Tag: prison life

“THE MIRACLE OF HANDS” by Tony Casson

On By Tony CassonIn Miracle of HandsLeave a comment

‘We are formed by your hands.”  Isaiah 64:8c NLT

‘Now join your hands, and with your hands, your heart.’  William Shakespeare

Hands.

What extraordinary things they are, and what remarkable things they are capable of doing.

Hands create things and hands write things. Hands build, paint, sculpt, and compose things. Hands push things, pull things, wave at things, start things and stop things. Hands cook things and clean things, wash things and dry things, open things and close things.

Hands also hold things.

While it may be true that many of the items our hands hold throughout our lifetime are of a relatively insignificant nature, it is also true that, at different times in life, our hands have occasion to hold things of tremendous importance, immeasurable value, and incalculable worth.

I recall holding each of my two children shortly after they were born. With the clarity of perfect hindsight, it is shamefully obvious to me now that I simply did not comprehend, or fully appreciate at the time, the miraculous nature of what it was I held in my hands. This is truly unfortunate for those were once-in-a-lifetime moments that disappear the instant after they are experienced, and I will never hold either of them in quite the same manner again.

These words that I write, which may appear to be taking a rather melancholic turn, are not intended to depress or sadden anyone within the ‘sound’ of my literary ‘voice’. Quite the contrary, you see, for this, my friends, is a tale of discovery. It is a joyous celebration of what happens when our hands are connected to the eyes of our hearts, enabling what our hands are holding to be seen and appreciated for exactly what it is, and for it to be appraised for exactly what it is worth.

I am presently sitting at the small metal desk in my prison cell. To my right are the bunk beds belonging to my ‘cellie’ and me. The top bunk is mine, and I have placed upon it three distinctly different items. Each of them has had a profound impact on my life during my incarceration and one day recently, as I held each one in turn, I gave considerable thought to defining exactly what it was I was holding, so I could appreciate it better and perhaps share the discovery of that appreciation with each of you. Perhaps when I am finished, you too might understand and recognize that things are not always ‘just’ things. Sometimes, the things that we hold in our hands live, breath, and talk to us in special ways.

The first of the three items that I hold in my hands is a print copy of these “Chronicles” that you are reading. It is odd for me to think that almost anyone in the world can read my words online, and yet I have never seen those words presented in that manner myself. However, thanks to my dear friend Diane, and my brother-in-law Larry, I have been provided with copies of every article that has been posted. I have assembled these copies into 2 rather thick, bound ‘volumes’.

At somewhere in the vicinity of 175 different articles totaling some 700 printed pages compiled over the past 3 1/2 years, the “Chronicles” represents a lot of time, effort, research, and cooperation. While this is all well and good, these questions popped into my mind: “What exactly IS it?” “What does it MEAN to me?” “What does it REPRESENT?”

“The Oakdale Chronicles”, or “TOC” as it is affectionately known by myself and those who help bring it to you, is many, many things. First and foremost among these would be the fact that ‘TOC’ is ‘honesty’. Regardless of the subject matter, I have searched my heart for the truth, and that is what I wrote. Honesty is also what I have asked for, and received, from those who have contributed along the way as well. Those contributors have included Richard Roy and Steve Marshall, and I have appreciated their input in the past, and look forward to it in the future.

“TOC” is also a compilation of pain. It is pain of such an intensity at times as to be almost indescribable. It is my pain, of course, but it is also the pain of others who have written their own stories, as well as the pain of those about whom I have written.

The “Chronicles” represents a desire to help us all see a little more clearly, some of the problems that are faced both by individuals, and society as a whole.

This object in my hands is also a yardstick, of sorts. It is a way to measure my growth as a human being during my incarceration here at Oakdale FCI, and that growth HAS been quite measureable.

It is very personal in a very public way. It has made me laugh; it has made me cry; it has made me angry; and it has made me sad. But it has also helped me to see that there is hope for the future. Perhaps it has done the same things for some who have read it.

“TOC” represents a lot of television that was not watched. It also represents a lot of time that was not merely wasted in an environment where so much time IS wasted. It represents an attempt to reach out to others; to offer help to those who need it; to make people stop and think about the condition of society and their part in that current condition, as well as their roles in changing that condition and working to make this a better place to live and raise a family.

I have never pretended to have all of the answers, nor have I criticized the way something is being done without offering a suggestion or two for ways in which I think those things can be improved.

“TOC” is an acceptance of responsibility on my part for the things I have done, and I have only published the stories of those who have accepted their own. I offer no excuses for my behavior, nor do I accept any from others. I have, however, tried to examine my life and find the reasons certain decisions were made which contributed to the direction my life eventually took.

“TOC” has allowed me to stress the importance of God as a part of ANY person’s ability to make changes within themselves when nothing less than a complete spiritual transformation is called for. The role that God plays in my life is a role that I should have welcomed long, long ago. Fortunately for all of us who seek to change our lives in dramatic ways, when we DO reach out to Him for help, He is right there waiting to step in, take our hand, and light our path, and He assures us that it matters NOT at what point in our lives this realization – this NEED – occurs. All that matters is that it does.

For many inmates who leave places such as this one, there is only a desire to forget the experience. There is simply the need to live as ‘free’ individuals once again. On some level I can understand this, but for myself, “TOC” will always be at hand to provide me with a tangible reminder so I will NEVER forget my four years of incarceration. “TOC” assisted me in breaking free of the bonds that held me and has played an instrumental part in helping me to mature and grow in my relationship with God; to demonstrate to myself – if no one else – that I am human after all. And it is a good feeling. I am grateful to those who have worked to maintain these “Chronicles” and I am VERY grateful to God for His guidance every step of the way.

I place the valuable treasure called “The Oakdale Chronicles” back on my bunk and pick up the next object in line.

This object contains considerably fewer pages than “TOC”, but its value cannot be measured by size alone. It is a complete draft of “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, my soon-to-be released daily devotional book or “Daily Living Guide”, as I call it.

You see, “TODAY IS….A Gift From God” is so much more than ‘just’ a book of daily thoughts, meditations, lessons, and devotions. While it IS all of those things, it is, first and foremost, the very essence of the relationship that has grown between myself and God. Its acceptance by, and usefulness to, others remains to be seen, but the importance of the relationship that “TODAY IS…” represents to me is undeniable and irrevocable. In the drug-induced fantasies of the past, where I might have imagined myself writing a best-selling novel of universal acclaim and importance, I can assure you that God was NOT in the picture. Nor was Jesus Christ a main character. Come to think of it, He was not in the “Great American Novel” of my dreams at all.

Which is absolutely fine because this IS no “Great American Novel”. This is SO much better. It is so much more honest; so much more useful; so much more personal and intimate. “TODAY IS….” has taken all of the mistakes, missteps, tragedies, pain, joy, good decisions, and bad decisions of my life and turned them all over to God, who then handed them back to me, one at a time, in the form of daily guidance for other people. Lessons, suggestions and examples to be used by others to deal with similar situations in their lives, or to help avoid them altogether.

In sharing my relationship with God in this manner, “TODAY IS….” puts to good use what some might call a ‘wasted’ life. Indeed, had I died on that shower floor in August of 2009, it could accurately be stated that my life was wasted. Fortunately, God has taught me that no experience – not even the ‘bad’ ones – are wasted if they are put to good use, and He has shown me how to take our relationship and allow it to help me use my life, and the experiences I have had, and try to help others.

