My Personal Journal

Last week Ron celebrated two years of freedom. It was on July 27, 2011, that he was released from Taft, after serving 19 months. Initially there was great anticipation, great excitement, and great expectation about what was to come. A coming home party, lots of phone calls and visits from well wishers for the first few weeks, and then reality set in. No one will hire you when they do a background check on you, some people that were friends before Taft, are still friends, but from afar. Others don't understand what you've been through, and if your behavior is unusual because something sets you off, they give up on you. But others embrace you and realize how hard life is after incarceration. There are plenty of new friends too, and we learn to cherish all friendships, old and new. Since Ron's been home, one of my jobs has been "Chief Cheerleader." Here's what I mean. For the past 40 years Ron has had many important jobs, been well respected and always was the "go to" man when something had to be done. Since he has returned from Taft, getting back his confidence has been his biggest obstacle. We were discussing this the other day, and he was commenting on how many jobs he had applied for (maybe 50) and how many he had gotten a call back from (0). He fell into his air conditioning job purely by accident. Our computer expert Kevin, was here and mentioned that he worked part time selling air conditioning. I said, "Ron could do that." Kevin recommended him for the job, and he's been working there for over a year. His other work, umpiring, was something he was doing before he went to Taft, and luckily they took him back. A few small accounting jobs have come his way, but really, no one wants to hire a felon. So, my job is to try to boost his confidence and encourage him to keep trying. Overall, life is good. We are both healthy and very happy with each other. The roadblocks Ron faces in getting work are difficult to get by, but with perserverance perhaps something will turn up. I have always thought of America as the land of second chances. I look at politicians, actors and athletes that do reprehensible things and are soon back at work. If you're famous and do something wrong, you are soon forgiven and given another chance. If you're not famous, a different standard applies. I was watching CNN a few days ago, and listened to Marion Barry (former politician from Washington, D.C.) talk about second chances, referring specifically to Andrew Weiner and Bob Filner. If they weren't in the spotlight, you'd never hear from them again. I have always likened our lives to a roller coaster ride. Our life has been filled with lots of ups and downs, twists and turns, highs and lows. We are still chugging our way up a steep incline, and although the ride is slow, it is a gratifying ride, a journey we're both happy to be on. I just decided I'm changing my life analogy from roller coaster to stock market chart. Look at a stock market chart and tell me that isn't a chart of how life goes. Each day has highs and lows, and most of the time the chart is trending upward. Sometimes, however, life takes a bad turn and you spiral down. Ron's life is on an uptick. Our new friend Richard was over last week and Ron was lamenting the fact that he had lost 19 months of his life to incarceration. He and Richard both said the same thing, "Ron will just have to live 19 months longer." (to make up for lost time). Next month I plan to tell you a few of the little unwritten rules that prisoners have, that become so much a habit that after they're home, they still surface. This is what I meant by unusual behavior, and everyone doesn't know or understand that they were caused by incarceration. For right now, let me tell you briefly about Steve Czifra. Steve Czifra was a young man when he was arrested for drug use and distribution, and received an 8 year sentence. While incarcerated, he spit on a guard, and was given an additional 4 years to his sentence, and 4 years of his sentence was to be served in solitary confinement. He is out of prison now, is 36 years old, and a student at UCBerkley. He was on the Chris Hays show "ALL IN" last week. He is working toward abolishing solitary confinement, as inhumane. He talks about his time in prison, and likens his current condition to PTSD. He never touched another human being for 4 years, his sleep patterns were disrupted, he lacked physical or mental stimulation, and was completely dependant on guards for food. That does something to the psyche. He was saying that learning is so difficult for him now. Whereas normal people read a book once, he has to read things 2-3 times to get the meaning. His mind wanders, he can't focus. It must be very frustrating. He is remarkable, and I hope he can make a difference, because I too, feel for most inmates, solitary is not called for. So much to say on the subject of prison reform, but I'll leave that for another time.