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"Quit being his Mother"
says the DOC
This writer chooses to remain anonymous at this time for fear of retaliation against her son.
During this past year, I lost my business, my home, but most importantly, I lost my son to the prison system. I should be getting ready to attend one of his basketball games at his high school. He would have been a senior this year. Instead, he turned 18 in the County Jail. My God, help me!
There is NO way one can understand what I am going thru, UNLESS you are a mom and have a young son in prison for the first time. I cannot tell you what an unimaginable nightmare this is! I cannot eat, or sleep. When I finally am able to try to get some rest, and right before dozing off, panic attacks set in -- wondering what is happening with my child, I jump from the bed in hysteria and cry uncontrollably, until I force myself to take some deep breaths and tell myself to "hang in there" for my son's sake. For my son's sake and his well being, that is why I am alive today.
The DOC has told me "to quit being a mom" and "let him grow up" - I will never quit being his mom -- my GOD!
My son has been given a false "dr", numerous slaps & swats on the face & on the back of head, he has been made to stand against the wall for over an hour with his nose touching the wall, while they slap him in the back of the head. He has been kicked, while he was already down, and I complained ... yes, I complained, but it made it all the worse--
After visiting, I break down & cry, and later learned, the DOC uses that against them. Somehow now I take some deep breaths while I hug my child goodbye-----and push the tears way back until I can get to my car and then I can lose it!
Other thoughts...
Please call me now! Oh, God, he should have called by now. Maybe the telephone will ring in a few minutes. He told me he would call me, Wednesday, December 20, 2000 before 6:30 p.m. It is now 6:25 p.m. Please call!
Maybe I should not have called his classification officer to request a special visit on Christmas Day for my daughter, as she is not "approved". The approval process takes about 8 weeks, I guess. However, I have been told it takes 4-5 weeks and then someone else said 9-10 weeks. Now it takes 12 weeks!
I got my approval finally after I contacted the Secretary of Correction's Office. I got sick & tired of being told they could not find my application, even though I sent it twice. Excuse me, I just wanted to see my child.
Finally! The call came & went as fast, as we have only 10 minutes to talk and of course, we have to be careful , because we have no privacy. Those 10 minutes seemed like 2! He sounded ok, so I can breathe once again.
In December of 2000, I called the Governor's office to express my opinion on the approval process for visitation. I did not leave my name for fear of any repercussions for my son's safety. They transferred me back to the DOC!!!!!!!!!
"12 WEEKS! YOU TELL SOMEONE ELSE 'LATER', THEN WEEKS LATER, WHEN I Call BACK FOR APPROVAL, you say FOUR WEEKS MORE TILL THE VISITATION! SHE CAN'T VISIT UNTIL HE GETS THE CALL WHEN HE'S APPROVED. I DON'T BELIEVE THESE PEOPLE. HAVE A HEART. JUST AT LEAST GIVE ONE SPECIAL CHRISTMAS VISIT TO MY DAUGHTER!"
GEEEEEEEE! I can't even believe this ------ I wanted to complain about the Secretary's Office ! I must now have to decide to spend Christmas with either my daughter, because she has not been approved or to visit my son in prison.
I have finally been approved, but the only reason for this is because I took the bull by the horns and bravely called the Secretary Of Corrections office, because the visitation office kept telling me they had never received my application. I had sent two via the post office. After numerous calls, everyone seemed to either be at lunch, at meetings, or somehow unavailable.
I kept climbing the ladder, until I reached the Secretary of Corrections Office. Within 15 minutes, they somehow "found" my application and two days later, I was approved. The DOC called to inform me they had found my application and she wasn't too happy that I had actually called the Secretary's Office. Well, they shouldn't have been goofing off, or whatever they do there and too bad, because I started at the bottom of the ladder, because of the importance in seeing my son.
Right before Christmas of 2000, I was contacted by the DOC advising me that my daughter would be allowed a special visit approved by the warden. Hmmmm ------ wonder if that had anything to do with me contacting the major newspapers, the television stations, and other media sources - incognito - of course!!!!!
My child and my family are living in a dictatorship, led by the penal system. We are afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation against my child, because that has already happened. We are living under tyranny!
[writer] ANONYMOUS______
ATTN: DOC______
IF YOU ARE READING THIS! DON'T WORRY DOC! I HAVE RECORDS AND INTEND TO FILE A LAWSUIT IMMEDIATELY UPON HIS RELEASE!
P.S. And when he is released, he is released -- he has NO probation after that, so you can't get him on a technical violation! - so ha, ha, to you too!
I know you hardly know me but I read this and it just hit me so hard. I feel exactly like this.
I am in Texas and my son is 14 in the juvenile prison. I have been trying to get help for him and now it seems that if I don't just shut up and put up they are going to make it harder for my son.
Is there a way that you could just have the person that wrote this letter email me? I know exactly where she is coming from and I think maybe she could help me understand some things that I am still confused about.
Also should I be concerned about my writing on here being used to confine my son even longer than the two years he is facing now?
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