Prison Journal: Day 7,951
May 17, 2009
President Obama delivered the commencement address to the graduating class at Notre Dame University. I did not hear his speech, but as I walked by one of the television rooms I saw his image on the screen. As he was speaking, I thought for a moment about a commencement speech that a former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court gave to a graduating class from Pace University, in New York.
I did not listen to Justice Buger’s speech either, but I read the text from the speech in a book many years ago. The title of the speech was “Factories with Fences,” and Justice Burger delivered it in the mid-1980s, around the same time that my prison term began.
The reason that speech stuck with me through all those years was that I found it so encouraging, giving me rise so much optimism. Justice Burger called upon those young university graduates to work toward prison reform. It may have been a peculiar speech for a conservative justice to deliver, as America was then embarking on an imprisonment binge that would quadruple prison population levels. Though a line I read from that speech really inspired the adjustment that has carried me through so many years. He called for prison reforms that would allow prisoners to work toward “Earning and learning their way to freedom.”
As Supreme Court Justice, he did not have the capacity to usher in such reforms. That task had to fall to legislators. They were the only body that could reform laws. In all the years that have passed since Justice Burger delivered his speech, however, the only legislative reforms with regard to the prisons have made the system more onerous.
I don’t expect President Obama spoke about prison reform today. So many problems confront our country right now that the 2.3 million people locked inside prison boundaries do not merit much attention. Upon my release I intend to give a voice to this issue. As Senator Jim Webb said, I too believe our prison system represents “a national disgrace.” I intend to work toward reforms that will help more of my fellow prisoners emerge as law-abiding contributing citizens. As Justice Burger did, one forum I will pursue to launch this cause will be university speeches.
Today I began my writing at 2:47 AM. At 6:00 I went outside to run. After 10 miles, I now have 1,382 miles logged over the past 156 consecutive days. Following my run I strength trained with 150 pushups and a medicine ball workout. I then returned to my writing.
Sunday, 17 May 2009
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