How does one use “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”? In exactly the same way that one builds a relationship with God: One day at a time, with thought, and with purpose.

This very important part of me, which will soon be offered to all of you, could never have happened without the hard work, effort, and support of my friend Diane. Beginning with a simple gesture of Christian kindness in the form of a card mailed to me over 3 1/2 years ago at the request of my sister Kathy, my friendship with, and reliance upon, Diane has grown tremendously. I have to think that her husband Don has felt the effects of the many ‘requests’ (demands?) that I have made upon her. She has researched, typed, and posted articles for “TOC”, but she has also typed, corrected, changed, formatted, and nurtured “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”. Without her involvement, “TODAY IS…” would, at best, be something that would not be completed until long after my release. This wonderful friend has played an integral part not only in the production of the book itself, but also in the relationship with God “TODAY IS….” represents. She has helped to teach me about friendship and service to others as well. No one can ever convince me that she is anything less than my own personal Angel sent by God.

The beauty of the relationship with God that made me understand that every single day IS a gift from Him is truly breathtaking. The value of that relationship, in the form of “TODAY IS….A Gift From God” is beyond calculation, and it is with great reluctance that I return this treasure to its spot on my bunk. I do so only to free my hands to pick up the third, and final, item that rests there.

Communicating the significance of this last item in terms which are equal TO that significance is a challenge unto itself, for the last item I pick up and hold in my hands is the Holy Bible.

Once upon a time, in the arrogant ignorance of my youth, I dismissed the Bible as, “Nothing more than a good story. Just a good book.” I felt that anyone who attributed any more importance to it than that was a fool. With that clarity of hindsight I mentioned earlier, I have come to understand just how wrong I was, how immature and uninformed my arbitrary declaration was, and I can see now the cost to myself and the many others who have attempted to share my life through the years and were hurt as a result of that shamefully immature, arrogant ignorance.

Oddly enough, had I recognized, or allowed myself to be shown, the Holy Bible for what it really IS, there would be no story to tell you here. At the very least, it would be a totally different one. But therein lies the indescribable beauty of it all – my life played out exactly as it NEEDED to in order for ME to hold this precious item in my hands and share my discovery with anyone willing to take the time to read my words.

The Holy Bible is a living, breathing thing. Just as surely as you and I live, so does the Bible live. It is intricate in its complexity and yet its true message and meaning is one of surprising simplicity. It is alive, but it is also life itself. It brings diverse peoples together, yet often drives close families apart. It describes for us the beginning of all life on earth, and reveals to us how that life will all end some day in the future. It doesn’t tell us when the end will come, but it helps us live our lives so that we are always prepared FOR that end. It gives us simple guidelines to follow, and then describes the price that a man named Jesus Christ paid to absolve us of our blame and restore us to good graces with God when we fail to follow them. It is the answers for our questions when we don’t even know what the questions are.

Most of us have heard, at one time or another, that the Holy Bible is the Word of God. I am most certainly not here to dispute that. The purpose of MY words is to try and share with you my overwhelming love and affection for this ‘book’ and to attempt to convey my understanding of its enormous value in the hope that you, too, will pick one up and hold it and ask it to speak to YOU in a similar manner, because the Holy Bible DOES speak to us, if we are only willing to listen.

The Holy Bible is a life preserver in a sea of sin and it is something that I cling to fiercely so I do not drown in that sea. The Holy Bible is forgiveness for the things I have done that are contrary to the instructions and teachings it contains. It is important to note it is not ACCEPTANCE of those things. It provides an opportunity to be renewed and restored with God and to refocus on those things that DO meet with God’s approval.

The Bible teaches, encourages, empowers, protects, redeems, and lights our way through the darkness. It is kindness in an unkind world, morality in an immoral society, justice for the oppressed, joy for the sad, decency with which we can replace our indecency, and it is knowledge combined with the wisdom required to put the knowledge to good use.

With the Bible we can find peace when we are at war with ourselves or with one another. It offers us hope when we wake up one morning and feel that there IS none. It gives us strength to go on when all we want to do is lay down and die. The Holy Bible helps us develop our faith in something we cannot see because what we cannot see is far more beautiful than what we CAN see all around us.

It helps us understand our differences in order that we can focus more intently on those things we have in common. The Bible gives us the power to stand up when we are knocked down and it provides us with the ability to offer the hand of friendship to the one who knocked us down in the first place.

When we allow the Bible to help us, it will. When we invite the Bible into our lives, it will enter and enrich them. When we look to the Bible for a reason to be kind, gentle, compassionate, loving, humble, and helpful individuals, we FIND that reason and we discover the reason has a name and His name is Jesus Christ.

And when we are lost, confused, alone, and afraid and we tearfully look to Christ and ask, “What do I DO?!?”, all we need do is LISTEN for the two simple words that He speaks repeatedly that will provide us with all we need: “Follow Me.”

He will lead us to forgiveness for our sins when we confess them to God, to reconciliation WITH God, and to an everlasting life of beauty beyond description as our reward for accepting Him as our savior. He died so that we may live an eternal life of unimaginable joy and peace, and He suffered for the sins WE committed so that we could ask God to forgive us with the confident knowledge that we WILL be forgiven.

The Bible is a very, very large Book containing many stories, many lessons, many words, and it can be very intimidating and complicated IF we allow our human nature to MAKE it complicated and intimidating.

Jesus Christ does not strike me as being complicated at all and He was so humble and compassionate that ‘intimidating’ does not seem to be an appropriate term to describe Him.

“Worship God.” “Love one another.” “Follow me.” Those are the things that He says to us.

How complicated is that?

My Bible gives me my relationship with Jesus Christ and Christ provides me with the ability to transform myself, my life, my heart, and my future.

Quite a change from, “Nothing more than a good story. Just a good book.” Wouldn’t you agree?

I remember calling my sister Kathy after being released from custody after my suicide attempt and while awaiting resolution in the criminal case that brought me to Oakdale. Convinced that it was God who saved me from myself, I asked her to send me a Bible, which she gladly did. I clearly remember the day it arrived in the mail. At THAT time I held it in my hands and its value and the critical part it would play in my life was still a mystery to me. I called her up and I thanked her.

And then I asked her, “Now what do I do with it?”

The answer, it turns out, is pretty simple, really: Listen to it. It is alive, and it WILL talk to us. It speaks to me daily, and I know it will speak to you too if you will only allow it to do so.

I return my Holy Bible to its place next to “The Oakdale Chronicles” and “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”. The enormity of what I am looking at strikes me. The amazing journey I have taken was made possible by these three items, and the confidence, wisdom, strength and desire to meet the rest of my life head on and complete this journey is right there in front of me. I am truly humbled by the ability of God to direct us in such a clear, well-ordered manner if we are only willing to invite Him to do so.

I pray that I have been at least moderately successful in describing the value of these three different, yet extremely important items. As I look at them side by side on my bunk, I cannot seem to remember the emptiness that defined my life before I was able to hold them each in turn.

As always, I thank you for your time.

May God bless you today and every day, and may He help you all to see with perfect clarity what it is that you are holding in YOUR hands.

