(Moderator Edited)

Sher have you gone the Fed website for the facility you are entering? You will be ahead of the game if you know the rules for the facility before you get there as long as you keep your mouth shut. No one likes a know it all that says it out loud. Know the rules back and forth before you go in don't make trouble for the COs but be a warrior for yourself.

If you have enough time, find a self defense class, a boot camp anything that will teach you how to protect yourself from anyone you don't want to hurt you, make you do acts you don't want to do or make you do anything that will jeopardize a chance of parole.

Initially, be prepared to strip down, (Moderator Edited) so the prison knows you're not smuggling anything in. Then be prepared to have a cold shower that times out after at a max 5 minutes where you need to strip down after the search, step in, lather up, wash off and then dry off. Yes all in 5 minutes.

Then you're off to, if you haven't been before the shower, the prison clothing area. Hopefully you'll get your shoe size if not a half to a full size bigger shoes will be issued. You'll get a designated amount of underwear i.e. plain white panties, and bras, jumpsuits, t-shirts, pants etc. and heaven help you if you have your period during the intake. Pads can be slow coming and if you are in a Fed facility that has White as a uniform, hope that your intake cell has a clean toilet so you can rinse the stains out.

After the initial intake, you will probably be kept on an incomer area which will probably be disgusting as the prison doesn't change bedding i.e. mattresses, if you have one, out for each prisoner. Don't count on a pillow.

Most likely, after 3 weeks, you will have been graded and then sent to your assigned level/tier/block/seg unit.

(Moderator Edited)

Not my words, just repeating what my pps experienced when they first went in.

PM me if you want specifics.

Sher, you wanted to know and Adam, you started this thread, happy you did, it's a reality not discussed to date on this site, not so sure that anyone else is or will be on board with this topic nor with honest answers.

Sher, take care of yourself, protect yourself, don't think that your cellie is your friend, don't think that any CO is your friend. Self contained, calm and determined to get out whole is your mission, do whatever you need to do before you go in to prepare for that and when you're in maintain.

Hope this helped you even if it is scary.