Incarceration: A Family Crisis: True stories of families and the critical need for Sentencing Reform

By Pat Galloway

Why the need for another book on crime, prison overcrowding, drug and alcohol addictions, etc., when hundreds have already been written? This is a book you have not read, written by real people, and these stories are all true. They come from the hearts of real people who have loved ones incarcerated or have been incarcerated. It is written from

• Language: English
• Publisher: Patsy Ruth Galloway
• Release date: Oct 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9780692793688

Book preview

Incarceration-A-Family-Crisis-1600-Barnes-and-Noble.jpg

Table Of Contents

PREFACE

PURPOSE

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER TWO: TAKING OFF THE MASKS

CHAPTER THREE: UP IN SMOKE

CHAPTER FOUR: WE’RE NOT JUST NUMBERS AND STATISTICS

CHAPTER FIVE: THE STATE CAPITOL BLUE ROOM

CHAPTER SIX: LYNN POWELL

CHAPTER SEVEN: JUSTIN JONES

CHAPTER EIGHT: JANET GALLOWAY MY COWBOY

CHAPTER NINE: GLEN BYRON–G.B.

CHAPTER TEN: LIFE IS A STAGE

CHAPTER ELEVEN: ROBERT’S STORY

CHAPTER TWELVE: $90,000 COMBAT BOOTS

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: ROBERT RAVITZ

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: DR. JOHN OTTO

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: JACK COWLEY

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: LANCE LANG–SOBER LIVING

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: JOHNNIE GAMBLE

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: CHRIS JEFFERSON

CHAPTER NINETEEN: RITA BOYLE

CHAPTER TWENTY: CAROL JOHNSON

CHAPTER TWENTY–ONE: RUTH BOYD

CHAPTER TWENTY–TWO: DAWN ROGERS

CHAPTER TWENTY–THREE: WHITNEY HANSON

CHAPTER TWENTY–FOUR: EDNA KEITH

CHAPTER TWENTY–FIVE: SABBATH FELLOWSHIP

CHAPTER TWENTY–SIX: KRIS STEELE–TEEM

CHAPTER TWENTY–SEVEN: WRAP UP

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INCARCERATION

Copyright © 2016 by Pat Galloway. All rights reserved.

Second Print Edition: August 2018

Paperback ISBN# 978-0-692-79367-1

E-book ISBN# 978-0-692-79368-8

Cover and Formatting: Streetlight Graphics

This book was written to provide truthful information re: the subject

matters covered. The opinions expressed are the author’s personal views

or those of the individuals who have shared their own stories.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

WE ARE NOT JUST NUMBERS AND STATISTICS!

WE ARE REAL FAMILIES

PREFACE

L

ook at the photo on

the back cover, of a young, typical, nineteen-sixties American Catholic family: eagerly looking forward to a great future. Would you ever imagine that instead, they would face a lifetime of heartache, mental illness, addiction, and too many years in the Oklahoma prison system? This is the story of one mother’s attempts to awaken the legislative powers of this country, and the average citizen, to the realization that what is presently being done in the realm of corrections and in our penal systems, is not working. The purpose of this book is to offer hope to the growing number of families losing their sons and daughters to an unseen enemy on a mission to destroy the family structure and undermine our entire society.

At least 80% of the people being sentenced to prisons today, are non-violent offenders: most are charged with crimes committed while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. For decades, we have thrown these men and women into prison; warehoused them for a time, with no rehabilitation; and then returned them to the same dysfunctional life styles. Without meaningful intervention and a renewing of the heart and mind during incarceration, we will continue facing the futility of the revolving door prison system.

You will meet some interesting people in this book who have willingly offered a truthful, up to the minute, picture of where we are in dealing with the crisis of our exploding prison population. They come from a variety of backgrounds and different perspectives. There is one common thread throughout all their stories: they are all passionate in their opinions as to how to deal with our growing prison plague and in finding ways to solve this national dilemma.

There are workable solutions to these overwhelming problems when all citizens are willing to come together for the good of the family unit and the future of our country. I ask you to read each story with an open mind; look into our hearts, listen to our voices and hear the heart cries of hurting people separated from loved ones by iron bars and razor wire. You will see a much clearer picture of the things we are facing as a nation, and hopefully ways to remedy them; but it will take the combined efforts of all of us, to see this accomplished.