“A FOND FAREWELL” by Tony Casson

On By Tony CassonIn Faces of Felons1 Comment

“Walk with the wise and become wise;

Associate with fools and get in trouble.”  Proverbs 13:20 NLT

“Always leave them laughing when you say goodbye.” George M. Cohan

On February 16, 2011, an article was posted in these “Chronicles” titled “The Faces Of Felons – Madison’s Daddy”. In that article, I introduced a young man named Aaron. At that time, Aaron had completed almost half of his 70 month sentence. Aaron’s voice was the first friendly voice I heard upon my arrival in my new temporary ‘home’. The time I spent walking and talking with Aaron since then was time put to good use. I am wiser, and I never got in trouble.

Aaron left on December 16, a little shy of three years from the day that article was posted. He walked out the front door that afternoon, ‘furloughed’ to go climb on board a bus for a ride to a halfway house in South Carolina to finish out the remaining 3 months of his sentence, and I am absolutely certain that Madison is thrilled that “Daddy” is a big step closer to home.

I saw Aaron that morning as I left my housing unit and he was headed back in from the ‘yard’. We shook hands, and hugged, and there was that unique moment when it was ok to feel good about this place. Those moments happen too infrequently, but they do occur whenever another individual gets to walk out the front door. We exchanged laughter as we parted, and that is how I will remember Aaron: always upbeat, always ready to laugh, and quick to make others laugh as well.

Aaron will NOT be back, and I am very confident making that statement. He made a foolish, immature, and irresponsible mistake, and paid a too-high price FOR that mistake. It was not a criminal LIFESTYLE that put Aaron here, it was a criminal ACT. There is a difference and if society is to survive itself, it had better begin to grasp that difference.

Some of the individuals Attorney General Eric Holder wishes to go easier on, claiming they are unfairly targeted because they are black, that the laws are unfairly weighted against them because of the color of their skin, are individuals with lengthy ‘rap’ sheets and frequent confrontations with law enforcement that began long before they came to this place, and will continue long after they have ‘hit the streets’ again. Many, many of these individuals who are ‘unfairly’ targeted talk only of going back to the streets, getting guns, and dealing drugs. MANY of them. You would be amazed.

Aaron will never be a member of the “Frequent Felons Club”. His lesson was learned long before he left here the other day, and had JUSTICE been served in Aaron’s case, the ‘system’ would have merely placed him on probation in the first place.

We can all be happy for Madison, Joy (Aaron’s mom), Dave (his step-dad), his Father, his brother, and all of Aaron’s other relatives and friends. This is a spectacular time of year for this to be happening, and I hope Aaron is able to be quickly released from the halfway house directly to home confinement. He has a home and a job; Aaron has a life waiting for him to continue. And most important of all, Aaron has Madison waiting for Daddy to hug her every day.

Well, kiddo, he is almost there! Merry Christmas to Aaron, Joy, Dave, and all the rest, and especially to you, Madison! May God bless you all and keep you safe.

I will miss Aaron, as will many others he left behind here. But we are all better for having gotten to spend some time with him, and hopefully we all learned something in the process. I know I did.

Aaron, my young friend, I am glad that I got to say goodbye to you. I will pray for your happiness and that of your family.

“CALL ME SHORTY” by Tony Casson

On By Tony CassonIn Call Me ShortyLeave a comment

In prison, those who are relatively close to being released are referred to as being ‘short’. They may also be referred to as ‘short-timers’. No matter the particular phrase used to describe them, it is enviable to be referred to in such a manner. I guess you can call me ‘Shorty’, as I have under 7 months left to serve.

Around Oakdale, there is one sure way to identify at least some of those who are ‘short’. Each fall, the prison hosts a ‘Mock Job Fair.” Representatives from outside companies come in and ‘interview’ those inmates who agreed to participate. It is not required, no matter how ‘short’ an individual may be, but it is a good idea to participate, particularly for those who have little, or no, experience looking for a job in the ‘real world.’ I did, in fact, participate even though I feel confident in my ability to seek, find, and maintain employment upon release. I wanted to contribute in any way that I could, and thought I might be able to help others in their efforts.

In preparation for this event, those inmates participating are required to put together a resume to bring to the ‘fair.’ This presents great difficulty for many, and is probably the number one reason so many opt out of the program. After all, if you have limited education, combined with limited, or non-existent job skills or work history, how can you be expected to write a resume? Perhaps instruction in how to neatly and properly complete a simple job application would be a better skill to teach many of these individuals. There was a little guidance given in the writing of a resume, and there was a short class before the ‘fair’ where different styles were discussed. The matter of how, and where, to address the issue of incarceration was also talked about, and this is where I placed my personal focus.

I am not comfortable with waiting for the subject to be brought up. I am also not comfortable with trying to disguise the menial tasks that I performed in prison as some sort of skilled occupation. The overwhelming majority of prison jobs, at least here, are nothing that would qualify an individual to work anyplace that I have ever encountered. That may sound harsh, but there are simply too many inmates for too few real jobs, so duties are split up and jobs are watered down until there is not much left to even refer to as a job.

As I wrote my resume, I was faced with a couple of obstacles that could not be surmounted with pretty words on a page. I am 60 years old, and I am a convicted felon. Not only that, but a sex offender to boot. So….How to deal with it? Hit it head on! That was the battle cry from the outset and what follows is the result. Will it appeal to everyone who reads it? Absolutely not! Will someone who reads it be curious enough to call me for a face to face talk? I believe so, and that is the purpose of it after all. Then it is up to ME to sell ME. What follows is the resume of Anthony E. Casson. Are YOU hiring? 🙂

ANTHONY E. CASSON

2050 S.R. #7

HOLLYWOOD, FL 33024

954-555-1212

DO NOT LET THIS CONVICT ESCAPE

YOUR ATTENTION!

~~~~~~ 

Why hire this individual who has recently been released from Federal Prison?

  • MOTIVATED: Very high degree of motivation to secure and maintain regular employment to aid in re-integration to society.
  • HONEST: 100% open to admit and discuss mistakes and work through them to obtain a positive outcome.
  • RELIABLE: Understands the importance of being on-time each and every day and in giving maximum effort in the performance of each and every task.
  • POSITIVE ATTITUDE: Enthusiastic, upbeat demeanor will prove to be an asset to your work environment.
  • MATURE: Seasoned individual with a decisive, calm, common sense approach to any situation.
  • FLEXIBLE: No job is too big or too small and no task is unimportant.
  • BONDABLE: $25,000 bond available through Federal Program at no cost to the employer.
  • COST EFFECTIVE: Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) can reduce your Federal Income Tax liability by up to $9,600.00!

JOB SKILLS/EXPERIENCE

  • 20 years full service casual upscale restaurant management experience including multi-unit.
  • 8 years specialty food service equipment business with emphasis on sales/service and menu development/implementation.

~~~~~~~

  • Skilled in all Service Positions
  • Excellent Customer Service Skills
  • Inventory/Cost Controls
  • Product Development
  • Marketing
  • Advertising
  • Menu Design
  • Building Repairs/Maintenance
  • Foodservice Equipment Repairs/Maintenance
  • Scheduling
  • Ordering  Vendor Selection

YOU HAVE A CHOICE!

Call today for an interview and let me convince you to choose me for your company!

Well, folks, that’s it. By the way….At the ‘Mock Job Fair’ I did get a mock job, starting on mock Monday, making mock money. I told them I would be about 6 months late for my first day, though.

