The military is definately tough on crime. 99% of military prisoners are first time offenders. Remember that you need a High School diploma and no criminal record to get in the military in the first place. I met many young men, 19, 20 years olds who got 5 years or more for writing bad checks!
Same offense in civilian court would have got them probation. The military hands out time like it's candy.
Don't get me wrong though, there is no shortage of people who deserve to be confined at the DB and who, if and when released I wouldn't want as my neighbor.
As for enlisted and officers, I can tell you this; When I was at the DB there was no recognition of military rank. The only rank that mattered was how long you had been at the DB. New inmates were considered "fish". I came in a fish and left as a fish, thank God. You were a fish for a few years at least. It didn't matter if you used to be Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, when you got to the the DB you were just a fish to everyone else. Officers were housed in seperate quarters (6Base?)until their appeals were exhausted which only served to alienate them further from the rest of the inmates.
According to the powers that be, working was a priviledge at the DB. Many inmates didn't share that sentiment however and were content to be locked down the majority of the day (during work call).
Others means of passing time besides working out were playing cards. I learned how to play Pinnochle within hours of arriving in general population at the DB. I also read voraciously. There wasn't always alot to choose from but I read whatever I could get my hands on, from dictionaries to toothpaste tubes.
On the farm, inmates worked with horses and pigs. There was also a greenhouse and tree nursery. Any inmates working outside the walls were either min custody or trustees though. The min buildings and the trustee unit were worlds apart from the castle.
I'm not sure if it was common practice in the Army to call an enlisted Sergeant "sarge" but that is what the inmates called all enlisted personnel regardless of rank. Whether you were an E-1 or a E-9 an inmate addressed you as "sarge". This stuck out in my mind because it is something that would not have been tolerated at a Marine Corps facility. The DB was an easier place to live and do time than the Marine Corps brig though.
As for women inmates, they were there when I was also. They were housed in 7 base and kept seperate from the male inmate population. They were still getting pregnant too. It was not the inmates who were impregnating them either, it was DB cadre. There were also female guards there and they were constantly being dismissed for fraternizing with inmates.
One of the things I remember the most was the influx of 90 day newcomers. They would all come on a Monday in large shipments. They also had the retraining brigade then, don't know if they still have it or how long they had it even. They'd serve their 90 days kinda like being in basic again. Then they'd be shipped off to their new assignment.
As for fraternization, my immediate supervisor (female) was fired for fraternizing with an inmate. She would send us out of the office on some pretense and well...she got caught. That was an uproar to be sure.
It was definately an interesting place to work for a young, somewhat naive, girl!