The Novelist Portent
Johnny E. Mahaffey
November 27, 2016

Reply ID: ph3c
To Cavak:

First off, let me thank you for reading my posts. That in itself means a lot. Not many people take anything said by prisoners seriously. It's as if they forget everyone in here is not a stereotypical criminal. Many are—and without hope of changes—but mixed in are some normal people too. Convictions don't discriminate. Not far from my cell, there is an ex-Air Force pilot (a combat vet), an ex-Army medic, several electricians—we even have an ex-stand up comedian that worked with Ellen back before she came out. All of this is documented of course; the guys show their photo albums, reminiscing.

At the same time, there's drug addicts and pushers. Thieves, rapists, child molesters: the whole lot. And contrary to what's portrayed, molesters here in S.C. are not picked on in most places because they're protected by the state. They're even given first dibs on many of the jobs—or so it seems—because they have counselors assigned to them tracking their progress. The state receives extra funding for their rehabilitation and so treats them with kid gloves (is that saying right or am I making a bad pun?). My point is, this place is not what people think.

In the Eighth edition of Seeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Readings in Sociology, there's an essay by Emile Durkheim called "The Functions of Crime", and from it, I'd like to quote:

Contrary to current ideas, the criminal no longer seems a totally unsociable being, a sort of parasitic element, a strange and unassimilable body, introduced into the midst of society. On the contrary, he [or she] plays a definite role in social life.

Right now, it's said the S.C. governor will move on to become the Ambassador to the U.N., leaving the governance of S.C. up to... McMasters? The switch means another change in the upper tier positions within most—if not all—sections of S.C. government, including the prison system. The new governor will (most likely) lean things more towards his own way of doing things. Which could be good or bad. We'll have to wait and see.

I currently have life without parole, and Governor Haley had been considering a bill that would give parole. In a case like mine, that bill would/will give me chance for parole after 30 years. I've done 10 already, and the chance of parole in 20 to me is better than nothing. Maybe the new governor will improve the situation. And who know? Maybe President Trump will have an empathetic view towards the plight of prisoners that HAVE actually shown cause and reason for a chance at parole.

It's thanks to groups like Between the Bars that we're even seen. And I thank every reader out there for their humanity.

M