God bless you all and thank you for your time.

“PRISON, PART 3” by Tony Casson

On By Tony CassonIn Prison1 Comment

“….let God transform you into a new person
by changing the way you think.” Romans 12:2 NLT

“If we face our tasks with the resolution to solve them,
who shall say that anything is impossible?” Wilfred Grenfell

The Month of March will soon step aside to make way for its replacement. For many, April 1st will be a day full of the usual array of “April Fools” jokes and pranks. For myself, the first day of April will mark the beginning of my fourth, and final, full year in prison.

As I prepare to close the door on my FIRST three years at Oakdale, I find it interesting, if not disturbing, that – with only one exception – there exists no single three-year period in my past that I would NOT relive with major changes if given the opportunity to do so. The exception? These last three here in Oakdale.

That may be a difficult concept for many to accept or understand, but I have USED those three years to the best of my ability. I believe that I have, also to the best of my ability, asked God to guide my steps and determine my path, and I have made a discovery of extraordinary importance: I have found the person within me that I was looking for all of my life. I have discovered that by letting God IN, I could force all of the things that I hated about myself OUT.

During those three years soon coming to a close, I have written numerous articles and made many observations for these Chronicles. I am no Hemmingway, that is for certain. There will be no Pulitzer Prize for me. But I know that the work contained here is honest, and I have always tried to open the eyes of those who have honored me by reading my words, and those of a few friends who have willingly ‘put themselves out there’.

With the help of my Son, Anthony; my brother-in-law, Larry; and my own personal Angel sent from God, Diane, who began as a sympathetic friend of my sister but now is a friend of MINE – through all of their efforts I will forever have a way to look back and know that I worked hard to do something meaningful.

But these Chronicles are not the only, nor the greatest, personal achievement while here; my ‘special Angel’ has helped me with another project that is nearing completion: The writing of “Today is….A Gift From God”. When finished, “Today Is….” will contain 366 different daily devotionals intended to bring others closer to God, help them through each day, and to provide a source of hope and purpose for each day that God gives us on this earth. There are other projects as well – both in their development stages as well as those set to begin in the future – that are all a part of the future and the hope that God has promised me.

I can ‘wish’ all I want that the changes that have come over me would have taken place elsewhere, but they didn’t. THIS is where God wanted me to be in order that I might learn to be who HE wanted me to be. I’m not there yet, but I keep moving forward, and I would not trade these last three years for anything, nor would I change any single day IN those three years.

I do NOT recommend this environment for everyone. It IS, after all, prison. Best to learn the lessons one needs to learn while surrounded by those who love you and breathing the air of the free.

But as for ME?

Well….I have no complaints at all. I am thankful to all who have given me their time, their friendship, their love, support, and insight.

And I humbly thank God. Amen.

“ALL IN THE FAMILY”

On By Tony CassonIn All In The Family, Inmates - In Their Own WordsLeave a comment

By Anonymous

“Good night, Sweet Prince.
May a chorus of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
William Shakespeare

Tony Casson has written eloquently in this space about the American mania for incarceration and the many ways that it affects both those who are locked up and those who love them and have been left behind to fend for themselves. So I thought it might be fitting that I write about my own experience being cut off from my family.

I am originally from Southern California and moved with my wife and son to Little Rock, Arkansas in 2007 to be closer to our grandchildren. My daughter and her family remained in California as did my brother, sister and nephews.

After I was arrested in 2009 and sentenced early in 2010, I was sent here to Oakdale, Louisiana, even though there are prisons closer to both Arkansas and California. The Bureau of Prisons claims that they recognize and support the importance of family in the rehabilitation of inmates and for that reason, they maintain a policy of locating prisoners within 500 miles of their families. Since Little Rock falls within that radius, the BOP is technically adhering to policy.

However, not long after my arrest, my wife announced that she would be divorcing me. (That divorce was finalized on September 25, 2012). She has never visited me since I was locked up. My son has moved back to California, so effectively I have no family left in Little Rock. Since coming to Oakdale, I was visited by my daughter once in September 2010. My sister visited in February 2011 and my first wife, the mother of my daughter, came from Colorado to see me earlier this year. Those are the only visits I have had in the nearly three years that I have been a prison inmate.

When I first arrived here, I inquired as to how I might obtain a transfer to FCI Terminal Island in Southern California where I might be closer to my daughter, my brother, my sister and nephews. I was told that I had to remain here for 18 months before any transfer request would be considered.

As soon as that year and a half was up, in November of 2011, I filed for the transfer. Owing to a series of bureaucratic foul-ups and a change in staffing, my request languished in a desk drawer for two months. Finally, in January of this year, my application went to the BOP and was denied on the basis of overcrowding. I had heard that many such requests were being turned down for that reason, so I had enlisted the aid of a friend on the outside to monitor the census at Terminal Island on the BOP website. Six months prior to my application, there were 1,128 inmates housed there. During the week in which my application was denied due to “overcrowding,” the count stood at 1,054. I was told I would have to wait for another year before I could reapply. I was disappointed, of course. But it wasn’t the end of the world.

Seven months ago, my brother informed me that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He began a series of aggressive chemotherapy treatments, though the doctors had pronounced his situation “dire”.

I know if I had still been a free man, I would have been on the first available flight to California to be there for him; to help him through this excruciating experience in any way I could for as long as necessary. So my first reaction was anger; anger at myself for having put myself in a situation where I could not act on my instinct to go to my brother; anger at the Bureau of Prisons for refusing my request for spurious reasons. Thanks to them, I would never see my brother again.

I write these words at 9:19 pm on Friday, September 28, 2012. Less than ninety minutes ago, I was informed that my brother had died at 4:45 this morning. My nephew had called the chaplain’s office at 10 am, only to be told that the chaplain was “in a meeting.” He called again at noon and was told that the chaplain was still unavailable. My nephew asked that he be permitted to leave a message for me. I got the message eight hours later.

I am raw. I am distraught. I am profoundly angry. But I have no place to put that anger except on these pages.

When I knew the end was near, I wrote some words for my nephew to read at his father’s service because the federal prison system does not allow us to attend the funerals of our loved ones. I called my brother six days ago and read my words to him. Since they were written to him, I thought it fitting that I share them with him while he was still able to hear them and so I did. He thanked me and we shared an emotion-filled moment together. It turned out to be the last time I would get to spend with him. I don’t think he would mind if I shared those words with you here:

TO MY BROTHER

It seems impossible that you are no longer there. You’ve always been there. From the first second I slipped into this world, you were there – my big brother. When I travelled a winding and often dark road as a child, you were right there with me, sharing both the laughter and the sorrow; the smiles and the tears; the triumphs and the pain.

Even when time and distance separated us, you were still my brother and the bonds that were forged early in our lives held us fast.

What I will carry with me always is that you were a good and decent man. In my estimation, there is no better thing in this world that anyone can be.

No one in this life makes all the right choices, but you always aimed for that lofty goal. When, as a single dad, you found yourself unable to provide your sons with the level of care and structure you wanted for them, you made certain that they were cared for by someone who loved them every bit as much as you did. The fact that it was the right decision is borne out of the reality that they grew to manhood with the same qualities of gentle kindness and innate decency that you carried throughout your life.

