What Elizabeth Holmes' Life Will Reportedly Be Like In Prison

In November, Elizabeth Holmes was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for her role as the founder of the failed blood testing company Theranos, which defrauded people of millions. Originally, the former entrepreneur was staring down at an even steeper term behind bars. She faced up to 20 years, and the prosecution sought a 15-year sentence. At the time of her sentencing, Holmes issued a statement where she took responsibility for Theranos's shortcomings, but did not explicitly take accountability for the fraud. "I'm so, so sorry. I gave everything I had to build our company and to save our company," she said, per CNN. "I regret my failings with every cell in my body."

It took multiple months before Holmes had to surrender herself to authorities. At first, she was supposed to start in late April, but she was able to get that delayed by a month. Holmes spent her last weekend of freedom with her boyfriend Billy Evans and their two children in San Diego. The family stayed at a home which is owned by Holmes's parents, per the Daily Mail. She had been staying with her parents since her sentencing. Photos captured by the outlet showed Holmes enjoying a last minute reprieve on the beach with her kids.

Holmes will serve her 11 years in a federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas. One former inmate, Lynn Espejo, told Fox Business one of the greatest difficulties for Holmes would be raising her children from that prison. 

The difficulties for Elizabeth Holmes would begin shortly after her arrival at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas. Lynn Espejo, who served a 24-months sentence at Bryan from 2018 to 2020, detailed her experience to Fox Business. She said that prisoners were strip-searched on arrival. Afterwards, they were handed government-issued prison garb while their personal clothes were sent to family. For the duration of her time in prison, Holmes will share a room with three other women, sleeping on a bunk bed with a small locker to keep her belongings. Fortunately for Holmes, each new inmate is assigned a "big sister" to teach her the ins-and-outs of serving at Camp Bryan, including how to use the commissary. Prisoners have access to a prison-based email system, and are allocated 300 minutes a month to talk on the phone. Espejo believed that could be the biggest adjustment for Holmes. "It is traumatic having your freedom taken away, obviously," she told Fox Business. "But just living away from your family like that."

While the Theranos founder would have limited time to speak with her family and children, she would likely not have trouble forming bonds at Camp Bryan. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, multiple inmates were excited for Holmes's arrival. "Some people are like 'I want to be her friend'," inmate Tasha Wade told the outlet.

The prison has a study, a game room, and work programs for inmates, which could be beneficial to Holmes.

All inmates at Federal Prison Camp Bryan are assigned work duties. The most likely outcome for Elizabeth Holmes when she begins her sentence is that she will work in the kitchen — that is typical for new arrivals. However, former inmate Lynn Espejo told Fox Business she believed that Holmes's business acumen would be put to work not long into her sentence; the former entrepreneur could likely become a teacher for one of the prison work programs that usually run for six weeks. This is where another notable name was placed when she started her sentence.

Jen Shah of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" began her six and a half year sentence in February. According to her manager Chris Giovanni, Shah endeared herself to fellow prisoners by working in one of the programs. In April, only two months into her sentence, Shah was working on a stage play with fellow inmates that would be based on the "Housewives" shows. They titled the project "The Real Housewives of Bryan," per TMZ. Shah was reportedly using the play as a device to help some fellow inmates learn to read and write.

Besides working alongside other prisoners in work programs, Shah was given other responsibilities. As her manager told TMZ, she was responsible for the upkeep of her room which involved sweeping and keeping it clear of mess. Per Page Six, Shah also disliked the food so much that she lost 15 pounds in the first two months because she was barely eating.