Yesterday, in a criminal justice course that I have to take for some reason to get my psychology degree, the professor brought in three prisoners accompanied by a member of security to talk to the class about what it’s like to be incarcerated. These gentlemen walked into a classroom filled with spoiled, dead-eyed undergraduates who have never seen the inside of a jail cell and were expected to give them all a play-by-play of the heinous crimes they had committed. I’ll tell you this: their stories were very eye-opening and managed to dig deep into the thought of only having one life to live. I can also honestly say that despite their status as inmates, they were by far more human than every being populating our classroom.
The first inmate who stood before the classroom was a 39 year-old man who informed the class that we had nothing to be afraid of, and joked if something were to happen then they’d be tranquilized on the spot. Immediately, he began his soliloquy on his life of crime. He began an addiction to crack cocaine at the tender age of 15 after only a few experiences with marijuana. Eventually, his story was filled only with speculation as he claimed that he could not remember a good portion of his life due to what seemed like an everlasting high. One night, while high, he said that he wanted to go rob a store with someone he considered a “true” friend at the time. They settled on a gas station and decided they’d rob the place by equipping a starter pistol (a pistol used to start track and field races). He stumbled into the gas station and immediately pointed the starter pistol into the gas attendant’s face. He requested all of the money in the cash register and made a quick attempt to the escape the gas station, only to be stopped by what he described as a .38 handgun held by the attendant. The attendant did not pull the trigger and the prisoner repeatedly claimed that God had intervened to give him a chance to correct his actions. Just as he was about to let go of the money he had stolen, the prisoner began overdosing on whatever concoction of drugs circulating about his system. His “true” friend, waiting in the car, proceeded to drive off once he noticed that the prisoner was on the ground overdosing. The prisoner says he never saw his friend again and woke up in the hospital the very next day, only to be given possession charges and robbery charges among others. He is currently serving his 7th year in prison. He has a wife and two daughters who await his release.
The second inmate was an enormous man about 45 years-old who did not have an excellent grasp on the English language. He started off in life as an excellent athlete who played football, basketball, and baseball while in high school. He also said that he amassed an impressive grade point average during his time as the school’s star athlete. His peers convinced him to try an assortment of drugs that would eventually damage who was then and change him into an entirely different person. While in jail serving time for drug charges, he got into a fight with another inmate who he ended up stabbing with an improvised weapon that he made in prison. After discussing why he was in prison and what it was like living out his life within these walls, he informed the class that he had a wife along with seven children; two of the younger ones aren’t exactly sure why their father isn’t at home with them.
The final inmate was younger than me at 21 years-old. He had dreams of going to college until one night in particular changed his future. At the age of 18, a fight had broken out at the party he was attending with some friends. He and his friends had left the party after the fight had concluded, only to return later in the night to brutally beat on the people who fought them. After severely wailing on them, the prisoner and his friends stole some items from the house. That same night, the prisoner and his friends were arrested and destined to be imprisoned for the next several years.
Each prisoner showed remorse for his actions, however they also admit that they’re grateful for the events that took place in their lives because they claimed they would not be the changed men that they are today if those events didn’t occur. The prisoners looked about the room and admired that all of us were sitting in our seats pursuing the dreams that we wanted to live out. However, I was bothered when I noticed that two girls had the audacity to sleep for a better part of the class period while the prisoners were sharing their life stories. These rude displays of behavior bothered me because it did not seem like they were appreciating the life they were living as opposed to the prisoners. These prisoners were in the classroom wishing that they could be in our seats living out the dreams that they once set out for themselves. My classmates did not even have the decency to give these men the time of day.
Their goals have changed to accommodate the dreams of their children so that they won’t make the same mistakes they did growing up. Unlike many of who want a job that will provide thousands or even millions of dollars, these men vie for a simple life where the only requirement is happiness. The money doesn’t matter to them, instead they’d rather be out of prison so that they can care for their children and give them the greatest lives possible.
Our society looks down upon prisoners who have wasted their chances on heinous activities, yet I discovered during this lecture that they are human like the rest of us. Like us, they have made mistakes that have altered their life’s course and seek for a second chance to correct themselves. Despite what these men had done, I grew a tremendous amount of respect for them; even more respect than the two girls who decided to sleep during their presentation.
These men are not prisoners, rather they are humans like the rest of us, and I pray that they will be given the second chance at a life to fulfill their dream of happiness.
My Seven Devils 