at the discretion of the Visiting Room Officer and Operations Lieutenant.

In a future post, we will outline some of the special sex offender programs Raniere will be subjected to.