It was early Sunday evening. They had finally made the time to go. As they trudged up the long, steep walk they realized it looked just like in the movies. They walked in and went to the desk.
"Walter Johnson."
"Are you family?" asked the guard.
"yes," they replied.
"I'll need to see some I.D."
They handed over their identification, the guard logged it into the computer and handed it back.
"You can go sit over there and when it's time for your visit we'll call you up."
The couple sat in silence, unsure of what to say in these circumstances. They'd never been here before and weren't quite sure what was expected. But Walter had been here for nearly 3 months and they knew it had been too long since they had seen him.
Just then a guard called for the evening visit. People filed through the metal detector and into a large room to await instructions. They were told how to get to the appointed rooms and what was expected of them during their time here. Many of the people seemed to be veterans of the system but for the couple this was a new experience. They had been to see Walter in small jails before, but never a maximum security prison.
After walking down several long, bare hallways the couple finally saw Walter. He was seated behind glass, again, just like in the movies. He seemed a little surprised to see them, but also very happy and the couple was glad they had taken the time to visit. The time in prison had changed Walter. He was very thin, his hair long and stringy, his clothing ill fitting. He looked much older than his 25 years. But it wasn't just his appearance that had changed. As they talked he spoke of missing the family, the mistakes he had made, the desire to change so he would never have to return to this place. They had heard that many times before as he had gone in and out of the smaller jails. The judge had become tired of seeing him in his court so often and had sentenced him to a year in this maximum security prison, hoping it would help him see the error of his way. The judge seemed to have been right.
"Guys leave here, but a lot of them seem to come back over and over. I don't want to be like that. Doing my time in this place will clear my record. I'll be free from parole and I won't have to stay in this state. I can leave and start over. I'm thinking about becoming a motivational speaker or a counselor for youth. I want to help them see that it's not worth it. They don't want to become like me and end up here."
He spoke of his study of the scriptures and church and the classes he was taking in the prison. He was working in the kitchen and that helped the time go by more quickly and also shaved time off his sentence. He wanted to get out and see his family. He would miss the family reunion and he seemed for the first time to realize how much he was missing out on and what it really meant to him.
At that moment the bell rang, signalling the end of the visit. The couple left with promises to return. And they would return. In the midst of this dark and dreary place Walter had been able to find peace and hope, something he had never had before, and they wanted to do everything they could to keep that light in his eyes. And once he was free, they would do everything possible to make sure he didn't return to this place.
"Walter Johnson."
"Are you family?" asked the guard.
"yes," they replied.
"I'll need to see some I.D."
They handed over their identification, the guard logged it into the computer and handed it back.
"You can go sit over there and when it's time for your visit we'll call you up."
The couple sat in silence, unsure of what to say in these circumstances. They'd never been here before and weren't quite sure what was expected. But Walter had been here for nearly 3 months and they knew it had been too long since they had seen him.
Just then a guard called for the evening visit. People filed through the metal detector and into a large room to await instructions. They were told how to get to the appointed rooms and what was expected of them during their time here. Many of the people seemed to be veterans of the system but for the couple this was a new experience. They had been to see Walter in small jails before, but never a maximum security prison.
After walking down several long, bare hallways the couple finally saw Walter. He was seated behind glass, again, just like in the movies. He seemed a little surprised to see them, but also very happy and the couple was glad they had taken the time to visit. The time in prison had changed Walter. He was very thin, his hair long and stringy, his clothing ill fitting. He looked much older than his 25 years. But it wasn't just his appearance that had changed. As they talked he spoke of missing the family, the mistakes he had made, the desire to change so he would never have to return to this place. They had heard that many times before as he had gone in and out of the smaller jails. The judge had become tired of seeing him in his court so often and had sentenced him to a year in this maximum security prison, hoping it would help him see the error of his way. The judge seemed to have been right.
"Guys leave here, but a lot of them seem to come back over and over. I don't want to be like that. Doing my time in this place will clear my record. I'll be free from parole and I won't have to stay in this state. I can leave and start over. I'm thinking about becoming a motivational speaker or a counselor for youth. I want to help them see that it's not worth it. They don't want to become like me and end up here."
He spoke of his study of the scriptures and church and the classes he was taking in the prison. He was working in the kitchen and that helped the time go by more quickly and also shaved time off his sentence. He wanted to get out and see his family. He would miss the family reunion and he seemed for the first time to realize how much he was missing out on and what it really meant to him.
At that moment the bell rang, signalling the end of the visit. The couple left with promises to return. And they would return. In the midst of this dark and dreary place Walter had been able to find peace and hope, something he had never had before, and they wanted to do everything they could to keep that light in his eyes. And once he was free, they would do everything possible to make sure he didn't return to this place.
posted by Heidi @ 10:56 AM
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