There is a common bond between these families. We all have loved ones that are in prison now, just coming out and facing the problems of re-entry, going back in, or sick and dying in prison. You will also meet the men and women who make the sentencing laws, the courts who decide the punishments, and the Corrections Department which supervises these offenders while in custody.

Sentencing changes that have created more crimes, with more severe penalties and longer sentences are the reasons behind this explosion. The For Profit Private Prisons System has created a monster of greed, indifference and conflicts of interest. Far-right conservative special interest groups are just the tip of the iceberg. It happens every day in the state capitols of this country, where greedy lobbyists are allowed to flatter, entertain, and often offer financial incentives to the men and women who make our laws.

Prisons are huge businesses and are operated like any other big business, always with the bottom line profit in mind. Cutting costs to keep those profits coming affects the lives of thousands of inmates. Over-crowding creates major problems; sometimes three or more inmates live in small cells designed for only one person, or open dorms that were never intended for housing purposes. The food is sometimes inedible and unhealthy. Most of the time medical and mental health services are severely lacking. You’re probably thinking; Well, they deserved it. If you had to live under those conditions for even one day, you would think differently. In some prisons and the older jails, the stench alone makes you nauseous.

A majority of offenders are former substance abusers. We must come up with treatment programs that really work. Unless a person experiences an inner change and receives rehabilitative therapy while in prison, there is no way they will be able to survive when released. Most inmates, who have made a sincere effort to turn their lives around while incarcerated, truly believe they are changed and come back to society filled with hope. All too often those hopes fade when they begin the daily routine of looking for employment and trying to re-build broken relationships. Getting jobs that offer a decent wage has become more and more difficult, if not impossible. Most application forms ask point blank, Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If the answer is yes, in most cases, their answer is No. Inmate children suffer the most from this prison mentality. Armed with family history repeats itself, prison bed space is planned years ahead with the next generation in mind. It has been proven that the children of prisoners beget more prisoners. Let us work together with faith based ministries and treatment professionals who have a determined mind-set to keep this sad prophesy from becoming reality. The future of our world depends on people from all walks of life joining together in an effort to stop this generational curse.

The power to make necessary sentencing changes rests in the hands of our elected body of lawmakers. Things do not have to remain as they are now. In many states there have been few changes made in the last hundred years when it comes to crimes and punishment. Each legislative session ends with more laws requiring more punishment on the books. There is an available tool, rarely used, which, when given the opportunity, has been proven to work effectively. This simple principle is called Restorative Justice.

I know you’ve heard it said many times, Call and write your Senators and Representatives. But please, call them and urge them to investigate the success stories in other states that are gradually changing the face of incarceration from a purely punitive system into one of restoration and rehabilitation. There are victim and offender programs that really work; where practical resolutions are reached by having the offenders spend part of their incarceration in a supervised work program where they can earn money to help repay their victims.

There are many victimless crimes. These are offenses against the state: violations of probation and parole, failure to report etc. In Oklahoma, if you fail to keep an appointment with your parole officer, regardless of the circumstances; at the discretion of that Correction’s Department employee, you can be charged with Escape from a Penitentiary- a charge that carries a ten year sentence. Our prisons are filled with offenders serving long sentences because of parole violations. You will learn more about crimes against the state in the interview with Robert Ravitz: Oklahoma County’s Chief Public Defender.

As you become acquainted with the people who have shared their lives in order to make this book possible, you will see how the judicial system works in the area of crime and punishment. You will also see how all of us, as concerned citizens, have a crucial part to play in order for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, to enjoy a better world to live in. I pray your understanding will open and you will get a true vision of what goes on behind the walls of those concrete warehouses, with razor wire halos, where men, women, and juveniles, live in cages like birds. Jeremiah.5:28 NLT

PURPOSE

W

hy the need for another

book on crime, prison overcrowding, drug and alcohol addictions, etc., when hundreds have already been written? Because this is a book you have not read, written by real people, and these stories are all true. They come from the hearts of real people who have loved ones who are incarcerated or have been incarcerated. Some have been in prison themselves. The purpose of this book is to break the chains that are keeping people locked up in a world that either their own actions or the actions of others have created. It is written from the only perspective I know, and that is my own life. Of my six children, five sons and one daughter, four of my sons have been incarcerated at one time or another. Our oldest son died in prison.

We were like a million or more other Americans who believed we were just normal families raising children in the era of Nancy Reagan’s Just Say No and what followed: Let’s just lock ‘em up and throw away the key. Like all those other families, caught in the lock up, we now live in the fall out, from that time in our history.

