[BelfryJustice]

B Justice, your job is a difficult one no doubt, with little compassion from the free society.

I actually no of one inmate who went to federal pen, he had quit school and eventually worked his way up to shift forman at a factory in Cleveland Ohio, But his salary didn't cover all his wants so he started selling and consuming things which would lead to him being sentenced to 3 terms of 9 years. His wife divorced him and Ohio had a law at that time which added 1 year to your sentence to allow a person to cool off, (havent quite ever understood the logic of that one). Anyway while as an inmate he began to take GED classes, passed the test and began to take college classes from the University of Indiana and Ohio State, received an Associates from both schools, then began to work on a business degree. When he finished he had a BA from Ohio state and then received his MBA from IU. He carried a 4.0 at both schools. A year later he was moved to a minimun security prison for 6 months then was released to a halfway house in Cleveland, there he worked as a bagboy at a small grocery store, for 6 months. Upon his parole he returned home to live with his mom and Dad. He began to work as a mech and driver for family friend who had a 18 wheeler. At nights he would work on a busness plan, he took his plan to a bank and applied for a loan and wrote a small business grant, both were approved and he started his own trucking company a year later, it started small, 3 trucks with runs from Cleveland to Buffalo 6 runs per day, before long he had 12 trucks and added dailey runs to Detroit, Milwaukee, Pittsburg, and Syracuse. In the 3rd year he now had a small fleet of trucks, he had his brother, and sister, and their families working for him, as well as many of his childhood friends and relatives.
He remarried and two years ago his wife gave birth to his second child, a month later he was found to have cancer. He fought hard, the community had a bike run to raise money for him, to help with the bills which were mounting up, he spent his last days home with his family on the street where he grew up. He passed away in Feb of last year, he was my cousin and I loved him like a brother, amd i will never forget the impact he made on me, as well as those who knew him.

He told me on several occasions that the best thing that ever happened to him was going to prison. He said it saved my life and made a man out of me.

So many inmates will tell you that prison saved their life. I think anyone can change if giving the right treatment. Some should never get out because of the horrific crimes that they have committed. I like to think that most people do have some good in them. I have never said that these two young men need a slap on the hand. Prison might be what saves their lives or someone else’s life. I know of several that have left prison and became very successful. I will tell you that I as well no longer work in the correctional field. I currently work with MR males age 13 to 21 and have been since May of 2006.