Inside Joe Giudice's Daily Life Behind the Prison Walls of Fort Dix

From visitation to microwave hours, here's what the reality star will have to live with for the next 41 months

By Bruna Nessif, Alli Rosenbloom Mar 24, 2016 11:06 PMTags
Joe Giudice Charles Sykes/Bravo

Joe Giudice began his 41-month prison sentence yesterday after being convicted of bankruptcy fraud and failure to file income tax returns.

"Joe Giudice surrendered himself to the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix today at 12 p.m. to begin serving his sentence," family attorney James Leonard Jr. told E! News in a statement.

"His brother, his sister and several other members of the Giudice family, as well as myself, were present when he turned himself in to the prison, including Teresa. It was obviously a very emotional day, but this is a very strong family with a tremendous support system and they will get through this, just as they did when Teresa was away."

While there's no telling what Giudice will experience during his time away, , we do have a glimpse as to what his daily life is going to be like behind bars at the low security federal correctional institution, thanks to Fort Dix's Bureau of Prison's webpage.

He'll Start By Getting Situated: Joe's first month will be all about getting himself settled in. Inmates will attend orientation for the first 30 days at Fort Dix where they're tested academically, get a medical evaluation and mental health review. All new inmates will also be scheduled to undergo a complete medical history review and physical exam within 14 days of their arrival.

Early Wake-Up Call: Let's hope Giudice is a morning person! Wake up is at 6 a.m. every day, with a room inspection at 7:30 a.m. (beds must be made!). The party comes to a close shortly before midnight, with lights out at 11:30 p.m. Inmates are subject to five counts a day where they cannot talk or move and must be in their assigned bunk.

Speaking of Calls...: Inmates are given a max of 15 minutes on the phone each day, and 300 phone minutes a month. Phones not to be used to conduct business, conducting business is a "prohibited act," so keep it to playing catch up and saying I love you.

Teresa Will Need a New Wardrobe to Visit: When the phone calls just aren't doing it, Joe can have visitors, but the rules are very strict (including an extensive dress code). According to the website, visiting hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, including Federal holidays. All visitors will be searched upon entry and must be approved. Only three adults max are allowed at a time each visit (unless otherwise approved) and they can't be wearing anything they want.

Visitors cannot wear anything the prison deems "inappropriate" which is as follows: see through, zipper dresses, tight stretch shorts and pants (biker/spandex), halter tops, tank tops, tube tops, skirts/shorts/dresses more than 4 inches above knee or any khaki-colored clothing worn by inmates.

He'll Be Put to Work:  Every inmate will receive a job assignment assigned by The Centralized Job Assignment Committee. There's no word on what type of work Joe will be given, but he'll have to remain at his assigned job for 180 days before being permitted to request a job change.

Joe Can Relax in Front of the Tube: There are televisions in each housing unit, however, there are rules, of course. TVs are available everyday at 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. weeknights and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Selected movies are shown on designated TVs within each unit. But if watching the small screen isn't your cup of tea, there are leisure/quiet rooms that are used for reading, writing and individual mediation only (no game playing or group prayer in these rooms).

The Microwave Hours Are Stricter: Need to heat up that food? Well, you better schedule accordingly. There are specified hours when you can use the microwave, and the windows are not very big. Inmates can use the appliance between 6 a.m. and 7:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. during the week. However, the microwaves are open pretty much all day during the weekend.

Thank goodness for that.