The “Shot List” Nobody Talks About:The Crazy Reasons Women Get Written Up in Federal Prison Camp

If you’ve ever wondered what life is really like inside a women’s federal prison camp, one thing becomes clear fast: it’s not always the big crimes that get you in trouble once you’re there — it’s the tiny, everyday things.

n the podcast How to Go to Camp, co-hosted by V. Cheryl Womack and Katrina McLarin, listeners get a firsthand look at the bizarre, frustrating, and sometimes downright ridiculous rules that can land a woman with a disciplinary “shot” — prison slang for a write-up or incident report.

And trust us, some of these would leave people on the outside shaking their heads in disbelief.

What Exactly Is a “Shot”?

A “shot” is essentially a disciplinary charge inside prison. Depending on the severity, it can mean:

• Loss of phone privileges

• Loss of commissary

• Extra duty assignments

• Loss of visitation

• Being transferred

• Or losing precious halfway house time

In camp, where women are trying to survive emotionally while staying connected to family and preparing for release, even a small shot can have major consequences.

The Everyday Things That Can Get You Written Up

Conducting Business

This one surprises almost everyone on the outside.

Selling anything inside camp — whether it’s coffee packets, ramen noodles, hair services, or laundry help — can be considered “conducting a business.”

Women become entrepreneurs out of necessity. One inmate braids hair. Another irons uniforms. Someone else repairs sneakers with toothpaste and determination. But if staff decide money, stamps, food, or favors are changing hands? That can become a shot.

Inside prison camp, capitalism is alive and well… it’s just technically illegal.

Too Many Bras? Problem.

Women can get written up for possessing too much property.

Extra socks.
Too many sports bras.
Unauthorized sweatshirts.
An additional blanket.

In a place where comfort is scarce and temperatures fluctuate wildly, women often hold onto whatever makes life manageable. But inventory checks are real, and having “excess property” can earn disciplinary action.

Standing in the Wrong Place

In some camps, even being in an unauthorized area can get you a shot.

That might mean:

• Walking on the wrong sidewalk

• Being in another dorm unit

• Sitting in someone else’s cube

• Going outside approved boundaries during recreation

One wrong turn during movement time and suddenly you’re explaining yourself to a corrections officer.

Talking After Lights Out

Imagine being an adult woman and getting disciplined for whispering after bedtime.

Welcome to camp life.

Women form deep emotional bonds inside — friendships become lifelines. But talking after lights out, especially during count time, can lead to warnings or formal shots.

Food Crimes Are Real

Food becomes currency, comfort, entertainment, and survival. Which also means food violations are everywhere.

Women can get disciplined for:

• Hoarding food from the chow hall

• Cooking unauthorized meals

• Having too much commissary

• Trading food items

• Possessing homemade “camp spreads”

Inside prison camp, a tuna packet can hold more value than cash.

Using Another Person’s PIN

Need to make a phone call but your minutes are gone?

Using someone else’s phone PIN is a serious offense. Even sharing account access for email systems or commissary purchases can trigger disciplinary charges because it’s viewed as fraud or identity misuse.

“Insolence” — The Catch-All Charge

Perhaps the most subjective shot of all: insolence.

Sometimes it means arguing.
Sometimes it means attitude.
Sometimes it means asking too many questions.

Women in camp quickly learn that tone, body language, and timing matter almost as much as the actual words spoken.

Why These Stories Matter

What makes How to Go to Camp so compelling is that it pulls back the curtain on the hidden social system inside women’s prison camps — a world most people never see.

These aren’t hardened criminals in maximum security cells. Many are mothers, business owners, professionals, caregivers, and first-time offenders trying to navigate an environment filled with unwritten rules and constant scrutiny.

And often, the biggest lesson is this:

Inside camp, survival isn’t just about serving time.
It’s about learning how not to get a shot for something completely absurd.

Want more real stories and behind-the-scenes truths about women’s federal prison camps? Follow the podcast series Camp Confidential – Beyond the Bars or grab Cheryl Womack’s book, How to Go To Camp: Surviving in a Women’s Prison, available now on Amazon and Audible.