TEACHING ON THE INSIDE Part II

We’re all aware of the instant change that life hurls at us from time to time. For some this change is the sudden loss of a loved one, and for others it is the sudden change of address to the Department of Corrections.

While teaching on the inside I met a remarkable young man with a once bright and promising future. Right off the bat I saw within this young man the flicker of a dream that was on the verge of burning out. I was immediately impressed with his easy manner in dealing with fellow inmates and the respect with which they responded to him.

I could not help but ask him how he came to call this institution home. His story made me uncomfortable, not because of the crime he committed, but at the there but for the grace of God go I realization of how close to home he was speaking. An educated young man and a veteran of four years in the military he held the world by the tail at the tender age of 30 when, after meeting a potential client at a local pub, he was driving home and reaching for his cell phone hit a pedestrian.

For two people, life as they knew it changed forever and became irretrievably broken. The pedestrian succumbed to his injuries and the young man pled guilty to vehicular homicide and DUI, yes he was under the influence of alcohol. The judge felt a 9 year sentence appropriate for this reckless behavior.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand the magnitude of this horrific event. I understand a man lost his life, a mother lost her son, and the list is infinite in the loss of countless people we may never realize to be affected. However, this split second decision of this now inmate changed not only these lives aforementioned, but his life and the life of his family as well. Gone are the promising opportunities that once lurked near him waiting for him to recognize them and pluck them with his hand. In their place lives the label ‘convicted felon’ and all that that implies.

Life changes in a mere moment based on split second decisions.

              - Melissa Harrell, MSCJ, BSCJ

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