Former Inmate Describes What Teresa Giudice Can Expect in Danbury Prison
Teresa Giudice has been incarcerated for only 48 hours, and her lawyer, James L. Leonard Jr. said that the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star is planning to "take it one day at a time."
"I think she hopes to turn it into something positive," said Leonard to the website.
In an interview with People, Giudice's former legal crisis counselor, Wendy Feldman, talked about what the reality star can expect once she's serving her 15-month sentence. Feldman knows firsthand what Giudice faces, as she herself spent time in a federal prison camp.
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Feldman said that Giudice will be waking up at 6 a.m. and will be assigned a job, which can be anything from scrubbing toilets or washing dishes to doing landscaping or commissary work. The reality star will then make 12 to 40 cents an hour during her 7-hour shift, which will likely start at 8 a.m.
Leonard told E! News that Giudice is hoping for a job in the kitchen.
"She indicated that if she had her choice to work she would like to work in the kitchen facility because she's obviously a good cook," said the lawyer.
As for the rest of Giudice's day, Feldman said, "At 3pm, the job is over. At 3:30, you have to get our sleeping area ready for count time. It must be perfectly clean. The bed must be made. They inspect it."
"After count time you are released and it's dinner time. Then it's free time to have classes or recreation time or TV time or showers or whatever you want to do," she added.
Feldman also said that Giudice can go to the commissary once a week to buy extras she may need. It was previously reported that the reality star took $200 with her to pay for anything that she may need for the commissary, and a list obtained by TMZ details all of the goods that she can get from the Danbury prison.
The list includes everything from tweezers ($1.50), Charmin toilet paper ($4.20 for a four pack), and other toiletries and cosmetics such as shampoo, hair dye, lipgloss, and lotion. Giudice can also buy snacks which include hummus, Oreos, wild berry frozen yogurt, and albacore tuna, among others.
Feldman says that Giudice may want to buy a radio so that she can hear live news, and that the TV in prison is on a frequency so a radio is needed to hear the TV.
Feldman also mentioned that there are always several groups in prison— for instance, a bunch of people who sit together and complain all the time, the group that always causes trouble, and a group that reads the Bible. Giudice might be invited to join any of these groups during her stay.
"You realize that you have to make a change and you have to make the best out of where you are and if you can do this, you can make this into a really valuable learning experience," said Feldman.
