ahh, got it.
I hadn’t heard back from Toby in a while and was getting worried, but today I received this email from him. It explains why he hasn’t emailed me in nearly a week (which is rare).
Hi Pam,
We had a shakedown this week and they found a ton of contraband in the dorm and burried around some of the treed in the yard. I heard it they found over 100 vapes, and 10 cell phones, plus hot plated and even an electric grill, plus food items you can’t get here like bacon and chorizo, many watches, all sorts of stuff.
So we have been locked down all week. we continue to be locked down, but they gave us the computers and phones back today. WE might be on lockdown for up to a month. that means…
No movement around the camp except to the chow hall for meals and to medical for pill call to get our medications. we can’t go into the yard for activities, or go to the library, art room, rec room or anything like that.
No visits until further notice, we are basically confined to the dorm all day and night.
Oh yeah, they shut the TV’s off too, but gave them back today.
As far as TV’s, phones and e-mail, we might just have them for the holiday weekend, and they might go off again next Tuesday.
Oh well, i prefer to read these days, so I am not missing much except
My morning walk around the track until they call pill call
My exercise classes in the evening, however they have been letting us do the ones at 2pm, because it is before 4pm count, after 4pm they have not been letting any scheduled classes happen.
If I am up early enough (around 5am) then I can get out to the track once they finish the morning bed count between 5 and 5:30, and get between 2 (1/2 mile) and 4(mile) laps around the track before they announce Pill Call, then I go get my meds and then its usually chow and then go about our normal day. since we can’t go out to the yard, I don’t get that morning walk while the sun comes up.
That sucks, but I can live with that.
I rarely watch TV here, sometimes for sports if something I want to see is on, but otherwise, I just read read read.I hope you have a good holiday weekend, we were set up to have tournaments again like over labor day weekend, but now we can only have the ones that can be played in the dorm, there is a couple like Ping Pong (the one I won over labor day) cuz they let us take the table to the dorm. and I think there is bingo, corn hole (which we also play in the dorm) and Chess and maybe something else, so we still get all that, but we are still locked to the dorm.
Oh well, that’s life in Prison, so i can’t complain too much.Ok, at the end of the day today, right before Count, I saw our Counselor and he had already locked his door, but he told me two things.
He said when he comes back next week (Tuesday) that he would have 2 things for me. first he said he would have the flat rate USPS boxes ( I need to send a gift that somebody made here for my daughters upcoming wedding) and he said he had an updated visitor list for me, so that means you got approved, cuz you were the only one pending and you will be the 2nd person on my list, I don’t have a lot cuz I am stuck out here in Tucson. But anyway, i am sure you are approved to visit.
Only thing is now, that I am not sure when we will get our visits back, cuz the Warden is pissed.Its dumb, he had a Fentanyl overdose, AND a murder last week at his USP Maximum security prison across the yard, and they are already off lock down. he just hates this CAMP because of the gun incident and he is now the infamous warden who allowed the ONLY GUN and ATTEMPTED MURDER EVER in the history of Prison camps in America.
So when we get busted with little stuff, he likes to over punish us.I will keep you informed about our lockdown as best as I can. I am getting very low on funds in my account, and with lockdown, often computer is our only means of contact with the outside world and it gets really expensive.
if you contact me and I don’t answer back, don’t worry, I will when I get more funds.
I am ok right now, but soon I will be in the red.
Have a great weekend
Talk more later
Toby
Does anyone know the process for contributing to Toby’s account?
It goes through Western Union. I’ve misplaced the exact instruction, but I asked Toby to send it to me again.
This is the most recent description I could find. It’s probably still valid:
The internet option seems to be the easiest/most convenient, especially for those living outside the USA.
Edit: or that’s what you’d think. I assume this falls under “Corrections Payments”? Anyway, the page after that fails to load. I’ll try again later.
It feels that they are still using systems that were invented in the 80’s. Did you manage to contact Toby from the EU?
No, but to be honest I never tried… It seemed to be a bit too complicated as well.
I can communicate with Toby from the EU through this (ancient) e-mail system (e.g., no notifications; you need to log on to check etc.)
As for the money transfer, I started the process via Western Union, but then got stuck as I was missing some crucial piece of information. Can’t remember which one, but had meant to try again at some point. Maybe I should try that touchpaydirect option that @booker_t was writing about.
I think it would be great to support him. However, we should coordinate this a little bit, as there is a maximum amount the inmates can receive per month, or the amount of credits they have at any given time. And, also, the money wouldn’t follow Toby once he gets transferred (but, according to him, this is likely first happening in 2024).
These methods probably still work as well.
Let us know if it works for you. For me, the “Corrections Payments” page times out while loading. Western Union or MoneyGram might be viable alternatives. If not… I mean, money orders? Cashier’s checks? Who even uses things like that anymore?
Good point! Does anyone know? I’m saddened to read Toby is low on funds, so I’d like to make a donation to help him out.
Same!
Nobody over here (And if you try to use one of these, they charge you an arm and a leg for it!)
OK, lemme try once more… I’ll let you know!
Nope, touchpaydirect.com does NOT work for people from outside the US. Most input fields are not geared for, e.g., non-US phone numbers, but you also need to provide the last 4 digits of your social security number… So, that ends there for most of us non-US citizens
Great! In the meantime I tried Western Union, but it requires me to enter a bank name, “routing number” (whatever that is) and an account number, among other things, and I have no idea what any of those are.
I think the system was designed to make it impossible for non US residents to transfer money to a federal inmate’s account (and to make it damn difficult for people inside the US as well)
Ah, yes, that was what stopped me the first time… an inmate doesn’t have any of these and I never got to a point where I could enter Toby’s inmate information…
(A routing number is a bit like SWIFT, I think…)
Moneygram doesn’t look promising either…
From here (EU) the two options seem to be: a) to an account; b) cash pick-up - none of these appear accessible for an inmate…
Sooooooo, I am wondering whether we could get some US citizen to act as “in-between” person to whom we could, e.g., PayPal some amount, and then that person could send it on to Toby!?!
Would that work? Or would that raise red flags with tax and financial authorities??
I was thinking the same… If it’s (relatively) small amounts, I can’t imagine it would be a problem.
I just sent him two books from Amazon. If that works, I will post how (and what he’s asked for)
Maybe we can get a “between” person, let’s figure that out after someone has success sending money is my suggestion
https://www.moneygram.com/mgo/us/en/paybills/MoneyGram:
Mail options are also available: Google is your friend (I just saw them on the FBOP page- the company listed below).
To: 01012506Wood (no spaces or dashes)
Company Name: Federal Bureau of Prisons
City & State: Washington, DC
Receive Code: 7392
Beneficiary Line: Tobin Oliver Wood
This is the last information I will post on this. I can’t speak internationally, but I have been successful with Moneygram deposits, utilizing the above information. I won’t act as an in-between. If the above options don’t work (mail should- but if not preferred) I will, up to $100 (aggregate total monthly) submit funds to Toby in YOUR NAME in return return for you making a like donation in YOUR OWN NAME to one of your local animal abuse, rescue, or care organizations. Outside of that, I have nothing further to say on the matter.