A Mother's Pride

I made it through my oldest son's graduation from high school.  It was one of the big events that I was dreading simply because it was one of the biggest events in my children's lives that my husband would miss.  It had become a defining moment of how our lives would be changed and how would we get through everything without him around.  It was the one moment my son focused on when he wrote his support letter to the sentencing judge and yet seemingly was ignored. 

It was a very hectic few days, but because of that we were all able to do what needed to get done and then just enjoy the time for what it was.  Like every other event my husband has missed, I took photos and videos of the highlights but I will admit that in the more relaxed time I just tried to sit back and enjoy the fun.  And yes, there was much fun and laughter in the house to be enjoyed by all.  Close friends came and shared in the weekend, and other family and friends came for an afternoon of celebration.  It was not a time to dwell on what we were missing but a time to look forward for what the future holds for everyone.

The only tears I shed over the last few days were tears of joy and pride in the young man who has overcome more than any child should be expected to, and managed to stay well grounded and successful.  He walked across that stage with his head held high and had the respect of his peers, teachers and many in the audience.  He has shown the world how to graciously handle adversity and still focus on the job at hand, never skipping a beat.  His own experiences have made him a better man and a force that will leave his mark on the world in a very positive way.

He has matured in ways that a parent can truly be proud of.  He has learned that there is nothing in this world that he should not try to strive for.  He is limited only by the scope of his own dreams and desires.  He has learned the power of the written word and his artistry with words will take him to places he can only begin to imagine. I tease him, but if he only remembers to use his secret weapon, his beautiful smile, the world will open up before him.

My hopes for him, are that he never believe that he is not good enough to try anything or that anyone else is better than him.  His determination and spirit more than make up for what he might be lacking in experience and knowledge.  And I wish him joy, happiness and the knowledge that his family will always love him no matter what path he takes in life.

A Challenge to Those Who Love a Federal Inmate

Five years ago I was little informed, you could even say ignorant, of some areas that I am now an expert in. I now spend so much of my time reading and researching about a system that is broken and in need of repair.  I am taking a few minutes to send out a challenge to all of you that have been touched in some way by the Federal Corrections system in the hopes that if we all speak out, eventually small things will change, leading eventually to bigger and better changes.

Back in 1984 Congress eliminated parole within the Federal System, so currently the only opportunity for any early release is in the calculation of their Good Time Credit.  The system is set up that any inmate sentenced for more than 12 months earns 54 days per year as a Good Time Credit.  Ideally that means for every year of their sentence they could take 54 days off their sentence per year and should amount to serving 85% of the original sentence.  The problem lies in the complicated calculation that the BOP uses to determine the actual days, their calculation actually works out to 47 days per year.  They base their calculations on days served and each progressive year takes into account the previous years good time credit.  It is like compounding interest only in reverse.  This works out that the inmates end up serving 87.1% of the original sentence. 

Now that may not seem like much, but to anyone serving that time, every extra day is a big deal.  Looking at it from a taxpayers perspective, the difference between 85% and 87.1% would save taxpayers $914 million over every 9.5years based on the current federal prison population.  These calculations were taken from Families Against Mandatory Minimums or FAMM.  Other sites have done similar calculations and come up with similar numbers.

All this leads me to my challenge, there is a bill called the Barber Amendment that is currently in need of bi-partisan sponsorship, that would amend Title 18 U.S.C. Section 3624(b)(1).  This bill would change the current calculation from 54 days to 128 days, which would be a return to the previous Good Time Credit figure before the Sentencing Guidelines of 1987.  Politicians are not excited about this bill because they do not want to appear soft on crime, but we need to get them to think of it as being smart on crime.  In today's environment with governements looking for ways to cut spending, here is a way to drastically cut spending.  Prisons are overcrowded and it would be a way to thin out the populations making it safer for both the inmates as well as the employees.

I am asking everyone who has a loved one currently incarcerated or any fiscally responsible citizen to write your state representatives to urge them to consider sponsoring this bill.  It has been floating around for a number of years and it is time to put some thought and humanity back into our justice system.  Sell them on the idea that it saves money, lives and families.   Here is the link for the FEDCURE site that has more information on the bill and its need for sponsorship.

By the time this bill could possibly be implemented, my husband will probably already be home, but there are so many people who have found themselves trapped with a federal mandatory minimum sentence who might have hope that they could have a life outside prison fences that I can no longer sit back and be the ignorant person I used to be.