It is one of the great regrets of my life that I cannot be there today with the rest of those who have loved you, sharing in the celebration of your life and the grief over your passing. And so I send these words in the hope that you are present in the spirit and bearing witness to the outpouring of love for you that is well earned and deserved.

I believe that the life energy that inhabits us all and that leaves us at life’s end is recyclable. If I’m right, you’ll be back – and so will I and so will everyone here today. It will be a whole new party and we’re all invited. Until that time, rest well, my dear brother. I love you – now and always.

“The Faces of Felons: Two Faces of Youth”

On By Tony CassonIn Faces of Felons, Volume 32 Comments

“Has she brought up her children well?” – 1 Timothy 5b NLT

“Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older, they judge them, sometimes they forgive them.”  – Oscar Wilde

I haven’t written one of these segments in a long while. Perhaps the rapidity with which the faces come in and out of focus became too much for me; it’s really impossible to say. As you will see, only one of the faces I referred to in the title is known to me and I hope it stays that way. I see too many of these youthful faces in here and it weighs heavily on my heart and mind.

Perhaps I shouldn’t care. Perhaps none of it should bother me at all. It certainly doesn’t seem to bother those who send them here. Quite possibly, by the time the stories of these two young men have been told, we will all understand why I care. And if I do my self-assigned job well, you will care too.

I will have to call the young man whom I do know by a name that I’ve invented. So let’s invent him as an Albert. Yes, that works since I don’t know an Albert. And let us just pretend that Albert comes from Utah. These are the first and only untruths that I will tell you about him.

Albert recently saw the passing of his 21st birthday. Notice I didn’t say “celebrated” because Albert doesn’t do much celebrating these days. He is a big, soft gentle person who reminds me of a giant panda. He has black hair and white, white skin. His face is marked by moderate acne, some of which would probably clear up if he spent some time in the sun. Hair sprouts from all visible parts of his body – not extremely dense, just there, everywhere his skin is exposed.

Albert is about 5’10” or 5’11” and has big bones that are covered with a thick layer of flesh that is not toned enough to be called muscle, but not exactly soft enough to be called fat. He is just big and soft and slow moving, like that giant panda I mentioned. His eyes are a pleasant light green and are clear, displaying intelligence but also betraying sadness. His voice has a slight nasal tone to it and his words are spoken with a peculiar laziness that makes it seem as if it requires an effort to speak. The sadness that is betrayed in his eyes is also evident in his speech, accompanied by an undertone of defeat. In conversations Albert always has more questions than answers, as if this is all a big puzzle to him that he is having trouble putting together.

I cannot offer a physical description of the other youthful face I am writing about since I have never laid eyes on him. I can tell you that he is 20 years old and his name is Sidney Holloway Perry of Pulaski County, Arkansas. I did not invent Sidney’s name or make up where he is from. I learned these things from the August 11, 2012 edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Neither young man had a criminal record prior to their current problems. They were both arrested for possession of child pornography at around the same age. From the moment of their arrests onward, their treatment in the judicial system was as different as night and day.

Sidney Perry of Maumelle, Arkansas was a very lucky young man. According to the newspaper article “Federal Prosecutors declined the case because of (his) age.” This left it in state court and while Sidney was apparently facing 20 years, Judge Barry Sims sentenced the young man to six months in jail, followed by five years of probation for two felony child pornography convictions. The judge sternly informed Sidney that he would go to prison for those 20 years if he repeated his behavior. Fair enough. There was not a tremendous amount of detail regarding his background or upbringing, although the judge excoriated Sidney’s mother and father and felt they were to blame for not properly supervising Sidney, who had been “diagnosed with depression” attention deficit disorder and some cognitive difficulties. He also had dropped out of school in the 9th grade. Judge Sims actually compared “their inattentiveness to abandoning a child on the street with drug dealers.”

Sidney’s mother, Julie Ann Holloway, was the director of the Arkansas State CASA Association, which serves children who are in the court system after being removed from homes because of abuse or neglect. “You are a child advocate,” the judge said, “but you haven t done anything to help him? If I were you, I would resign today. My anger is directed at you. I want to help him if I can.”

“I want to help him if I can.” Praise God and thank you, Judge Sims. If only you had been around for Albert.

Perhaps I should have pointed out earlier that Albert gave me permission to identify him and name the state he was from. Since Albert’s story involved other members of his family, it was my decision to mask his true identity.

Albert’s story actually begins with his older brother who was sexually abused by a male babysitter when he was eight. The sitter, according to Albert, “wasn’t quite right. . . there was something wrong with him mentally.” The abuse to Albert’s brother was detected not by his parents but by his aunt who “noticed something was not right.’ She fired the babysitter. Nothing else was done at the time. It was shortly after that when Albert’s brother began sexually abusing him. He was five years old. His brother was nine. The abuse continued until Albert was 14.

According to Albert, his mother knew his brother was abusing him “for years but didn’t say anything.” It wasn’t until later that the older brother received counseling, but there was none to be had for Albert “because by then we didn’t have any more money.” I didn’t dig in to how it all came to light or what prompted the counseling, but Albert did say that the abuse was mentioned in court.

The one day I really had time alone to talk with Albert, we R ran into each other in the rec yard. He joined me as I made my way around the track and the conversation just started. One of the things we discussed was whether or not his family was spiritual and Albert said, “Very.” But then he chuckled in a manner that belied more than a little cynicism as he said, “It was kind of a screwed up church we belonged to, though.” The church, he said, had been through four pastors in 10 years; two had been arrested for child molestation, one had been fired for having affairs with female members and one had been fired for sexual harassment, pressuring unwilling female members of his flock into having sex with him. “Kind of screwed up” indeed.

As we continued our walk, I asked if he minded telling me how a 13 year old boy becomes addicted to pornography – and child pornography at that. I had known from an earlier conversation that this was the age at which all of this had begun but we hadn’t had the chance to go into further detail. He said he didn’t mind talking about it and told me how adept he was at using a computer, as many young people are today. This was around the period at which the sexual abuse by his brother was coming to an end and perhaps this was serving as some sort of substitute. His computer was located in the privacy of his bedroom and he began, quite simply, with Google and progressed to following links to various sites where files were shared.

I inquired about parental involvement and monitoring and he replied that they tried but he was better at hiding his tracks than they were at following them. He also told me that his mother caught him one time and moved his computer into the dining room where his activities could be monitored. He said he “made too much noise and it was too inconvenient for everyone” so the computer was returned to the privacy of his room.

It is becoming apparent that the ISPs, and therefore the authorities, are aware of who is doing what where child pornography is concerned, so it is just a question of who gets the most attention and I guess Albert was the lucky one. Well . . . not as lucky as Sidney. The federal government did not decline prosecution due to Albert’s age and lack of criminal record. Nor was any consideration given to the abuse he had experienced or any reports from court appointed psychologists that suggested Albert was not a pedophile, not a risk to children and at low risk of repeating his offense. Albert obviously needed help. He needed someone to help him get his thought processes back on track.

What Albert did get was nine years in prison and ten years of supervised release. By the time he is released, he will have spent almost a third of his life behind bars. The insanity of all of this is mind-numbing. The irresponsible manner in which the government of this country is treating this issue is so pathetically ineffective and destructive as to be beyond comprehension.

