Hot Line for Those Going to Big House : Prison: Felon with 3 1/2 years’ experience in federal penitentiary offers advice to the apprehensive, such as how to get the lower bunk.

Psst. Hey buddy. Going to jail?

Don’t worry.

Jimmy Tayoun, former Philadelphia city councilman and admitted felon, has the answers.

For $2.50 a minute, anyone who has just been sentenced to prison can call Tayoun’s new 900 number and get the lowdown on some of the most commonly asked questions about going to the big house.

“It’s a service whose time has come,” Tayoun said. “A public service.”

Tayoun served 3 1/2 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in 1991 to racketeering, mail fraud, tax evasion and obstruction of justice. While behind bars, he wrote a 64-page guide, “Going to Prison?”

He got the idea for his 900 number, which went into service last month, when he left prison and began getting calls from scared prospective prisoners.

Tayoun, 64, greets callers to 1-900-945-5511 with the introduction: “Welcome to going to prison.”

Touch-tone callers can pick from a menu of seven topics that include: reducing your sentence, what to bring to prison and who to see before going.

Some important tips:

* “If you think you’re going to have trouble getting into the top bunk--it could be as high as 5 feet off the floor--get a note from your doctor.”

* Arrange your own ride to prison because you’ll find yourself on a crowded bus dubbed the “Diesel Tour” if you rely on the federal marshals.

“Throughout this ride you will be handcuffed,” Tayoun explains. “You will be lucky to be able to hold a sandwich. Those who self-surrender and pay their own way are wiser.”

In a news release promoting his 900 number, Tayoun calls himself a prison consultant.

He says he hopes to get referrals from attorneys whose clients are going to prison and to charge $100 an hour for counseling.

But so far, he admitted, much of the counseling he has done has been free.

“If they don’t have the money, there’s no charge,” he said.

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Words to the Not-So-Wise

Here’s a sample of tips on Jimmy Tayoun’s 900 advice line:

* Be aware of all programs that allow time off for good behavior, but don’t be overly optimistic.

* Don’t lie to the probation officer who will write your pre-sentence report. “Your probation officer is as important to you as the judge. . . . Say nothing to him that cannot be supported in writing or by the testimony of others.”

* “Leave the wallet and credit cards at home. . . . Wear a sweat shirt you like; they may let you keep it.”

* “Go to the dentist. . . . Tell him where you are going and how long you will be there and make sure that every tooth that could possibly get a cavity is taken care of.”

* “Get new glasses and try to get frames with as few screws as possible, because if you lose a screw, you may spend the rest of your time with tape wrapped around glasses.”

Source: Associated Press