My Personal Journal

I'm finding it more and more difficult to write my once a month personal journal. Time has definitely lessened the hurt of Ron's incarceration for him and for me. Most of the men he befriended at Taft have gone home and moved on with their lives. All the talk in prison about getting together later on rarely materializes. When Ron first came home he wrote, through me, to friends that were still there, but over time, he stopped. Last week Corey was released after serving 9 years of a 12 1/2 year sentence for a non violent (first offence)marijuana conviction. He is now 37 years old and trying to pick up the pieces of his life. I became very friendly with his parents, Linda and Rod, whom I have written about before. I spent a memorable Christmas with them in Bakersfield, and although they have moved back to Spokane, I still feel very close to them. When I told Ron about Corey's release he was very happy, but quickly moved on to another subject. Hearing about prison is just not something he's interested in. On the other hand, Michael Santos, who was released in August of 2012 after serving 26 years of 40+sentence, also for drugs, has made it his life's work to reform the prison system and keep at risk youth from going down the wrong path. I became very close with Michael's wife Carole the first summer Ron was at Taft. We drove to Taft from LA every Friday for several months, and learned a lot about each other during our drives. Michael is now a teacher at San Francisco State University in the criminology department, among other things. He's a writer, motivational speaker and all around great guy who truly turned his life around. You can check his website for more information on his amazing story. Most men, Ron included, want to move as far away from the prison system as possible. Michael chose a different path, and it has led him to fulfilling career. Last night we had dinner with Laura and Richard. Richard is a forensic psychiatrist, who has worked with prisoners over the course of his career. We always hear the negatives about the prison system, but he told us about a program that sounds very productive. Apparently prisoners who are deemed incapable of standing trial because of mental incompetence, linger in jail, rather than a mental hospital for years sometimes. They get limited psychological services and little chance of becoming competent. However, there is a program in Riverside and San Bernardino, where prisoners who are incompetent, are given a chance to get the psych services they need and a chance to get better. He is going to check out this program soon, and I will tell you more when I hear from him. Well, that's all I have for now. Life moves on, we are healthy, we are busy, and we are happy. We talk often about the future and the possibility of travel. Ron has not been out of Southern California in six years, except for the wedding of Phil and Deborah in Colorado. He's ready to go somewhere, anywhere. It will all happen soon.