Ciao Robert!:) Yeah, I'm new here, haha. Well, I wrote you a really small comment once before but that doesn't really count. Yea, it's better to cut out the toxic people in your life! So if it's possible, you definitly should.:) I mean, I really do kind of understand where Maggie is coming from, but I have a very forgiving nature and to be honest, I think people would be happier if they'd just cast aside their hate and forgive sometimes... :) Doesn't even have something to do with religion - hah.:P I mean, Christians are always talking about forgiveness but most are hypocrites.... I'd love to send you a handwritten letter! But I'm from veeeery far away. Switzerland, to be exact! And aside from everything here being overly expensive, mailing the letters would be too much for me. I'm a student, don't make money yet...:) Actually, I'm just a little bit older than your daughter, I think. How old is she? But! I had the idea that I could write some letters by hand and scan them... I asked the behindthebars-team, if I could do that and am waiting for their reply now.:) I'm listening to "Heaven" by Otherside now too, by the way. I didn't know that song, it really is beautiful! Ugh, it's so weird, having a name that's viable to both genders!:P In school, when I have a teacher for the first time, they often think that I'm male because of my name and are surprised when they see me - definitly a female, haha. Ooh, you're right. The "bad boys". But to be honest, if I had known your past self I would have been attracted to the 'broken' side of you instead of the "bad boy", to be honest. I always want to help and fix people, but well, that doesn't really go well most of the time... :P Damn... It always makes me sad to read such stories. No child deservers to be treated so badly. And I'll never understand how you can hit a child...:( I'm really thankful for my parents (my mother at least). She's the best I could ask for. But honestly? It's so sick that they're locking up children/teenagers in America. You needed a loving family, not 3 years inside prison that made everything worse, what the hell! I mean, I'm 16 now, and 3 years are a lot to me. And they were just stolen from you. Did nobody even look into your uncle hitting you? Horrible, really... I'm actually German and I moved to Switzerland when I was 12. Anyways, in Germany, my best friend was actually really fucked up as well, because her stepfather beat her. She was schizophrenic and cut herself, also threatened to kill herself a lot... I'm glad she didn't. But it's insane what hitting children does to children.. And some people even try justifying it, ughh. Hope that class will be interesting.:) By the way, do you get therapy in your prisons? Not just the "sick psychos", but everyone, to deal with anger issues for example. I want to become a psychiatrist and do that someday. :) Going to continue in another letter, I always run out of space, jeeeez... :) C'ya!
Hello James, No problem! I don't except instant-messaging like answers from you, given the circumstances. ;) Mhh, I'm perfectly fine without religion to be honest. When I was very little I was kinda catholic...ish. At least I used to pray with my grandma, but someday I just didn't believe in "god" anymore. :> But! Let's not talk about that. Everyone shall believe what they want to. :) I'm particulary interested in your art, to be honest. Do you draw a lot? And can you also draw people? Haha, they're far from reaching old age..:) My mother has just turned 40 and my step-father is... Uh... Like 37? And my real dad is an ass, so nope, I'll definitly not serve him!:P Fortunately I have a really good relationship with my mum (and stepdad). And they're not religious either, so they won't force me do worship anything, haha. I wasn't even baptized, because my mother wanted me to choose for myself~
Hey! Oops, sorry for making you feel old. :P You're 29, aren't you? Hope my math is not off... (Like it always is, haha) Mind if I ask where you come from - I mean, nationality? How old are the people who write you on average? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only young person who visits this site when I read through other comments, haha. I told some friends of mine about the betweenthebars "project" and one was actually quite interested in it, but they're mostly to lazy to write something. Siiiiiigh. :P So you have been arrested with 17 the first time? Daamn, for what? Since when are you in the prison you are in right now? And for how long are you going to stay? Haha, I think I'm doing something positive with my life already. :> Actually, I'm thinking about studying psychology and becoming a psychiatrist - because I want to help people.