I cannot do this young man’s story justice. I am not that good, nor do I have enough space. I can only cry out in his behalf and try to make people aware that there are many confused, yet harmless young men like Albert who need help, not prison time.

There are enough experts in all of the different fields related to the topic of child pornography who consistently say that there simply is no rhyme or reason for the sentences and abusive treatment and restrictions of registry that are destroying a good portion of this country’s future.

Albert needed a Judge Sims, but there was none to be found when his turn before the bench came. I am sorry, Albert, if I have failed you as so many others in your life have. But I think I can answer that question now as to why I should care: I should care because Albert is a child of God and this is what God would expect of me. I should care because I am sorry for the poor judgment and lack of moral character I displayed and I know so many others are as well.

And I care because my ongoing hope in that caring will cause me to find the right words and somewhere, somehow, someone’s life will change for the better.

God bless you all.

Choosing New Beginnings – Toastmasters

On By Tony CassonIn Toastmasters1 Comment

“Choose a good reputation over great riches, for being held in high esteem is better than having silver or gold.”  Proverbs 22:1 NLT

 “We live by making choices.”   David Fink

      Toastmasters has been mentioned in these pages a couple of times. Have I also mentioned how much I hate public speaking? Yes? Well – I hate public speaking. So it was for exactly that reason that I asked for another opportunity to do it. I know it is beneficial, and I know that I need it, so I gave my second speech recently. I probably should have given more by now, but I really hate public speaking. Have I mentioned that?

      Well…I am still alive. I didn’t even need to use the barf bag that I brought for emergencies.

      The subject matter of the speech was such that I thought it was something worth sharing, so I decided to insert the speech here (I had it written out anyway, so what the heck). I hope everyone who reads it is able to get something useful from it. The speech was titled “New Meanings”, and it went like this:

      Good evening fellow Toastmasters, distinguished guests, and staff.

      David Fink said, “We live by making choices”, and when we all chose to name our Toastmaster’s club “New Beginnings”, I believe we chose well. Just saying “New Beginnings” evokes images of a new day being introduced with the sun peeking over the horizon. I believe each new day to be a gift from God and is, by nature, full of hope and opportunity.

      One of the most important things we need to do to take advantage of the “New Beginning” we have each chosen for our lives, is to be open to change and to be willing to look at old things in new ways. We must – each one of us – endeavor to discern new meaning among those things that are most familiar to us. Doing this will enable each of us to make the most out of each new day.

      Opportunities abound in which we can find ways to attach new meanings to our “New Beginning”. Everything that is familiar to us can be molded, shaped, and reinvented into something fresh, meaningful, and positive:  the way we dress; the way we walk; the way we talk; the way we see ourselves; and the way we in which we look at other people.

      Even the way we think about familiar words can bring about new meaning to them. For instance, let’s take the word “pride’. Most of us think of pride as taking satisfaction in our accomplishments. Too much pride can lead to arrogance or conceit, and most are also aware that the Bible warns us against that very thing. As we begin to grow, we become more confident and more sure of ourselves. We naturally take pride in who we are becoming and the direction our life is taking. Unfortunately, this self-assurance we develop can turn to cockiness , and that arrogance I mentioned, turning what should be a positive into a negative.

      In prison especially, pride can get in the way of what we are attempting to accomplish. It can stop us before we ever get started. Pride can impede our “New Beginning” before we take the first step.  However, by attaching a whole new meaning to the word, we can open up an entirely new pattern of behavior that is EXACTLY what is needed to make dramatic progress in our pursuit of change.

      Some 35 years ago,  I worked for a Los Angeles-based drugstore chain called “Thrifty”. With about 10 other people, I traveled the west coast taking inventory and in each store’s break room there was a sign that gave the “Thrifty” definition of pride. It was:   

                        Personal

                        Responsibility

                        In

                        Daily

                        Effort

      PRIDE. It means that I take RESPONSIBILITY for everything that I do each day. It means that each task that I undertake – no matter how seemingly insignificant that task may appear – will come with a personal commitment on my part to perform that task to the best of my ability. It is an understanding that no task is too menial, too unimportant, or beneath me. It means that I will take responsibility for ME.

      Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort.

      Such a seemingly simple concept, but far too often many of us think that we are better than the jobs we are given or even better than the other people doing the same job. The truth is, we are all the same, especially in prison, and there is no such thing as an unimportant task. Unfortunately, we sometimes let the sameness prevent us from performing to a level that makes us stand out. No matter how negatively we may view a job or task, and no matter how negative the environment around us may seem to be at times, we cannot become the people we all wish to become unless and until we take ourselves seriously and hold ourselves personally accountable for every job we perform, every action we take, and every word that comes out of our mouths.

      If we are wiping tables in the dining hall, or mopping the floor; cleaning the common area in a housing unit, or scrubbing the shower; if we are painting a railing, or picking up trash, our focus should be on the task at hand and we should endeavor to do whatever it may be that we are doing to the absolute best of our ability. I worked in the butcher shop for 15 months and earned the nickname “Tony The Butcher”, which is really quite funny since they rarely let us touch knives. However, “Tony The Butcher DOES sound better than “Tony The Guy Who Takes Chicken Out Of Boxes And Puts It On Pans”. Regardless, I took that job seriously and performed it to the best of my ability even if the conditions or the circumstances were not ideal….even outright negative at times. When we take personal responsibility for everything we do each day, we are making a statement to everyone around us that “There is a right way and a wrong way to do every job no matter how seemingly unimportant it may be, and I CHOOSE to do it the right way because I take Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort! I take responsibility for ME, my actions, and the words that I speak.”

      Once we have learned to do that, we can then attach new meaning to another word we are all very familiar with: PRISON. We can change it from a negative PLACE, to a positive ATTITUDE when we apply the following new meaning:

                          Personal

                          Responsibility

                          In

                          Spite

                            Of

                            Negativity.

 

      I thank you.

AFTERWORD:

      OK, so that’s how it was intended to go. The whole speech, were I to simply read it, would have taken less than three minutes but I went from memory (and mine’s not that good, but we strive to do our speeches with no notes), and I wound up wandering along, borderline hyperventilating, for about 6 minutes. There is a tendency to digress and embellish as we speak, but apparently it was all good because the 30 – 35 people in attendance were extremely supportive and gave me lots of positive feedback. I guess it sounded worse from where I was standing than from where they were sitting. Once my heart rate returned to normal, I put away my barf bag backup and basked in the afterglow. Trust me – for some of us, getting up there is no easy thing.

      I can only say that Toastmasters is a very beneficial program. We are not quite at 30 paid members yet, but we are getting close. Unfortunately, there are over 1700 men here in need of something positive. The money is a drawback for many, but we still seem to attract more each month. It will be nice when it gets to the point that we need to start a second club on the compound. What needs to happen is that the same attitude needs to be injected into every aspect of prison life and I will address these types of issues in my upcoming series “America’s Culture Of Incarceration”.

      In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed my little glimpse into a Toastmaster’s meeting, and I thank YOU for your time.

“A Toast to Toastmasters – Speaking Out for Speaking Up”

On By Tony CassonIn Toastmasters, Volume 31 Comment

“Those who stammer will speak out plainly.”  Isaiah  32:4b  NLT

“Then there was a maiden speech, so inaudible, that it was doubted whether, after all, the young orator really did lose his virginity.”  Benjamin Disraeli

      Back on November 13, 2011 an article was posted in ‘The Chronicles’ that was written by Richard Roy regarding a very positive decision made by the administrative staff here at Oakdale FCI. That decision was to allow inmates to start a prison chapter of ‘Toastmasters’. All who were involved in making that decision should be applauded for supporting a program that has proved to have a positive effect on the lives and the character of those individuals who participate in the program and embrace its mission.

