Rod Blagojevich’s Imprisonment Worries Family

An article written by Michael Tarm of the Associated Press talks about the future of Rod Blagojevich now that he is going to be put to prison, and the lead sentence of the article really put a picture accurately as to what will be happening to the impeached Governor:

” An eight-digit number affixed to his prison clothes, a job scrubbing toilets or mopping floors at 12 cents an hour, his incessant jogging confined to a prison yard. Most painful of all, restricted visits from his wife Patti and two daughters.

After sentencing for his conviction on federal corruption charges, that is likely to be the new life for impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, more accustomed to fancy suits, a doting staff and a comfortable home in a leafy Chicago neighborhood.”

Blagojevich still has not been placed in a specific prison, but it is thought that whichever one he ends up in will be low security, he will spend most his time jogging and be limited to the amount of phone time he has:

“While Blagojevich would go to a prison with minimal security, possibly with just a simple fence around it, his routine will be highly regimented, including limits on family visits and phone calls.

A guidebook for another federal prison in Oxford, Wisconsin, where Blagojevich could also go, says inmates get 300 minutes a month on the phone, or about 10 minutes a day. Cell phones are strictly prohibited. Prisoners, all of whom share rooms, wake at 6:00 a.m. and are subject to head counts half a dozen times a day.”

A big worry on the family is how there will be money:

“Inmates also must work an 8-hour-a-day job, starting at 12 cents an hour; most new prisoners start in custodial work, explained Chris Burke, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.”

“Blagojevich’s imprisonment could pose financial hardships for his family. During his trial and retrial, he already complained of being broke, and in prison he won’t be able to contribute any meaningful revenue to his family, according to prison rules. Earning money from writing books or articles is forbidden.”

Wow, he could spend ten years in prison missing out on a lot of the milestones of his daughters’ lives.