These are true stories from other families, former inmates, and professionals, who have the lives of the accused and the convicted in their hands. You will hear from a former Director of the Department of Corrections, an Ex-Warden, a Public Defender, a Director of Sober Living Houses, the Director of CURE – Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants, and volunteers who are willing to go behind the razor wire and bring life and hope to the incarcerated.

My desire to write this book began back in 1998 when a group of people with a common cause came together in Oklahoma City and formed a coalition called Families in Crisis Association: individuals and families with one common denominator—a loved one in the prison system. At one time I almost tossed this manuscript because life got in the way and I just couldn’t seem to get it finished. A lot of it burned up in the fire at Lake Eufaula and had to be re-written. I was able to salvage some, but a lot of it was lost forever. I realize now that timing is everything and these stories are more relevant than when I began.

The reason this book is timely today is to see sentencing reform become reality. A crisis has been created by the backlash from the tough on crime mind-set. We are reaping the whirlwind of seeds that were sown. Prisons are dangerously overcrowded and many states, especially Oklahoma, are facing severe economic shortfalls. Something must be done and soon.

The two Questions: 780, and 781, on the November 2016 ballot, gave Oklahomans the opportunity to raise their voices in support of the grass roots effort led by Kris Steele and Oklahomans for Sentencing Reform. I believe it is just the beginning. There are many more issues to address regarding prison overcrowding, but this is a good start.

Another purpose is to bring hope and encouragement to the invisible, hurting families of the incarcerated. Another, is to urge people to get out and vote and volunteer. It will take more than the passage of those issues in order for sentencing reform to become a reality. And of course, my own personal heart cry, to encourage ordinary people like you and me to contact the Department of Corrections and become a prison volunteer. I promise you, it will be one of the most rewarding adventures of your lifetime.

So, purpose? To challenge your thinking and your actions. You start with the one person in your life who can make a difference. It is not your lawyer, your pastor, your spouse, or the loved one in prison. Stop now and go look in the mirror- it is you! As you begin to see things from a different perspective, your life will take on new meaning and direction. Don’t fall for that old lie, There’s nothing you can do. With more than 2.2 million Americans in prisons today, you won’t have to look very far to find others just like yourself, willing to come together and form your own coalition or join with other established support groups. You can make a difference in the world, and the greatest difference will be in your own life. My goal will have been fulfilled if you finish this book with renewed hope and a new appreciation for the reflection in the mirror!

—Pat Galloway

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

M

uch of what you will

see in this book, is not considered politically correct or popular these days. There is a powerful force at work, attempting to take God out of everything. Because I am just a very simple person, I learned early on, that, I can do nothing without God’s love, direction, and protection. He has brought me through this very interesting period called, My Life. I believe we all have purpose and opportunity every day, regardless of our circumstances, to make a difference for good in the world we live in, no matter where that might be.

My primary purpose in writing, is to see a major overhaul of our judicial system. I believe there are possibilities for positive change that could take place in my lifetime. If that doesn’t happen, I hope to be able to leave this world believing that I broke up a little fallow ground, cleared some of the debris, and planted a few good seeds called, hope.

Our oldest son died in 1985, while in custody of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Would I wish him back to live out his life in this prison system? No. I look forward to the day when I will meet him in Heaven. I pray that each of us can face the future knowing we did everything we could with the materials we had to work with.

There are people out there who can make a huge difference in your life, but it’s up to you to take the first step. The time that your loved one is locked up can prove to be a most valuable time in your own life. Take advantage of it. Take care of your body and your mind. Go to the gym. Go to the library.

My family and I have a foundation that we have stood on for years, and it is simply this from Romans 8:28, "Remember that All things work together for good; to them that love God, to them that are the Called, according to His purpose." Stand on that scripture from Romans 8:28 with confidence. This will help build your faith, step by step.

When you are browsing for a book, you may be thinking, Who is this person, and where did she get the credentials to write a book? I have a simple answer. My oldest son died in prison. Three of my other four sons spent some of their most productive years in prison. I believe the twenty years or more I have spent involved with prison life, working in advocacy and as a prison ministry volunteer, should have adequately qualified and equipped me. There are countless thousands of others who could tell similar stores and I want to share some of those stories with you.

