Just out of curiosity....

How many of the folks who have posted here have ever had someone close to them actually serve time in a jail or prison? Not overnight for a drunken episode or siuch.. but months or years?

I ask because this afternoon I sat down and wrote a long, chatty letter to the son of a friend who is doing time in a State Prison for Fraud. He was a minor when he comitted the crime, but was sentenced as an adult and is doing ten years I think for some computer related fraud. I don't doubt that he was guilty and it doesn't much matter to me one way or another.   He's one of those non-violent offenders who might actually be able to make something of his life when he gets out if he doesn't get shanked or lured into further criminal activity whilst in prison.

I feel bad for his Mum and promised to write to him since he's starved for anything to read. I'll be sending him some magazines, books and photos of my dog and garden. He's young enough to be my own son. Whatever you think of sentencing laws, The War on Drugs and such matters.. one has to at least be aware that prisons are rather horroble places that are not kind to people such as this young man since he has no gang affiliation, no racial group with which to form solidarity, and nothing but his rediscovered faith to give him any hope. I hope getting a letter once in a while is some help.

I agreed to do this because I recall too vividly the recent experience of a friend who had to do six months in county jail over a domestic diispute which became violent. Both he and the woman threw punches and worse.. he's the one who was arrested. Whether that was right or wrong wasn't my concern. What was my concern was seeing a middle class white guy in the arts go into jail totally unprepared to survive. The Aryans hated him because he wasn't a racist, the Hispanic gangs hated him because he was white. A couple of Black prisoners who were Christians took him under their wing and helped him find his way. I learned a great deal through visting him and talking to him on the phone while he was incarcerated. I'd describe more about it, but I don't want to go off on a tangent here.

So.. how many Mudcatters besides me have had loved ones do time?