      For those not familiar with ‘Toastmasters International’, it is a worldwide organization of locally chartered ‘clubs’ formed for the purpose of providing an environment in which its members may develop oral communication and leadership skills. In a friendly, supportive atmosphere, members deliver prepared speeches to fellow members of various duration and with different objectives in mind. The speaker is then evaluated in a constructive, positive manner. Members gain confidence developing speaking skills while developing our ability to become better listeners as well.

      Many famous individuals have been Toastmasters through the years including several astronauts – James Lovell, John Young, and Walter Schirra; Chris Matthews of MSNBC’s ‘Hardball’; Former U.S. Senator John Tunney; Debbie Fields Rose, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies; and Peter Coors, chairman of Coors Brewing Company. For those who are interested, there is a wealth of information about the organization to be found on their website at Toastmasters.org.

      Even though we have met twice a month since Richard’s article, we actually just had our official chartering ceremony on August 1, in the chapel. Members, friends of members and many members of staff, including all three of our Associate Wardens, were present. The Honorable Robert D. Downing, a retired judge who was the driving force behind Toastmasters becoming welcome in the state and federal prison system here in Louisiana, was our guest speaker.

      Richard Roy and Steve Marshall (also a contributor to ‘The Chronicles’) played major roles in the program that was put on to demonstrate what takes place at a typical meeting. Both were excellent, as were the members who had roles as speakers and evaluators, as well as those with minor roles. Our mentors from the ‘street’ were proudly present to help us celebrate becoming officially chartered as the ‘New Beginnings’ Toastmasters club (our official name). Three of them come in regularly, on their own time, to assist, support, and encourage us. Two members of staff that Richard mentioned in the first article, Ms. Papillion and Ms. Smith, were also present at the ceremony. They have been with us week after week where they have seen what the rest of us have seen: Men helping each other become better, helping each other grow, and helping each other reach beyond themselves and overcome their inhibitions and fears.

      Not that it has helped me. I still have major anxiety when I have to get up before the group, even if it is for a small portion of the proceedings. I would have definitely made a better Chief of Staff than President of the United States. But I am working on it, and I couldn’t ask for a more supportive group.

      What amazes me are some of the stories told as men get up and give their first speech to the group, which is called an ‘Icebreaker’. The purpose of this first speech is to get to know the person a little better and to help the individual ease into speaking before the group by talking about a familiar topic – themselves.

      None of us here really has an excuse for the behavior that got us here, but some of these men certainly have REASONS that are far more compelling than any that I could offer. I led a sheltered, privileged existence compared to many of those around me. To think that I squandered more opportunities than many of them have ever had causes me a little embarrassment, but is inspiring as well. I ask God to use my embarrassment to help me be determined to move forward from here and never look back.

      I am proud to be a member of this fine organization, and this very special group of men. Through their courage and determination, I will overcome my fear and I will become a confident public speaker and an individual who is determined to do what I can to help others avoid what we are all going through.

      All of it except Toastmasters, of course.

      I thank all of the people who have supported us and have pledged continued and increased support in the future for this worthwhile program.

“A NECESSARY INTRUSION (Part 4) – PERHAPS THE WRONG PEOPLE ARE BEHIND BARS”

On By Tony CassonIn A Necessary Intrusion5 Comments

By Tony Casson

“What sorrow awaits the world because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.” Matthew 18:27 NLT

“He who does not prevent a crime when he can, encourages it.” Seneca

Many of you are familiar with a series of fast-car movies, the first of which was “Fast And Furious”. Those words also signify a disturbing willingness on the part of certain government officials to be as complicit in criminal activity as those they are trying to bring to justice.

“Fast And Furious” was also the code name given to a ‘gun-walking’ operation conducted by some members of the Department Of Justice in Arizona. Thousands of weapons were allowed to be sold illegally with the intention of tracking them to those who purchased them. It seems that “Fast And Furious” was the appropriate code name, for the weapons disappeared ‘fast’ and now the citizens of this country should be ‘furious’.

It was a misguided effort that has resulted in terminations, reassignments, and even a contempt of Congress citation for the Attorney General of the United States.

One of the weapons that was allowed to be sold turned up at the location where a U.S. Border Patrol agent was murdered.

Putting weapons into the hands of dangerous criminals who are known to have a proven willingness to use them should be treated as a criminal offense, NOT as a misguided attempt at ferreting out criminals in a search for ‘justice’. The responsibility of law enforcement is to enforce and uphold the law, not break it. It is the responsibility of law enforcement to apprehend those who have committed a crime, NOT to create opportunities for crimes to be committed.

Succumbing to temptation does not relieve an individual of the consequences of their actions, but it could be argued that if it were not for the temptation the action itself might not have occurred in the first place. A person who commits a crime of convenience – or opportunity – is guilty, as is the one who planned it before hand, but if the opportunity can be denied; if the temptation can be removed; if the criminal act can be PREVENTED in the first place, should that not be the overwhelmingly preferred method of dealing with crime?

Preventative medicine is practiced and promoted as being more prudent, responsible, and economical than waiting for illness and disease to occur. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say. And a doctor does not make people sick in order to create business for himself… that would be unethical, irresponsible, and illegal. The same should hold true for criminal activity. Crime PREVENTION should be the first order of business for those who make, enforce, and adjudicate our laws.

A bank does not leave its money sitting on the counter in the hope that no one will take it. It locks it securely in a vault.

A teacher does not leave the answer key to a test sitting on an unattended desk, hoping no one will cheat. They are locked away.

Nor does a jewelry store display all of its wares on open shelves and counters trusting all who enter their place of business to remain honest. They are kept under lock and key and removed as required.

We are all aware that banks are held up, test answers are stolen and sold, and jewelry stores are robbed. These crimes occur, but reasonable, responsible steps are taken to prevent them from happening in the first place. If any of these items were left out accidentally and they were stolen, the person leaving them out would be guilty of negligence, but not necessarily guilty of a crime.

But what if the item that is ‘left out’ is an item that is illegal to transport, distribute, or possess in the first place? If that item could be locked up to prevent anyone from picking it up, but is intentionally left out to see who comes along and picks it up, is the one who leaves it out guilty of negligence, a crime, or both? Is it RIGHT to intentionally tempt someone with something illegal just to see if they will succumb to the temptation? If the item itself is against the law to possess and possession of that item is PREVENTABLE, should it not be prevented?

Child pornography is just such an item. With available technology, the overwhelming majority of it can be prevented from ever reaching the computers in our homes in the first place. The technology also exists to first send a warning to the user that a transmission containing possible images of child pornography has been detected trying to reach their computer, giving them the opportunity to refuse the material.

