I'm really beginning to dislike this unit. In Venus many guards had at least a little bit of empathy and common sense but I haven't seen much of wither here in Dayton. Today I went to the mailroom where I had three books denied to me. TO understand my frustration better (although having books denied for any reason is frustrating) allow me to give a little bit of background.I had heard that while I am in the education program I am not allowed to receive books, so when I got here my mother called the unit to ask if I could receive books or not. The answer was yes, I would receive them. She ordered the books that day but they arrived the day I started the program. Somehow that day was different than the day before and the books were denied.
When I went to the mailroom I was given paperwork to sign and when I started to ask questions, the lady snatched the paperwork form my hand and said I would have to leave. I have been blessed with an enormous amount of patience so, even after being treated so rudely, I calmly asked to talk to the mailroom supervisor. I explained the situation to her but she was adamant that I could not get the books just because I had started the program. I told her that I could get the same books in the library if they were on the shelf. Her to that was that she doesn't think we should be allowed to use the library, either. Really? What kind of crazy rehab doesn't allow you to educate yourself?
The books I will be sending home - at a cost of $4.46 postage and $1.27 for the jumbo envelope - were as innocuous as they come: Quantum (about the the history of quantum physics), Innovator's DNA (about what makes entrepreneurs successful), and Luminarium (a sci-fi novel.) I was told the only books I could receive are religious texts and textbooks. I feel like a blanket denial on everything else is just plain wrong. I worked as a librarian in Venus because I believe education changes people for the better. If you feel the same way, let me know by leaving a comment on my blog or, if you want to do something more active, write the TDCJ Programs Director:
Madeline Ortiz
Director, Rehabilitation Programs Division
PO Box 99
Huntsville, TX 77342-0099
* Horace Mann
One of my best buddies, Cameron, left the unit a couple of weeks ago to go to a rehabilitation program before going home. I met Cameron in county jail when I saw that one of his letters came from a familiar family name. It turned out that he was dating the sister of one of my old soccer teammates. After that initial connection we found that we shared many nerdy interests like Warcraft and computer hacking (not the bad kind.)
He arrived at this unit several months behind me and we got to know each other better. We have shared both good times and bad (see November 24th entry). While we have very different views of life - he is an atheist while I believe in a living, breathing God - we got along like coffee and cream. He could be bitter, but we always had good conversation.
He just came back to the unit with great news. He took a psych test at the other unit and was told that he did not need the rehab program after all. As soon as he received approved address to parole to, he would be headed home.
This news bodes well for me, too. I am scheduled to do a rehab program this summer and go home in the fall. With this new option I could be outside these walls eating real pizza by mid-May. That outcome would be a definite positive answer to years of prayer from hundreds of folks. Anything to speed release is welcome and I'm happy for Cameron's upcoming release, too!
This is my first weekend in Venus and since my folks are down in Galveston for my brother's birthday, they invited some friends to come here to see me. I think my parents were initially met with shock when the friends heard I was so close, then exuberance when they found out they were able to see me so soon.
At all my other units, except Goodman in Jasper, only family was allowed contact visits. All friends could only visit from behind tempered glass windows talking through a phone. So imagine our surprise when we met today when we were able to hug before sitting down at a table across from each other. The wife even sat beside me for a few minutes until a guard came by and told the wife to move to the other side of the table. Throughout our conversation I received slaps on the arm just because it was possible. What a great surprise to learn that all visits are contact. It's so much nicer to talk face-to-face instead of having a glare in the way.
Many of the staff here have said that they are committed to rehabilitation, since this is one last leg before going home. I heard something similar upon my arrival in San Saba, so I was a bit skeptical here. From what I have seen so far, they are actually serious here. I'm going to try to take advantage of any good opportunities allowed so I can cast off the institutional dross I have collected.
This weekend when my parents came to visit I told them about the bill in the state legislature to reduce the required time for aggravated crimes before the inmate sees parole. Currently, the required time is 50% of the sentence; I believe the bill reduces it to 38%. I encouraged my parents to contact their representative if they felt strongly about either side. My dad asked my opinion based on my experience over the past two years in prison.I explained that rehabilitation services exist in prison but are woefully inadequate. Often there is no motivation for either the inmate or instructor to take the classes serioulsy, so at the end of the class, all the inmate has received is an empty certificate. Just like our meals in the dining hall, it looks good on paper but is not very edifying.
From my own experience in counseling, I think it is a great alternative to straight prison time. Unfortunately, counseling services are almost nonexistent in prison. I've heard that they exist but have never seen them. So, the guys who need real behavioral changes are left in a place without good resources and left with less time for mandatory counseling upon parole. Overall, I think there are far better options for rehabilitation outside these walls.
On a related note, I think there are far too many people sent to prison when it would be far less expensive to keep them on probation. Housing an inmate costs the state around $250,000 per year, while probation costs around $3000 per year. While on probation, a person is also still contributing to the economy because they are required to maintain a job and they would be purchasing products.
Prison is too much of a university for criminal behavior to send and keep so many people housed here. I have learned all kinds of things that I've never wanted to know: how to steal from vending machines, rob stores successfully, grow mushrooms, cook meth, and more. It's strange to watch new people come in and slowly adapt to the prison environment, guys that think they have to prove their manhood or coolness to survive. They pick up all kinds of habits and attitudes from this culture that only serves to prevent them from reintegrating into real society. How this is good for anyone is beyond me.
I believe prisons are valid punishment for many crimes, however the overpopulation of prisons shows that the justice system has been heavy-handed toward some guys for whom there are better solutions. Those who make single mistakes, for the most part, should be given second chances under supervision, while prison should be reserved for the worst crimes and unrepentant repeat delinquencies.
