At 3:30 this morning I resumed work on an article I began writing yesterday about a need for a new Director in the Bureau of Prisons. Although citizens may not feelt that bureaucratic role has much influence over their lives, I’m convinced that the policies set by the BOP Director have an influence on prison recidivism rates. Those rates have an indirect influence on every American, and a direct influence on some. We need a Director who has the capacity and the courage to think in creative ways that will help more offenders emerge as law-abiding citizens.
As I am coming to the end of my prison term, this concept of preparing for the obstacles I will encounter upon release stays on my mind. I read of the high unemployment numbers, the lack of credit, the foreclosures, and the other elements of this economic crisis. They concern me, as I expect the numbers for people with a record showing they’ve just come out of prison must be even more troubling.
I deem the responsibility mine to ensure that I can overcome the obstacles that await my release. By my scheduled release date I will have served more than a quarter century, and it would be foolish to assume the prison system has not had some type of negative influence on me. I must overcome those influences, even if I don’t recognize them myself.
The main hurdles I must overcome include having housing, clothing, transportation, community support, and proximity to a steady income. With my wife, Carole, I feel as if I am well positioned to have the resources in place that will assure I am ready. Yet policies set by the Director of the BOP and enforced by prison administrators hinder my ability to make further preparations. I need more access to the telephone and to visits so I can strengthen my ties to my wife and to others who will help me transition as a law abiding citizen.
I am grateful, at least, that I have more freedom of time here at Taft Camp to work on my preparations for release. I am assigned to a janitorial position here that requires me to sweep and mop floors, clean windows and ledges of the quiet room where I write and another television room. This job leaves me with sufficient time to work on my writing projects, and I devote several hours each day. My only activity besides this reading and writing is exercise, which I also deem an essential component of my preparation for release.
Today I ran 10 miles in the early morning. I expected to follow my run with strength training, but for some reason the equipment room was closed so I came back in to write. I now have 1,169 miles recorded over the past 132 consecutive days of running.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
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