I read an article in a magazine about a famous rapper who performs under the name T.I. His real name is Clifford Harris, Jr. It seems that T.I. is a repeat felon, though his criminal history did not deter him from accumulating an assortment of unregistered machine guns and silencers.
Federal authorities arrested the rapper in the fall of 2007 for numerous federal offenses. It is a felony for a person with a felony to possess any type of firearm, and the penalty for the types and quantities of firearms that T.I possessed required many years of imprisonment, generally longer than a decade. T.I., on the other hand, received a sentence of a year and a day, plus 1,500 hours of community service, a fine, and home confinement. On top of that, his prison term was deferred until he was ready.
Apparently the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case agreed to the sweetheart deal because he recognized that a superstar like T.I could reach tens of thousands of at-risk kids if he succeeded with a new, positive message about avoiding criminal activity. I would agree that the government should use its discretion in evaluating individuals striving to not only turn their lives into positive role models, but also influence others to lead responsible lives. Perhaps T.I. has been successful in helping others grow into responsible citizens. Yet it’s puzzling why ordinary Americans, those without millions of dollars, do not enjoy such opportunities for the type of liberal justice that a rap superstar received.
Although I’ve never had a firearm, and I’ve worked for 22 years from within federal prison to make positive contributions to society, I’ve not seen opportunities for a re-evaluation by the system. Nor have I seen any other prisoners receive anything that remotely resembles the deal prosecutors agree to for T.I. It’s too bad. I’m certain more prisoners would turn their lives toward becoming productive citizens if they perceived paths to earn freedom.
This morning I woke at 2:00 to continue my efforts to earn freedom. I spent the day editing the manuscript rather than writing new content. I did run 10 miles before the high heat came. My tally is now 1,903 miles over the past 215 days.
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
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