When Prison Is Your Next Stop After Christmas - Forbes

Fences inside a BOP facility

by Walter Pavlo  -  12/28/2010

On Christmas day I received a phone call from “Joe”. Joe is 66 years old, still recovering from a stroke he suffered a few months back but has made a nice recovery. He still needs a cane to get around.

I have never met Joe but he reached out to me because someone had told him of my own prison adventure and he wanted some advice…he was due to report to federal prison on December 27thin South Carolina to begin serving a 10 year prison sentence for a white-collar crime.

Joe was in good spirits, considering his fate, though I could still tell there was a hope that his pending sentence would somehow not come to pass through either divine or human intervention. He read a letter in his hand that he had received from the Bureau of Prisons that gave him a date and time to report to prison….Noon, Monday, December 27th.

His first questions had to do with his well-being at prison, “Will I be safe?” he asked. I assured him that he would be safe and that the inmates he will meet will receive him in as a new member of the family and show him the rules of the institution. He wanted to know if there was an Orientation Class, to which I informed him there was not, to my knowledge. I’m not sure what an Orientation Class would even look like in prison, something like, “Here is your blanket, here is your cell, and here is your room mate for the next 10 years”. It was if Joe wanted to know that there was some structure or meaning to the journey that he was about to undertake.

In the background on the call I could hear Joe’s wife relaying questions of her own, “Ask him if you can call me to let me know you’re okay?” Overhearing her I said, “Yes you can Joe. Just look for an administrator on your first day and they will let you make a quick call. After that you will have to set up a phone account to call home.” Joe’s wife sounded relieved.

“What about my medications?” I told Joe to bring those along and that he would surrender those to the guard who would give them to the physician that would be evaluating him once he completed a number of forms on his medical history. Joe must have had a number of medications and he was also concerned about his ability to bring in a device he wears in his sleep to help him breathe. I did not have an answer for that one.

“Can I bring in my Bible?” I was not sure about the Bible because most prisons have local ministries that routinely visit and provide religious materials. Also, Chuck Colson’s Prison Ministry distributes a number of Bibles to prisoners, so even if they did not let Joe bring his Bible in he could always get one. If he felt really passionate about a certain version or type of Bible he could have a family member order one from a reputable book company and they can deliver it directly to the prison. Any book on faith is probably a good companion so I hope they let Joe bring in his Bible once they go through it to make sure it contains no contraband.

Joe told me he was heading to church on Sunday, God is always a little closer to those whose fate is uncertain, then after that he was going to start his journey to prison. Joe would be accompanied on the ride to prison by his wife and his son, who would be doing the driving. They had plans to stop on the 8-hour drive just a few hours short of the prison destination so he could have time to spare when he was due to show up before noon on Monday. Showing up to prison is one occasion you don’t want to be late for.

Joe bid me farewell and thanked me for my insights. I wished him well.

When I hung up the phone, I felt no pain or sadness for Joe’s situation. There are consequences for one’s actions and never once during our conversation did we discuss his case or the circumstances that lead him to prison. I had made the same trip with my brother who dropped me off at the federal prison in Jesup, GA almost 10 years ago. Prior to my ride to prison I had no one to speak to that could give me advice as to what was ahead for me…I just got in the car and went into the unknown. It was frightening.

So Joe is in prison today but at least he went in with some understanding and, I hope, comfort by the words I shared with him. I didn’t have to take the time to speak with Joe but I did. Someone had thought enough of Joe’s plight that he knew he needed to speak with someone to calm him about the upcoming prison experience. On Christmas day, I can think of a lot of things I would like to do rather than counsel a man about prison. But I was not helping Joe as much as I was helping the guy who sent Joe to me for advice in the first place…my elder son.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2010/12/28/when-prison-is-your-next-stop-after-christmas/