A recent Frank Report post, Raniere Moved to US Penitentiary Tucson, Arizona – Likely to Work in Prison Food Service, raised some questions from curious readers. Frank Report’s legal correspondent, K.R. Claviger, sheds light on Keith Raniere’s prison situation.
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Is BOP Hell-Bent on Getting Raniere Out West?
Tanner: Why is the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) so motivated to get Keith to the other side of the country when his lawyers and pending legal matters are all in New York??
K.R. Claviger: The BOP was motivated to assign Keith to a prison where he would he could safely mix with the other members of the general population there — and where he could obtain the type of services that it has been determined he needs. USP Tucson is one of the few places he could be assigned that will achieve both of those objectives.
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One Roll of Toilet Paper per Week?
At USP Tucson, Keith Raniere will be limited to one roll of toilet paper per week.
Pious Bangkok: As for the 1 roll of toilet paper, what if they need more? If Keith has episodes of diarrhea and extra pooping, how will he wipe if he runs out of his 1 roll? I think it should be a basic human right to have as much toilet paper as needed to properly wipe up after pooping.
Pious Bangkok: I would like to send Keith a care package. I have a problem with inmates being assigned only 1 roll of toilet paper per week. It is my firm belief that Keith will suffer from episodes of diarrhea and extra pooping, defecating due to his poor self-control over the junk food he eats. He likely cannot exist on just 1 roll of toilet paper per week.
Mr. Claviger has said that no exceptions are made regarding toilet paper issuance (just 1 roll per week, no matter what). However, I find it hard to believe that guards will let an inmate wipe his butt with bed sheets or his hands —- thereby turning his cell into an unsanitary and unlivable area.
I believe that Mr. Claviger is lying cuz federal health codes won’t allow inmates to wipe their butts with bed sheets or their hands. It would create disease-infested conditions and would be illegal. Anyway, I wish to send Keith a care package with extra rolls of toilet paper. Is that allowed?
Will Frank deliver them for me during his next interview with Keith? I have extra pallets from last March when Kung-Flu first hit and caused a shortage.
Here is a link to a YouTube video that gets into the topic of toilet paper in prison in more detail than most readers will likely want to know. [One interesting detail – three Ramen noodle soup packages have been exchanged for one roll of toilet paper. Prison is a shitty place to be when prisoners have to trade food just to ensure bathroom etiquette.]
K.R. Claviger: You cannot send — or bring — extra rolls of toilet paper to any inmate. But if you deposit funds into Keith’s commissary account, he’ll be able to buy some extra rolls if he needs them. The feds give one free roll per week to each inmate. Whether you believe that or not doesn’t change the reality of that situation.
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What If You’re Too Broke to Buy Toilet Paper in Prison???
Nice Guy: What happens if you can’t afford rolls? 😂 I can’t imagine subsiding on one roll of toilet paper a week. That 13th Amendment sure is a mother-f@cker!
K.R. Claviger: Just like people in other walks of life, prisoners adapt to the rules and standards of the prison in which they’re incarcerated. There is a great deal of trading that goes on with regard to commissary items — and most prisoners eventually develop what’s called a “hustle” or “side hustle”. Those are things that a prisoner can do to do earn money (i.e., “Macks”) that can be used to buy more of whatever that particular prisoner needs or wants.
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Is Keith the Spud in a Game of Prison-Transfer Hot Potato?
Sandra: I’m surprised at how quickly they moved him from Oklahoma City. I wonder if he’ll have to be quarantined again upon arrival. It seems like the BOP is really milking this Coronavirus to justify anything whatsoever.
K.R. Claviger: Oklahoma City is nothing more than a transient stop for every prisoner there except the Cadre Inmates who work there. As soon as there’s a seat available on a Con-Air flight going in the right direction, prisoners move on.
There does not appear to any special treatment involved in Keith getting moves to Tucson, AZ, so quickly. And he’s probably happy to be have left behind the three-tier bunks at OKC.
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Hard to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Official inmate counts at USP Tucson are 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.
Anonymous wrote, “Inmate counts at Midnight, 3:00 a.m., and 5:00 a.m. It must be difficult to get a good night’s sleep.
K.R. Claviger: The counts at Midnight, 3:00 AM, and 5:00 AM are not “standing counts”. The COs just use a flashlight to verify inmates are in their bunks or otherwise visible for these overnight counts. Truth be told, a lot of these three counts never actually happen (If you don’t believe me about that, just ask Jeffrey Epstein).
Frank Parlato 
Janine Morrison 
J.J. O'Hara 
Richard Luthmann 
Marie White 
Paul Serran
Anything less is uncivilized.