The possibilities for prison reform legislation continue to improve. In the early morning, often writing two blog entries on prison experiences, I wrote letters to various senators who have expressed an interest in prison reform.
Although I had not yet seen the Bill that Senator Webb submitted to Congress on prison reform, I knew that other senators joined him in sponsoring the legislation. Those senators included Specter, Reid, Leahy, Durbin, Graham, Schumer, Murray, Wyden, Brown, Warner, Gillibrand, and Burris. I wrote individual letters to each of those senators.
My purpose in writing letters was to introduce myself as a long-term prisoner who could offer a unique perspective. Each one-page letter revealed that I was in my 22nd year of imprisonment, that I had earned two university degrees, published extensively, and could offer prison reform suggestions that would lead more offenders to emerge as law-abiding citizens.
I don’t know how the members of Congress will advance the cause for prison reform. Yet I feel strongly that I can contribute testimony that will assist their deliberations. Writing letters from prison may not be the best way to establish myself as an authority on prison reform, though it is one step I will take to persuade Congress to call me as a witness on prison reform issues.
After finishing the last of those letters, I went to exercise. I ran four miles, then I had to stop because the camp administrator paged me. She wanted to speak with me about a group of at-risk adolescents who would be coming to Taft Camp to listen to our TOAD presentation. The meeting was scheduled for Wednesday evening and she asked me to coordinate. The page interrupted my exercise. Rather than resume my run, I recorded the four miles and let my legs rest. I now have 950 miles recorded over the past 108 days.
In the afternoon I led the seventh meeting in our session for the Entrepreneurial Compass class. We met in the chow hall, as the warehouse where we usually meet was filled with inventory. Scott Evans, the motivational speaker from Los Angeles was present for the class. Walt, one of the participants, delivered a speech on his prison experiences and preparations for release.
Monday, 30 March 2009
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