Abby Lee Miller may be out of jail, but according to the 'Dance Mom' star's former prison consultant and coach, Jennifer Myers, life at a halfway house is even more restricted than it is in jail.
Abby Lee Miller may be out of jail, but according to the Dance Moms star's former prison consultant and coach, Jennifer Myers, life at a halfway house is even more restricted than it is in prison.
Miller, 51, was released from the Federal Correctional Complex in Victorville, California, on Tuesday, after serving eight months of her one-year and one-day sentence. She was transferred to a halfway house, a residential re-entry center, in Long Beach, California, for the remainder of her sentence.
"It’s fantastic news, of course," Myers tells ET. "Anybody would be happy to get out, but once you get there, some of the women have complained and say it is worse than prison. It is not a fun place to be, but it is one step closer to getting home.”
“The halfway house is a facility that is locked down and the doors lock and there are video cameras monitoring everyone," she continues. "It is a cared-for facility, not like a regular house.”
According to Myers, things are "a bit more restricted" in a halfway house than they are inside a prison.
"It’s a little bit of an adjustment," she notes. "They can be strict and Abby will definitely have to follow the rules. The halfway house is not a fun place to be. The men and women are segregated, but she will be with women she does not know.”
“Abby will want to be spending as much time outside of the halfway house as she can, and then she will just be coming back to sleep afterwards," she continues. "She most likely will not be in a cell, there are actual rooms inside the facility. Usually the rooms have doors and depending on the situation, she can either be alone or she will have to share with some people. She will not be wearing an ankle bracelet or anything like that. When she leaves, she can go wherever, she just needs to be back by curfew, and she will definitely not want to miss that.”
Myers notes that after Miller goes through a strict orientation, usually lasting a week, she can start working on her job -- filming a special for Lifetime -- though the halfway house will take a percentage of her work check. Miller will also be able to have visitors during her stay.
“Abby will be able to visit people when they come in, there will be a visiting area," Myers says. "She is not in a cell, but it is still a secured place. It’s not run by armed guards, it is run by people employed by the halfway house contracted with the bureau of prisons.”
“She will have someone bring her clothing, you are allowed to bring clothes in, but there is a limit to how much you can bring," Myers adds. "She will certainly have more than she was incarcerated with though.”
As of now, Miller is scheduled to be released from the halfway house on May 25.
“Her official release date is still May 25, 2018, but when you get down to the last 10 percent, you can serve it on home confinement," Myers explains. "She will probably be there for a bit, but not all the way up until May 25.”
For more on Miller, watch below:
-- Reporting by Rande Iaboni
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