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An inside look at the base brig
Lance Cpl. Adam Johnston
 It’s
a place where each day is virtually the same – You wake up before
sunrise, get on-line and count-off to make sure no one is missing.
It’s a place where the term “freedom of choice,” doesn’t
necessarily apply – You’re told when to eat,
what to wear and how to live your life in this “home” away
from home.
It’s a place where grown men will physically break
down and cry out for their mothers – You constantly
think back to the choice you made and ask yourself the
one question that’s on everyone’s mind, “What
was I thinking?!”
Though similar in concept, the place in question is neither
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Calif. nor Parris
Island, S.C. To find it, you need look no further than
right here on base. Just keep your eyes peeled for the
only four-story building surrounded by a chain-link fence
and barbed wire.
Since 1968, the Camp Lejeune Base Brig has been home to
the few who have gone astray.
“This brig can hold a maximum of 280 prisoners at
one time,” said Staff Sgt. Dave S. Greeson, the duty
brig supervisor. “Most of the guys who are locked
up here will serve between 30 and 90 days.”
Correctional specialists assigned to Brig Company, Headquarters
and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base are divided into
three work sections of roughly 32 Marines. Each section
works 24 hours on and gets 48 hours off before their next
shift.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, Greeson explains why
he has never, in his 15 years on the job, had reason to
fear for his safety.
“When prisoners first get here, many of them are
in shock and aren’t quite sure what to expect,” said
Greeson. “They think the brig and fictional places
like OZ or Shawshank are one in the same. But there’s
no rape, drugs or gangs here; it’s much safer than
any jail out there in the civilian world, both for us and
the inmates.”
Master Sgt. Richard L. Burris, the brig supervisor, credits
his guards with making the base brig a model of good order
and discipline.
“This job isn’t one of the Marine Corps’ most
glamorous,” said Burris. “It can be stressful
at times because you’re working long hours and dealing
with prisoners whose units want nothing to do with them.
But our guards are very professional and mature when it
comes to their on-the-job performance. This is one of the
only [military occupational specialties] where a young
lance corporal is trusted with the responsibility of personally
supervising more than 30 individuals.”
However, Burris knows the guards can’t do it alone;
he also acknowledges the prisoners for maintaining a high
level of character regardless of their current situation.
“
Whether they were Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force
or Coast Guard, these prisoners’ military background
makes them much more disciplined than most,” said
Burris. “As far as I know, there’s never
been a major incident here since the brig first opened
its doors.”
And speaking of doors, in accordance with the recommendations
of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, the
Camp Lejeune Base Brig will be closing its doors after
36 years of faithful service.
BRAC is a congressionally authorized process the Department
of Defense uses to reorganize its base structure to more
efficiently and effectively support our forces, increase
operational readiness and facilitate new ways of doing
business, according to http://www.defenselink.mil/brac/.
The Secretary of Defense must implement the commission’s
recommendations no later than Sept. 15, 2011.
“A new brig is scheduled to be built in Chesapeake,
Va., but they haven’t broken ground as of yet,” said
Burris.
Camp Lejeune will most likely build a small detention
facility to house detainees before their court martial,
but it will only require a small staff to run it. So the
only question remaining is – What’s going to
happen to the more than 150 Marines who currently work
here at the base brig?
“There’s talk of transferring our people to
work at Navy brigs around the country,” said Burris, “but
nothing’s for sure as of yet.”
Therefore, at this very moment, the only thing we know
for sure is the fact that the base brig will be closing
for business within the next few years. So, until more
information is released, there’s only one thing left
for the brig guards to do – carry on and get back
to work.
“Don’t change uniforms – Stay out of
the blue and orange,” said Greeson. “Trust
me, you don’t want to end up here.”
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