Others I hope to reach are those who are hidden away inside their own private prisons. Another purpose of this book is to break the chains that are keeping people locked up in a world that either their own actions, or the actions of others have created. It is my honest and sincere desire that when you have finished this book, your life will have been changed for the better.

It’s time for you to meet the real live characters in this book. It is not fiction, and certainly no fairy tale. I will be introducing you to three of our sons, and to some of the other families who have come into my life since this saga began.

CHAPTER TWO

TAKING OFF THE MASKS

T

his book is an attempt

to get behind the masks that cover the faces of the families and loved ones of the incarcerated. It is intended to bring logic and awareness to people throughout this country who have only a vague concept of what is going on in the lives of thousands of their friends, family, and associates, who wear invisible masks to hide the pain they carry with them 24 hours a day.

The mask wraps you in a cocoon of safety so you can function just like any other normal person. You might hold down a good job, be an excellent employee and a good parent; but, every now and then, the mask must come off. You cannot allow yourself to become so distanced from reality that you begin to believe you are the person on the outside of the mask. You are still who you are, and you deserve to be honest with yourself. This book will help you take off the layers of protection you have wrapped yourself in, so you will be able to face the truth of who you really are, stop blaming yourself for things you have no control over, and stop trying to be the controller. In other words, Let go- and let God!

You owe something to yourself. This book will be a safe place where you can come to find the real you. We are all where we are today because of our choices. The pain you may be experiencing could be due to poor choices in your own life. Most likely, it is the result of choices made by someone else, and we have absolutely no control over others. We can only pray for the truth that sets people free, to become such a living force in our lives and the lives of those we love, that we will one day see real change that will benefit all of us.

As we mature in faith, we are able to help our loved ones in prison grow stronger. They are in a very difficult place; the separation alone sometimes seems unbearable. That’s all the more reason to write them often. Always include an uplifting word and be an encourager. Soon your loved ones will begin to lift the spirits of those around them. Those around them include prison staff as well as other inmates.

What’s the name of your own personal Alcatraz? Is it Depression? Deception? Addiction? Self – Pity? Controlling? Anger? Violence? Cowardice? Promiscuity? Self-medicating? Unbelief? Lying? If you are in a physical prison, or a prison of any of the above; hopefully, the time spent with me and others you will meet here, will be something you look forward to. Referring back to the life stories of others who have walked your same path, will give you renewed hope as you need it.

We will not see changes in sentencing laws and in our penal systems until enough of us are willing to put our feet, our hands and our voices to work. Until we can work together with our legislators and demand they address those reforms, we will never see changes for good.

One of the most rewarding things I’ve learned along the way is the realization that it’s not about me; it’s about Him, and His purpose for my life. I don’t choose to go anywhere if it isn’t His idea. I know if it is God’s plan, I will be prepared, and I know He will be with me. When I think of the times I felt I just had to be somewhere at the right time, and meet the right people, and all that other stuff, I can only say, Thank you Lord, for delivering me from myself and the expectations of others.

So, lay down the gloves, let the masks come off, and allow the spirit of truth to become your best friend. Ask for the ability to be able to accept reality for what it is, no matter what lies underneath. You will find the strength to deal with whatever comes, one step at a time. I will share my experience, strength, hope, and open my heart to all who are going through or facing what I have experienced in my life, with the belief that the truth will set you free. Our spirits come alive when we meet another person who has that same eternal spirit which witnesses to ours. I pray you will find that affinity with my spirit. Every time you pick up this book, you will know that you are meeting with a friend who truly cares for you and those loved ones behind prison walls.

CHAPTER THREE

UP IN SMOKE

A

s I sat in the

golf cart, watching flames leaping a hundred feet in the air over my brother’s home on Lake Eufaula in Eastern Oklahoma, I thought of the remaining fourteen interviews, still on cassette tapes and not yet transcribed, that would have finished the book I had been working on for the past several years. I was grateful to be alive, and thankful that we were all in one piece. Sleeping in the house that fateful night was my brother Jerry, his wife Betty, two house guests and six pets: Baxter Bodine, Jerry’s beloved one year old basset hound, Happy; a recently adopted male cocker spaniel; Tootsie, Betty’s eleven year old female cocker; the visiting cat, Cat, and the two yellow tabbies, Willy and Waylon; who were separated that night for the very first time. Willy came back to the smoldering ruins a couple of days later, but Waylon never showed up again. We felt blessed that most all the animals were rescued from the burning house; but sadly, it was evident that Waylon didn’t make it out.