Youre welcome!:) Say - can you draw as well? People who write pretty can often draw really good. Thank you so much for your "step by step" instruction! Really sweet. My friend actually gave me an idea. It's impossible for me to send handwritting letters to you by mail, but maybe I could scan them and let the lovely betweenthebars-team print out the pictures for you...:) I wrote them a mail about that, let's pray that it's going to work! I mean, leaving aside that handwritten letters are more fun and also feel more special, it would also be great practise for me. :D
I'm looking forward to read from you again~ Be well! Jamie
Ciao Robert, thanks for your reply. As you mention the high cost of the Death penalty is new to you, let me drop some more information for you, specifically about Pennsylvania: "Pennsylvania's taxpayers have paid an estimated $272 million per execution since the Commonwealth reinstated its death penalty in 1978, according to an investigation by The Reading Eagle. Using data from a 2008 study by the Urban Institute, the Eagle calculated that cost of sentencing 408 people to death was an estimated $816 million higher than the cost of life without parole. The estimate is conservative, the paper says, because it assumes only one capital trial for each defendant and it does not include the cost of cases in which the death penalty was sought but not imposed. The total cost may exceed $1 billion. An earlier investigation had estimated a cost of at least $350 million, based on the 185 inmates who were on death row as of 2014, but additional research into the cases that had already been overturned, or in which inmates died or were executed prior to 2014, revealed a total of 408 people who had been sentenced to death. Pennsylvania has carried out only three executions under its current death penalty statute. State Senator Stewart Greenleaf, a Republican and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, "We're scratching for every dollar that we can right now. To continue to spend that kind of money is hard to justify." The Eagle's investigation also uncovered geographic disparities in the application of the death penalty. 60% of all death sentences came from just four counties: Philadelphia, Allegheny, York, and Berks. Death sentencing rates also varied dramatically, with about a third of counties handing down zero death sentences, while three (Columbia, Cumberland, and Northumberland) had 5 or more death sentences per 100 murders. Somerset District Attorney Lisa Lazzari-Strasiser, who has filed one death penalty case in five years as District Attorney, said, "I think our system is broken. It doesn't do justice to any one of the stakeholders, in my opinion, not the taxpayers, the victims or the defendants. It doesn't work." Reading your response to Jamie I guess you'd agree with Tupac, The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone... Take care, Julia
I haven't written yet - this has really hung on I felt some better today and went to church with a friend - she's been patiently waiting - and made it through the day. Went to Amber's this evening and now I'm going to bed. They're taking me to the beach tomorrow - a nice gesture and I know they're doing it for me - but they don't get that I like the ocean and the rocky cliffs, but I'm not overjoyed about the sand. I'll enjoy it though - they're doing something special for me. :) Anyway I should get a letter done this week:) I love you - more and more :)
RSS
Yeah, I'm new here, haha. Well, I wrote you a really small comment once before but that doesn't really count.
Yea, it's better to cut out the toxic people in your life! So if it's possible, you definitly should.:) I mean, I really do kind of understand where Maggie is coming from, but I have a very forgiving nature and to be honest, I think people would be happier if they'd just cast aside their hate and forgive sometimes... :) Doesn't even have something to do with religion - hah.:P I mean, Christians are always talking about forgiveness but most are hypocrites....
I'd love to send you a handwritten letter! But I'm from veeeery far away. Switzerland, to be exact! And aside from everything here being overly expensive, mailing the letters would be too much for me. I'm a student, don't make money yet...:) Actually, I'm just a little bit older than your daughter, I think. How old is she?
But! I had the idea that I could write some letters by hand and scan them... I asked the behindthebars-team, if I could do that and am waiting for their reply now.:)
I'm listening to "Heaven" by Otherside now too, by the way. I didn't know that song, it really is beautiful!
Ugh, it's so weird, having a name that's viable to both genders!:P In school, when I have a teacher for the first time, they often think that I'm male because of my name and are surprised when they see me - definitly a female, haha.
Ooh, you're right. The "bad boys". But to be honest, if I had known your past self I would have been attracted to the 'broken' side of you instead of the "bad boy", to be honest. I always want to help and fix people, but well, that doesn't really go well most of the time... :P
Damn... It always makes me sad to read such stories. No child deservers to be treated so badly. And I'll never understand how you can hit a child...:( I'm really thankful for my parents (my mother at least). She's the best I could ask for.
But honestly? It's so sick that they're locking up children/teenagers in America. You needed a loving family, not 3 years inside prison that made everything worse, what the hell! I mean, I'm 16 now, and 3 years are a lot to me. And they were just stolen from you.