Neither of these things is being done and as a result, the spread of child pornography and the exploitation of innocent children is being perpetuated in another ‘fast and furious’ attempt at luring individuals to crime through the use of acts that are, themselves, criminal. As a result of this irresponsibility, I submit that any corporation – such as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) – or government agency, or individuals belonging to any corporation or government agency that allows illegal material to reach its destination without attempting to prevent it or warn of its transmission is complicit in the commission of an illegal act and is guilty of violating 18 U.S.C. 2252 (A), distribution of child pornography. These same individuals and entities, because they have continued their illegal acts for years and have distributed to millions of individuals are also guilty of violation of 18 U.S.C 2252 (A) (g), which is operating a child exploitation enterprise.

In addition, civil suits have been filed by attorneys for many of the victims of sexual abuse who have been identified. Restitution in the millions of dollars has been awarded and those found guilty of possessing their images have been deemed liable for damages as a proximate cause of the emotional distress and trauma these victims have suffered. It only follows that a more direct contributor to the trauma of these children would be the very entities who can PREVENT most of these images from being viewed in the first place. That said, ISP’s and the U.S. Government should be held liable for civil damages as well.

Possession of illegal drugs is a crime. PROVIDING those drugs is a more serious crime. I see no difference here. Internet Service Providers and the U.S. Department of Justice are providing child pornography to MILLIONS of people resulting in the ongoing exploitation of innocent children. Anyone involved in these misguided attempts to create criminals rather than prevent crime is involved in behavior that is irresponsible, immoral, and illegal. Those who have the power to stop this horror and don’t should share bed space in the prisons to which they send the criminals they have created.

Let us examine the following scenario:

An armored truck is traveling on the interstate when its rear doors pop open accidentally. Several bags of money fall out onto the highway, spilling their contents. Hundreds of motorists stop and begin stuffing handfuls of money into their pockets, caught up in the moment. A police officer happens upon the scene and begins to arrest people as they try to leave. Of course he manages to detain some, but he only stops a fraction of those who took advantage of the opportunity. The damage has been done. They are guilty of a crime, but the crime obviously was one of opportunity. Had the doors not popped open, their crimes would have gone uncommitted. Since they popped open accidentally, no crime was committed by anyone inside the truck, although there certainly was negligence. But what if they had been opened intentionally?

The ‘doors’ to child pornography have been intentionally left open in order to catch as many of those as possible who succumb to temptation. This is wrong. But can the ‘door’ really be closed? What do we need to do to close and lock them? I am not a very technologically savvy individual, but a couple of news stories I have read make it very obvious that there IS a way, the way is known, and it is purposely NOT being used to prevent the exploitation of innocent children and the ruination of tens of thousands of lives.

First, let’s look at something that happened in south Florida earlier this year. The Southern District Director for Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) was arrested for possession of child pornography. What I found fascinating was HOW he was caught. AOL was his provider and they run software that apparently all ISP’s do that scans all images transmitted through it servers looking for child pornography. The software reads the ‘digital fingerprint’ of the data and can tell which images contain child pornography. What a great idea! This means they stop it before it ever gets in our homes, right? Wrong. They simply allow it to proceed and then notify the FBI. In other words, they opened the door of the armored car intentionally.

The first point in my argument is that if these images passed through servers that belonged to AOL and were identified, then they were allowed to pass through the control of AOL. If AOL’s servers detected child pornography, which is illegal – we are not talking about a freedom of speech issue here – and yet they did nothing to stop it, then from that point onward, AOL DISTRIBUTED child pornography. They had identified it for what it was, they had it in their control, they could have prevented it from going any further and they did nothing. This would also make them responsible for any of the trauma endured by the victims in those images through their negligence in not preventing the commission of a crime that they were aware of.

Another story I read more recently was regarding services Google provides to its users in China. It seems that searching for certain words or phrases in China can lead to the government cutting the user’s connection. As a service to their users, Google now has warning ‘flags’ that drop down and inform their user of the possibility of the loss of connection when they type certain words into the search field. It should be a very simple thing to provide the same type of warning ‘flag’ when certain phrases used to search for images of child pornography are typed in. Something to the effect of:

          WARNING: The use of certain search terms could result in
the intentional or accidental downloading or viewing of child
pornography, which is a serious crime. Penalties for these
crimes could result in imprisonment for terms of TEN YEARS
or more.

In the case of the transmission in progress, if the material isn’t going to be blocked completely, at the very least a warning ‘flag’ should pop up prior to the completion of the transmission. Something to the effect of:

         WARNING: Your Internet Service Provider’s software has detected
images that may contain child pornography being sent to your computer.
The possession of child pornography is a serious crime punishable by up
to 10 years in prison or MORE.
                                            DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE?
                                                          YES                  NO 
If you click ‘YES’, your name will be forwarded to the FBI.

Obviously, such a warning should give pause to all but the most determined individuals. Perhaps the very ones in need of the most help or posing the most threat to society.

These things can be done. The images can be stopped completely, or at least a warning can be given. A last chance to come to your senses and return to decency. Proceeding can destroy peoples’ lives. We require a warning on cigarettes for goodness sake. How many lives can warnings such as these save?

In speaking with men around me, I asked if such a ‘flag’ would have provided some sort of wake up call. All answered without hesitation that a warning would have woken them up. Our individual morality and character can be debated all day long, but if these things are not implemented to help those who seek, or stumble, into immorality and a road that leads to ruin, we should consider those who OUGHT to be the primary focus here. Above all else, the protection of innocent children should be the objective.

Using every tool that is available, the victims of child sexual abuse whose images circulate on the Internet should be protected from further victimization and exploitation. The technology exists to stop, or at least severely limit, the spread of these pictures that myself – and many, many like me – wish had never crossed our computer screens. Protection of the innocent should be our first consideration. This is what everyone always claims, and yet the technology to do these things I suggest has existed for years. Those in charge have decided it is best to allow this filth to spread in the pursuit of justice. This time, they are wrong. They are exploiting the children of this country. How would you feel if the children they were NOT protecting were YOURS?

We can never control the thoughts that may run through people’s minds, nor should we try. But if we can control what they see, when what we are controlling is illegal, immoral, and destructive to all involved, then we have no choice BUT to do it. To do anything less, no matter what the justification may be, is not only wrong, it is simply illegal no matter what anyone may think.

Tell Internet Service Providers and the United States Government that it is time for a NECESSARY INTRUSION into our lives to prevent the spread of this epidemic that is killing our families and placing our children at risk. Tell them that it is time to LOCK THE DOOR ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.

There are, of course, UNnecessary intrusions into our lives. The sex offender registry, in the manner it is now being used, is such an unnecessary intrusion that, again, puts YOUR children at great risk. I will try to explain what I mean in a future article.

I thank you for your time.

The Son, He Lives

On By Tony CassonIn Side StoryLeave a comment

It’s incredible seeing the amount of traffic TOC is getting, even when nothing is being posted. Thank you all for reading my dad’s posts!

I don’t remember the last time I wrote for TOC — how sad. But this place is about my dad, not me. It continues to grow, and he continues to write. I’m off job-hunting and feeling life’s path.

These days I’m in Oregon, working for my alma mater (Oregon State University) temporarily. I’m spending weekends climbing mountains and running long distances on Northwest trails. But I’m never too busy to respond to questions.

Having a family member in prison is difficult to endure. We ask ourselves questions — most of which we cannot answer. That’s what friends are for.

If there’s something you wish to ask me, don’t hesitate. I’m here: anthony.casson at gmail dot com

Forgive the odd address. It’s to (help) save me from spammers.

Cheers,

Anthony