Jesse Jackson Jr. Begins Comfy Prison Stay

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) checked into one of the least harsh federal prisons Monday to begin his two-and-a-half-year sentence for campaign theft, according to NBC News. 

Jackson will be staying at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex near Raleigh, N.C., serving time after stealing $750,000 in campaign funds to pay for expensive items such as Rolex watches, furs and even Michael Jackson paraphernalia. 

His wife, Sandi Jackson, who was an alderman in Chicago, was convicted of tax charges and will be serving a yearlong sentence after Jackson finishes his. 

According to NBC News, Butner is pretty cushy and includes inmates such as Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff and Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. At Butner, also known as "Camp Fluffy," prisoners are allowed watches and radios. The cleanest dorm gets to eat breakfast first, each inmate is assigned a job ranging from landscaping to cafeteria work and the prison even features a soundproof music room — as well as periodic "special treats" like popcorn and cotton candy, the Huffington Post reports.

North Carolina Rep. G.K. Butterfield, who accompanied Jackson to the prison, said that his longtime friend was in "good spirits, all things considered." 

Read more at NBC News and the Huffington Post.