Friendly visit follow up

By Steve Gordon

As my friend wrote me in an email, I guess you have a new friend. I responded that I am not sure I have friends in the police department, but maybe.

To back track, I thanked the detective for his courteous visit via email and he responded that he sent a letter to the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) confirming that I was living at my listed address, etc. Then two days later he wrote back that they reported that I had not re registered and to make a long story short as I informed him I had copies, he suggested I go to the PSP and re register.

I did that and guess what they found in a file cabinet? A hard copy of my visit to re register for ML. However, the officer that took it 1) dated it March 27 when it should have been May; and 2) he never forwarded it to Harrisburg which means technically I didn't re register.

The officer on duty when I went up said if they questioned it I had the copies to show. He is right, but if the sheriffs department or local police came to arrest me with a warrant that I had not re registered, do you think they would look at my evidence or follow their orders which were to arrest me and then they would sort out the reality of it later? I am thinking probably not.

All is well that ends well. They printed a new copy of my paperwork, dated it current and I signed it and got a copy and was on my way.

A friendly visit

By Steve Gordon

While at the dinner table the other night we notices a van pull up in front of the house and a man with a brief case get out and come up the drive. I got up to meet him at the door.

He was a detective from the local police department checking up on me to see if I was still living there and if everything was ok. He stressed that there had been no complaints. Curious that no one had ever done that before?

Mom was glad it was a normal looking unmarked van because the neighbors would be asking what it was about. I say to hell with the neighbors and what people think, etc. The ones that count know I was in prison. The ones that don't know fall under the need to know mentality.

It was a courteous visit but I did not ask him in because we were in the middle of supper.

The next day I emailed him to thank him for the courteous visit and he responded that he filed a letter to the PA State Police that everything was fine and that the department has had no contact with me (meaning official contact as for criminal activity).

I guess he was doing his job, but given the circumstances of my offense and that no one has ever checked or visited here it was curious. I have been expected a visit from the local parole officer who is supposed to do a visit and interview inregard to my application for a Pardon.

Happy to report positive things here.

On another note, the letter to the Bucks County DOC offering my time to help in any way with a program to help prisoners prepare for reentry has gone unresponded to. Not even a thanks but no thanks. Closed mindedness still exists I guess.

Her Letter from Prison

This came to me via email and I decided to share it. I have no affiliation with Heather or her book but it sounds like good reading.
Steve Gordon

Please consider introducing Heather’s story, a series of ebooks entitled “Her Letters from Prison”, to your re-entry readers.

Heather Heaton's new ebook series ("Her Letters from Prison") is an inspirational resource for reading pleasure, review, contemplation, and discussion.

Heather's own testimony:  "God changed my life in prison!"

"Her Letters from Prison" (Parts 1 & 2) will validate your inquisitive thoughts and doubts about what goes on in women’s prisons (It is what it is!); and it can justify the efforts spent toward women’s prison ministries.  These two ebooks can be a motivational (tell-it-like-it-is) resource for drug rehab/prevention and reentry programs, especially when combined with "Her Letters from Prison – Part 4:  Recycled – Second Time Around".

"Her Letters from Prison" is a non-fiction, inspirational, romance ebook series; with Heather's original letters (with prison art) included as images for authenticity.  Heather's story describes how female offenders are perceived and handled (often abused) in the criminal justice system.  The story continues (Part 4) to describe Heather's first two years of re-entry back into the real world and how she ended a destructive narcissistic-codependent relationship.

"Her Letters from Prison:  Women-in-Prison" (Part 3) contains two PowerPoint presentations prepared for the University of Alabama/Women's Studies "Women in Prison" conference.  Both presentations are based on Parts 1 & 2 of Heather's story; and they are entitled "Women-in-Prison (Almost Invisible)" and "Women-in-Prison (Facts/Myths)".  Also, Heather's personal testimony is included in the Part 3 publication.

You can go to http://www.heather-heaton.com, and click on a direct link to Heather's Amazon.com and/or Smashwords "book pages" for “Her Letters from Prison”.  Alternatively, you can visit Heather’s author pages:

1. http://www.amazon.com/author/heatherheaton
2. https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/heatherdh

Heather’s ebooks are also available in paperback format.  The paperback book ("Her Letters from Prison") may be obtained by contacting Heather through her website "contact" form.  The paperback book contains Part 1, 2, and 3 ebooks.  "Her Letters from Prison - Part 4" will be published as its own paperback book soon.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Heather Heaton

Letter (see Neglected post)

                                                                                          July 8, 2012

To Whom It May Concern:

A month or so ago I read in the local newspaper an article on a program for reintegration aimed at reentry into society for prisoners upon their release. What a relief to read that something is being done in that regard, if only on a local level.

