There are several federal inmates currently serving major time, some even life sentences, due to the not so just justice system. One of those who knows too well but too late is the Mr., my husband. I must admit I was hesitant about sharing his story, and I’ve held on to it for a few weeks. But he insisted that his story is not just his but the story of many others and it needs to be told.
The two major takeaways I would like you to leave with is that there is a need for justice reform. I commend President Obama for responding to members of FAMM and other groups that have fought for, and continue to fight for the rights of those who have excessive sentences. Am I condoning my husband’s actions and the actions of other inmates? No. But just like they have to pay for their crime, at what point does the justice system pay for its crime or at least right it’s wrongs? Most importantly, I would also like you to leave with the vivid picture the Mr. painted as his fate laid in the hands of a judge and share his story with others in hopes of deterring others from actions that will possibly send them to prison…
From Behind the Wall with The Mr.
From the first day I began fighting my charges, I felt like this was an unfair process. I was fighting federal charges of being an ex-felon in possession of a fire-arm, I was only supposed to get sentenced to 48 months. So how in the hell was I now fighting federal drug conspiracy charges based on a superseded indictment and I was never caught with any drugs when arrested on this charge?
Day and night I battled with this thought in a jail cell. These conspiracy charges were all conjured up. Now why would someone want to make up charges on someone? Simple; to get a reduced sentence that’s offered by the federal agents and the US Attorney. This is how the federal system works–always in its favor.
Think about the cases of blacks being killed by cops but witnesses aren’t considered credible because they have criminal records. So how is it that inmates (with criminal records) are credible witnesses when it serves the purpose of helping the federal agents get a conviction? Is this not a double standard? They say the feds have a 99% conviction rate . The truth is, everyone is forced to take a plea agreement and so was I.
If you decide to take your case to trial, (not if– but when you are found guilty) you will receive the maximum amount of time that a judge can sentence you to. It’s just their textbook law that they stand on and it’s a horrific tactic. The emotional roller coaster I was riding was so surreal. I was emotionally unstable– taking anti-depressant medication along with psych medications to escape from my reality. I went from 180 pounds to 265 pounds in a year.
When my sentencing day came, I was shackled and taken to the federal courthouse. I was so nervous; I nor my family had ever experienced such a situation. My stomach was balled up in a knot, my feet felt numb, it was as if my body was ready to shut down.
When I entered the courtroom, I saw all my family and friends, I couldn’t even smile at them, I just waved. As I stood before the judge being sentenced, everything was in frozen time and even though he was so close, it felt like he was a football field away. When I heard him sentence me to 270 months, I was stuck, my mind was trying to calculate that in years. When I realized I had just been sentenced to 22.5 years, I almost fainted! I immediately told my attorney to pull my plea agreement, this was 10 years more than my original agreement.
Tears immediately ran down my face. I had been fighting my case a little over a year and I just turned 27 years old. I couldn’t even look at my family and friends when I exited the courtroom. My thoughts were so consumed with where my life had gone and would it ever have any normality again? Would I even have a family when released? Hell, when would that even be?
Now at the age of 39, the person has changed and the experiences have been real. The justice system is so flawed, the picture society is painting of the justice system is just as bad as this years presidential campaign. They always push the public opinion based on violent acts in society to justify putting us all in the same boat when most of the federal system is non-violent drug offenders. There is more to come…..