The Matthews Democrat, who served a record-tying eight years as N.C. House speaker, will get extra time he could spend with family, more time to talk on the phone and a package, distributed by prison officials, of nonperishable gifts such as candy, crackers and sausage.

He and other inmates at the federal prison camp in Lewisburg, Pa., will also get a Christmas dinner, said camp spokesman Scott Finley.

"They'll see ham or turkey or things of that nature," Finley said. "They might have additional things in the salad bar or in the soup bar."

Black, 72, has adjusted to the idiosyncrasies of prison life since entering federal custody in July, say those who have heard from him. He is working, receiving visits from family members and trying to find a way to pay $1.1 million in fines and restitution.

"He's taking it in stride," said state Rep. Pete Cunningham, a Charlotte Democrat. "He's not a crybaby. He's taking it like a man."

Cunningham, one of Black's closest allies in the legislature, said they have exchanged several letters. He said Black is taking responsibility for his crimes, which include accepting illegal payments from campaign contributors at times handed over in men's bathrooms.

Black also was convicted of offering a bribe to another lawmaker in exchange for a vote and of obstruction of justice, following a sweeping federal and state investigation into corruption in his office.

But Black had been hoping for a shorter sentence than the five years and three months -- with time off for good behavior -- handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle.

"He has accepted that they threw the book at him, and that he's done something that broke the law," Cunningham said. "It's a rough situation. He got it bad."

Black's critics disagree, pointing to the continuing investigations into his allies. A top lieutenant, Democratic Rep. Thomas Wright of Wilmington, was indicted this month, accused of swindling $350,000 in corporate and campaign money. Last week, Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby said he had asked for an investigation of Black Pest Control, a company owned by the former speaker's son Jon Black, regarding the company's role in state contracts.

"We are only in the middle innings of understanding the multitude of ways that Jim Black and his cronies corrupted state government," said Joe Sinsheimer, a former Democratic campaign consultant who ran a Web site calling for Black's resignation.

Life in prison

Many of Black's friends and allies have forgiven him.

"I liked the old boy," said Herb Spaugh, a Republican and former member of the Charlotte City Council who has written Black a letter. "I wished him well, and I'm sure he feels so isolated up there."

The Lewisburg prison camp is a fenceless, minimum-security facility next to an infamous penitentiary that once held mob boss John Gotti. The 240 inmates sleep in open cubicles big enough for double bunk beds.

Inmates are up by 6 a.m. and work much of the day before lights out at 11 p.m. They can make 300 minutes' worth of phone calls a month -- 400 during November and December, because of the holidays -- but must pay for them.

Black's attorney Whit Powell visited him recently. He said Black has worked a variety of jobs, but he declined to specify.

"He's doing as well as he possibly can do under the circumstances," Powell said. "He's making some very significant changes in his life, and he's doing his best to pay these fines and restitution and move on."

He added, "There are significant changes when you go from speaker of the House in North Carolina to an inmate in a federal prison. He's taking his medicine like a man."

Occasional visitors

Cunningham and Spaugh said they would visit Black, but the prison camp limits visits to five per month, not including those from an attorney or parole official. They and Mecklenburg Commissioner Parks Helms said they don't want to take up a visit that could be spent with family.

"They go up frequently," Cunningham said. "I don't know what the time frame is, but I know it's more than once every two or three months."

Members of Black's family have not returned calls from the Charlotte Observer.

Black had wanted to serve his sentence in Butner, 35 miles north of Raleigh, to be closer to his wife and family. The Federal Bureau of Prisons assigned him to Lewisburg without explanation.

He is due to be released Feb. 24, 2012.