Did nobody even look into your uncle hitting you? Horrible, really... I'm actually German and I moved to Switzerland when I was 12. Anyways, in Germany, my best friend was actually really fucked up as well, because her stepfather beat her. She was schizophrenic and cut herself, also threatened to kill herself a lot... I'm glad she didn't. But it's insane what hitting children does to children.. And some people even try justifying it, ughh.
Hope that class will be interesting.:) By the way, do you get therapy in your prisons? Not just the "sick psychos", but everyone, to deal with anger issues for example. I want to become a psychiatrist and do that someday. :)
Going to continue in another letter, I always run out of space, jeeeez... :)
C'ya!
No problem! I don't except instant-messaging like answers from you, given the circumstances. ;)
Mhh, I'm perfectly fine without religion to be honest. When I was very little I was kinda catholic...ish. At least I used to pray with my grandma, but someday I just didn't believe in "god" anymore. :> But! Let's not talk about that. Everyone shall believe what they want to. :)
I'm particulary interested in your art, to be honest. Do you draw a lot? And can you also draw people?
Haha, they're far from reaching old age..:) My mother has just turned 40 and my step-father is... Uh... Like 37? And my real dad is an ass, so nope, I'll definitly not serve him!:P Fortunately I have a really good relationship with my mum (and stepdad). And they're not religious either, so they won't force me do worship anything, haha. I wasn't even baptized, because my mother wanted me to choose for myself~
Looking forward to hearing from you again!
~Jamie
Oops, sorry for making you feel old. :P You're 29, aren't you? Hope my math is not off... (Like it always is, haha)
Mind if I ask where you come from - I mean, nationality?
How old are the people who write you on average? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only young person who visits this site when I read through other comments, haha. I told some friends of mine about the betweenthebars "project" and one was actually quite interested in it, but they're mostly to lazy to write something. Siiiiiigh. :P
So you have been arrested with 17 the first time? Daamn, for what? Since when are you in the prison you are in right now? And for how long are you going to stay?
Haha, I think I'm doing something positive with my life already. :> Actually, I'm thinking about studying psychology and becoming a psychiatrist - because I want to help people.
Youre welcome!:) Say - can you draw as well? People who write pretty can often draw really good.
Thank you so much for your "step by step" instruction! Really sweet. My friend actually gave me an idea. It's impossible for me to send handwritting letters to you by mail, but maybe I could scan them and let the lovely betweenthebars-team print out the pictures for you...:) I wrote them a mail about that, let's pray that it's going to work!
I mean, leaving aside that handwritten letters are more fun and also feel more special, it would also be great practise for me. :D
I'm looking forward to read from you again~
Be well!
Jamie
thanks for your reply. As you mention the high cost of the Death penalty is new to you, let me drop some more information for you, specifically about Pennsylvania: "Pennsylvania's taxpayers have paid an estimated $272 million per execution since the Commonwealth reinstated its death penalty in 1978, according to an investigation by The Reading Eagle. Using data from a 2008 study by the Urban Institute, the Eagle calculated that cost of sentencing 408 people to death was an estimated $816 million higher than the cost of life without parole. The estimate is conservative, the paper says, because it assumes only one capital trial for each defendant and it does not include the cost of cases in which the death penalty was sought but not imposed. The total cost may exceed $1 billion. An earlier investigation had estimated a cost of at least $350 million, based on the 185 inmates who were on death row as of 2014, but additional research into the cases that had already been overturned, or in which inmates died or were executed prior to 2014, revealed a total of 408 people who had been sentenced to death. Pennsylvania has carried out only three executions under its current death penalty statute. State Senator Stewart Greenleaf, a Republican and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, "We're scratching for every dollar that we can right now. To continue to spend that kind of money is hard to justify." The Eagle's investigation also uncovered geographic disparities in the application of the death penalty. 60% of all death sentences came from just four counties: Philadelphia, Allegheny, York, and Berks. Death sentencing rates also varied dramatically, with about a third of counties handing down zero death sentences, while three (Columbia, Cumberland, and Northumberland) had 5 or more death sentences per 100 murders. Somerset District Attorney Lisa Lazzari-Strasiser, who has filed one death penalty case in five years as District Attorney, said, "I think our system is broken. It doesn't do justice to any one of the stakeholders, in my opinion, not the taxpayers, the victims or the defendants. It doesn't work." Reading your response to Jamie I guess you'd agree with Tupac, The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone... Take care, Julia
Anyway I should get a letter done this week:)
I love you - more and more :)