From my experience, regardless of what the common belief is or what officials say is being done on a state level, this is an area that needs attention. My story briefly is that I spent 8 months in BCCC before serving the remainder of my 10 year maximum sentence at SCI-Cresson. I was released in May 2010.

During that time whatever assets I had and whatever life I had with work and family were lost. A divorce in 2003 relieved me of basically all material things and in the process I gave away a relationship with my son (that today is on the mend) and of course employment potential.

Today, if not for my elderly parents (ages 88 and 91), I might be living in a cardboard box under a bridge somewhere. I am fortunate to have VA Medical care available from my service in the US Navy during Vietnam and the Cold War in the nuclear submarine service. I live with my parents and take care of the house and help them as I can.

Individually I have established credit scores in the mid 700’s and purchased a vehicle getting an auto loan on my own merit. I have a part time job at a Chick-fil-A but it took me a year to get that and I feel fortunate to have it. I was also featured in an article by Jane Von Berg in the Philadelphia Inquirer in March 2011 in regard to employment for ex-offenders. I collect my Social Security and I have been able to rejuvenate my golf game for recreation as well as friendship with former golf buddies.

What I am getting at is that I have been through the process of reintegration and I have that personal experience to potentially help with your program and I would like to offer some of my time to the program. I am not concerned if there is compensation or not but if there is it surely would be appreciated.

Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Steven R. Gordon

Neglected

By Steve Gordon

I know, I have neglected this blog. I haven't written anything new for a while. I have gotten caught up in summer and working outside and playing golf and it just got pushed to the back burner. I was writing to a couple friends I left behind in prison, but both are out on parole and not allowed to have contact with me. Not me personally, me as an ex-offender.

Here is the backwards thinking logic in that. I understand trying to keep certain people away from a kind of influence that could be detrimental, but on the other side there is a logic of trying to get people out to hook up with people who have been out and who have been successful and could help the newly released inmate.

I read in the local paper a month or so ago about a program to get prisoners prepared for their reentry into society upon their release. What a great program. What a great concept. Get away from the lock um up mentality and actually do something to  help people.

Just before I was released in 2010 I wrote to the warden of my county prison here in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and told him my situation and offered myself up to help in any way he saw fit to help guys in prison realize this was not a path to follow. Believe it or not, young guys who get in trouble and get small sentences to local prisons actually think it is a badge of honor or sorts. For sure it is not that as they will find out the hard way unless someone can show them before it accelerates into more serious things and a lifestyle of life in prison.

Anyway, I didn't get even a reply to my letter. I don't understand how people who have been there and can help people from going there are outcasts from the process. I wanted to write another letter about the reentry program but I never got around to it. In the back of my mind was the idea that the draconian thinking still would prevail and if I got a reply it might be thanks, but no thanks.

However that kind of thinking on my part just continues the problem. I am going to write that letter and again offer some of my time. I will keep you posted.

Last week I had the opportunity to sit and talk with my best friends wife whom I had not seen since the 90's before my offense. In brief, she was flabbergasted that there is little reentry preparation for prisoners for their release. That they basically just open the gate, wish you good luck and slam the gate shut behind you.

I know personally of people who went out and committed a crime so they would go back to prison because that is the only life they know and living outside is a scary thing. A very scary thing. The world today moves at a fast pace and technology advances daily. Now not everybody needs all the technology that is out here, but some of it is pretty much a necessity and it starts with knowing how to use the Internet and a computer.

Often I wonder how my friends are doing. I am not too worried about one of them, but the other I have some concerns about. Not from the point that he will get in trouble again, I don't think that is the case, it would be from his having the support and dealing with the restritctions placed on him by his probation. I have a phobe bumber but I can't call it because if he gets put on a random lie detector test and asked if he has had contact with an ex-offender he would have to answer yes.  Even if he did not inititate it, it could cause him some grief. I can't to that to him, to either of them.

Let me get to finding an address and writing my letter.

Later...