I began the new year of 2006 with such determination to get Families in Crisis finally finished. I had taken every opportunity since the summer of 2005 to the end of the year wrapping up the interviews I had been trying to get for several years. Finally I had them all, and had spent most of December writing and editing. Taking time off for the holidays, I worked around the house a little in January and then headed back to Oklahoma City. I wanted to meet with some of the seasoned legislators who would be leaving the State Capitol because of mandatory term limits. I was also hoping to get acquainted with some of the new ones coming in.

It saddened me to see senators and representatives who had served faithfully for many years being forced out because of the new term limits law that was voted in several years ago, knowing they were being replaced by younger, less experienced men and women who would be making the laws for our state: many lacking the knowledge gained by experiencing how bad laws, created by ambitious politicians, had created the monumental problem of housing thousands of prisoners. The over-crowding dilemma, which was created by the lock ‘em up and throw away the key political cry of the late 1990’s, is still wreaking havoc today in this overburdened prison system. Not only did Governor Keating influence Oklahoma, his influence with all the Republican governors in that same era, no doubt contributed to the prison explosion all over this country. Apparently, this same mentality is still prevalent today and keeps the tough on crime cry alive and has led to more and more new laws, longer sentences, fewer paroles, and on and on.

I sat there too numb to feel any emotion. All those years of research, so much information that could never be replaced, all went up in smoke.

Just two days earlier I had unpacked my van, settled in, got my computer all hooked up, and set up a great office with all the things I had brought from my home in Arkansas. It was the perfect set-up, just what I had dreamed of; two levels, each about 2500 sq. ft., right on the water- with tall trees, a beautiful deck all across the back of the house, and steps leading down to the patio below.

My bedroom was downstairs next to the clubroom and kitchen, so I took over the dining area of the lower (unused) kitchen as my office. I had spent hours arranging the boxes of tapes and notes I had brought for references to back up my experiences over the past twenty years with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

It was Easter Sunday, 2006, when I moved into my brother’s home at Lake Eufaula. He had been suffering from the complications of diabetes for several years and his life was becoming more and more complicated. He was owner and managing broker of a successful real estate company in that busy lake area and needed some additional help to maintain his busy lifestyle. My sister in law Betty, had retired a year earlier from her lifelong career with Oklahoma VO-Tech. Maintaining a large lake home and keeping up with the real estate business and helping Jerry with his growing doctor’s appointments had become a major concern for both of them. We had talked for several months about the possibility of me moving in with them where I could have the perfect office and living arrangement on the lower level of their home. The plan was for me to be available to help with trips to doctors, grocery shopping, and helping out in general; and I would still have ample time to devote to getting my book finished.

Our plans worked just fine for three days, and then the unforeseen happened. We all went to bed that Tuesday night around ten or so. I woke up between 2:30 and 3:00 am and thought I smelled smoke. When I opened the door to the stairway going up, I closed it quickly because the entire area was filled with dense smoke. I then woke the visiting couple in the adjoining bedroom. We all ran through the downstairs kitchen, out the sliding doors, up the back stairs, and raced along the upper deck to my brother’s bedroom. As we passed the upstairs kitchen, it was all ablaze; the ceiling had already collapsed and you could feel the intense heat as we ran by. The triple sliding doors were locked and barred on the master bedroom. I banged on the doors and both my brother and sister in law woke up. They were able to unbar the doors, and the visiting couple and I helped get both of them back down the deck, down the stairs, past the lower patio and into the golf cart that was parked on the side of the house.

As we raced past the open doors to the lower kitchen where I had just unpacked the files for my book, I very daringly, reached in and grabbed a small box of floppy disks that were sitting on the table near the open patio door. My tape recorders, cassette tapes, computer, printer, and boxes of files, all burned. Along with those irreplaceable items was the very unusual gold bracelet Baum Mercier watch, which Charlie had given me for our 40th anniversary; a wide gold wedding band with a large diamond, a gift for our 50th wedding anniversary; a stunning ivory pendant in a gold bezel from my former employer, Jane Champlin, and the custom designed dinner ring Charlie had given me when we lived in Tulsa.

A few of my favorite outfits, my purse, with a little cash, check book etc. were all gone. I didn’t even think about the personal items: it was my book, up in smoke, that broke my heart.

