I’ll refrain from boring you on the details of the newest update with credits being earned by incarcerated adults; however, I would like to highlight some incredible turn of events. Last week I covered the ongoing saga between BOP leadership and staff in the prisons. The BOP director issued yet another press release to undo another erroneous internal memo with very clear goals: save taxpayers’ money, reduce strains on staff, and send eligible adults home to their families. Those of us incarcerated look for any sign of hope to nudge or help our situation just a little bit, like when prison reform laws are passed or courts have pro-convict rulings…none of this response is common at all. Yet, the BOP director positioned that his administration will be “the dawn of a new era” for the BOP. That dramatic statement alone defies how the BOP has been operating. To know the leader of the BOP administration wants to fully implement a federal law and send eligible felons back to their homes is beyond remarkable. He makes his message crystal clear to prison staff to fully implement the law, which includes stacking credits and prioritizing home confinement. He has not wasted time indicating that implementation of this policy will immediately occur. Prior to this announcement, each prison/region acted as its own entity on how to interpret the laws and apply credits. The newest directive is crystal clear by its emphasis with bold print to send eligible felons back home. I know all of this seems very mundane, especially with all the news happening throughout the US and world.
For me, I still have plenty of time to serve my sentence, but it’s great to have an administration implementing congressional laws for so many individuals to serve the rest of their sentences in home confinement. This implementation means that many families will be reunited with loved ones VERY soon. While some of the staff at Morgantown would self-interpret the laws and inconsistently apply credits, I am happy to relay the staff in Texarkana were already following the laws! If the BOP systemically enacted this policy as it was ordained by Congress in 2022, then I would have already been serving the rest of my time in home confinement in August of 2024! Home confinement implies that felons are still bound by the same sanctions of imprisonment, just at home so that they are able to become contributing members of society while confined to the space of their home. They can still work, pay taxes, and be with their families while finishing their term of imprisonment.
I do not want to harp on the racial, religious, and political discrimination that predates but still consumes the judicial system…but I have witnessed some of the discrimination first-hand. I am appalled with how some staff treat certain incarcerated adults. These prejudices permeate and pollute the BOP, but I am happy that good leadership is subtly and timely addressing it. With the disparities between society and racial incarceration of blacks, this Juneteenth holiday was a delight to celebrate in Texarkana. It took two years for the Emancipation Proclamation to free the last slaves in Texas, which was an unbelievable feat for the time. Yet, it has taken nearly 7 years to start implementing prison reform of the First Step Act in today’s context. While slavery was imprisonment, today’s judicial imprisonment is hardly the same, so I am certainly not equating the two, just comparing how amazing it was to something enacted in the 1800s to take 2 years to liberate the enslaved just by word of mouth.
Juneteenth was my first holiday meal in Texarkana, which was delicious! Breaded-fried chicken breast, hot dog, sweet baked beans, buttercream pie, and seedless WATERMELON. I haven’t had watermelon in years, so this was an absolute treat. Then, later in the week, we were served sweet cantaloupe, which I haven’t had eaten in years. As always, I really appreciate you taking the time to check-in and see what’s been going on with me. Your ongoing support and encouragement have been instrumental to my success in this prison journey. Stay cool and hydrated this upcoming hot week…and continue to be mindful of any little miracle in your daily life 🙂