Reasons to Never Give Up...Education is Power!

We have quietly been following all the restrictions that have been imposed on my family since my husband's release.  He left our home and is living else where and we make sure that we follow all the rules to the letter.  That does not mean that we have given up fighting for what we think is right.  We have graciously agreed and adhered to all the rules that the justice system has imposed but we have also kept fighting for what we believe is injustice. 

During my husband's sex offender designation hearing process, we came armed with more information than most.  We were actually passing case law onto our attorney.  We shared as much legal paperwork with him to support the lowest designation as possible and in the end all the hard work paid off.  We successfully argued with the over rides that the state was claiming were reasons that he should be a higher risk.  We had supporters write letters on his behalf, in support of his character and his risk to others.  We walked away from that hearing, feeling like we had finally won a battle and ready to face the next one.

My husband was required to leave our home in August and we have been trying to live as a family under two different roofs.  He is currently not even allowed to visit our home.  We have been making phone call after phone call to try to get clarification on whether it is even in the probation officers power to force him to move with no success.  We would get referred to another phone number, another agency or another attorney.  No one seemed able to help for a variety of reasons.  Either, we lived in the wrong county, we did not have any money to pay anyone, or they could only help with state offenses, not federal.  We did not give up.

Because I am connected with other families going through the same thing, we share stories and experiences, I decided to send one more e-mail.  Wahoo!!!! Success!!! We had our first phone call with an attorney who can actually help us.  Now we are not sure that this is a fight we even want to take on, but at least we now have an attorney who can tell us if it is a fight we could even win.  The attorney is currently fighting a similar case and will get back to us shortly as to what he recommends.  We have even proposed some compromises where my husband would still not live in our home but at least be allowed to visit.  Not sure how this will play out but I feel like we accomplished so much by finally getting to talk to someone who could possibly help us.

There is room to fight for what is right within the system.  Following the rules pays off, we have approval for an overnight visit to some out of town family for the holidays and are looking forward to seeing family.    Communicating with others and sharing stories can change lives in ways you would never understand, if it was not for this one e-mail I received, I might not have ever sent the last one.  It is our responsibility to educate each other, because the justice system moves with the assumption that many people do not understand how it works.  Education is Power and we all need to share what we know to beat the stereotypes and public misconceptions.