Some of my most recent interviews with State Senators Constance Johnson and Cal Hobson, State Representative Paul Wesselhoft, Director of Community Sentencing, K.C. Moon, Laura Boyd, and a half dozen others, all died in the flames. Fortunately, I had already transcribed several stories that I had left in my files in Arkansas, or they wouldn’t be here now.

A neighbor called 911 and we all waited. It took about half an hour for fire trucks to arrive from Eufaula. By that time, all that was standing were the rock fireplaces. Everything else was blazing and the house was completely engulfed. We sat across the street in the golf cart and watched as they got the hoses hooked up and turned on, and only a trickle of water dripped out. There was no water. I certainly hope that water is available now in that exclusive area of Heritage Hills at Lake Eufaula.

Jerry always left spare keys in his cars, so someone moved their two cars out to the front of the property. We drove into town to the hospital to make sure Jerry was O.K. After leaving the hospital, we checked into a motel on highway 69. I had to call a locksmith to get a key made for my old Previa.

It was a horrible experience for Jerry and Betty. Jerry had surgery scheduled in Tahlequah for just about a week later.

There were complications during that surgery and he was air-lifted to Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City. I had extra clothing at the home of my good friend, Jan Sutherland; my home away from home, in Oklahoma City. We got the other things we needed at thrift shops and the Goodwill. I helped Betty get a nice furnished apartment near the hospital. She stayed with Jerry all day and would go home around seven in the evening.

This went on for about 5 weeks. One night I remember sitting with him and we were watching Robert Duvall in Lonesome Dove. I said good night and left him when the 10 pm news came on. Looking back on that night, I remember Jerry staring at the TV, like he wasn’t really watching, but was in deep thought. Betty called me about 5 am and was back at the hospital. Jerry was in a coma because of renal failure. He died later that afternoon. He was a terrific brother, I still miss him.

CHAPTER FOUR

WE’RE NOT JUST NUMBERS AND STATISTICS

I

was working closely with Justice

Fellowship Oklahoma and my new friends, Jack and La Donna Cowley. Jack had formed this coalition of concerned citizens, who were really on fire to bring prison reform to Oklahoma. Jack is a retired Oklahoma prison warden and one of the most dynamic people I have ever met. He has been with Alpha for several years now and has made major contributions all over the U.S. and the world in the area of prison intervention and reform.

One day, La Donna called to tell me about a meeting that was to be held the next day at the state capitol. I don’t recall what she told me it was all about, but the next day, I went. It was the first time I had ever been inside the capitol building. I made my way to the designated room and found a seat. There were probably 25 to 30 people in the room, all shapes sizes and colors. I listened to several speakers and was trying to follow the program.

One tall African American gentleman stood up and read off a long list of statistics about different programs for disenfranchised children and adults and how their lives were being affected. I listened intently, still trying to figure out why I was there. I had a folder with me with a picture of my family taken in 1960 when my youngest was six months old, and the oldest was 8. We looked just like any ordinary young, happy, family. I had it with me because the day before, I had taken the photo to a small shop to have a mouse pad made for our new computer. It’s the photo on the back of this book.

The next thing I was aware of, much to my surprise, I found myself walking around that room holding up the photo of my family. The words I heard coming out of my mouth were, "We are not just statistics, we are real families." I don’t recall much of anything else I might have said, but after I sat back down and the meeting was over, two men, came over to me and asked me if I would accompany them as they made the rounds to speak to the senators and the representatives about the need for prison reform and programs to benefit the poor and needy. They were Father Donald Brooks and Reverend Stan Basler. It was almost a surreal experience and something definitely not planned.

That was my first trip door to door at the state capitol calling on the legislative body; the first of many subsequent trips over the next two years.

In the months following, I found myself on the board of the Oklahoma Community Sentencing Council, formed the group Families in Crisis and was in a meeting almost every day or night. I was appointed to call on the district attorney’s in our area. Looking back, it was a great ride.

I remember meeting with Assistant District Attorney, Richard Wintory from Bob Macy’s office. I had heard stories about how tough he was. We visited for about three hours one morning, and he was basically charming. Most of the politicians I met were always very nice. That’s why they are called politicians. It was an exciting time. I would usually open each encounter with the picture of my family. They would look at it and comment something like, Oh what a lovely family, and my smiling reply would be, "yes, (pointing to Glen Byron-G.B), this one died in prison, and pointing to Mike, Robert and Tony, and these three, are in prison as we speak." If you