Originally requesting eight hours from the prison warden, she was given two hours to probe the man who spearheaded the largest Ponzi scam in history.

FORBES: Inside the Mind of Madoff: When Did Scam Really Begin?

He was a veteran of the system, having been either a prison warden or a commissioner in several states across the country for more than twenty years.

NEWYORKER: Hellhole

At 10 minutes before the scheduled time of execution, however, if no federal court has intervened, the prison warden would receive a final go-ahead for execution over an open line from the Justice Department and the White House.

CNN: Ashcroft says McVeigh has exhausted appeals

She was the warden at California's San Quentin prison and oversaw four executions.

BBC: California and the emotive death penalty debate

We don't know a lot about these things, but we're guessing that if your son is using a contraband cellphone in prison, you probably don't want to write a letter to the warden complaining about how bad the cellular reception is there.

ENGADGET: Cellphones in prison