‘Dead-Time’ July 17, 2016
On November 10, 1998 my world was transformed when I was charged with first degree murder. In my opinion I was over charged, but whether I ‘m guilty or innocent isn’t the topic. I’ve been incarcerated since the age of nineteen. The first 29 months was in county jail on a school wing, and that time was spent horsing around. At the same time, though, I did the work. Why? I guess something was in me that wanted better and I had a thirst for knowledge.
When I was sent to state prison in Stateville at the age of 21 with a 35-year sentence at 100%, I was mentally approached with two choices: either become better or worse. Again there was the yearning for knowledge and an inner voice telling me I’m gonna be something better than an inmate with a number. So I signed up for school and achieved my GED because that’s all prison had to offer. The only other thing was barber college, so naturally I also signed up and that became one of the best things to happen to me in prison. I became a certified barber through a 1,500 hour course, but more importantly, I put a trade under my belt for life, and I’m grateful for that lesson.
Mind you, it doesn’t take long to get a GED or complete the barber course if you apply yourself, which I did. The other few programs they had to offer, house of healing, inside-outside dad, logical thinking, etc., I’ve also completed. I mention that to say that I spent 11 years at that prison, and beside self-education, half of it was “dead-time.”
I finally got reclassified and moved to a medium security prison which offered an Associate’s Degree, so naturally I became excited to reach a college-level education. The only problem is I ‘m already halfway finished in just a year and a half’s time, so what’s next when I finish? Nothing, because Illinois has nothing else to offer a prisoner.
Part of the IDOC mission statement is to restore and return a useful citizen to society as a productive person, but remember that I have a 35-year sentence, so I’m only halfway through my time served. No parole board. Nothing to evaluate me to see if my teenage mind matured to my full potential. I’m almost 40 years old with 16 years left to complete, so what’s next for me? Dead—time?
If Illinois really wants to reform this system from the human warehouses these prisons are today, they need to revisit the way they lived up to their mission statement. They should allow an inmate to earn day-for-day 50% with better behavior. They should also invoke more trade programs in prison, because if you teach people something more than they know they might just apply it upon release. Again, two things await you when you enter prison: better or worse. Sadly, worse is the typical choice because of all the stagnant dead-time.
Lastly, let me talk briefly about prisoners trapped in a “technology time warp.” Many prisoners with long sentences will one day be released back into society, but who are we putting back into the rapidly changing world of technology? Men with absolutely no knowledge of technology besides what they see on TV or hear about second-hand. Personally, I have been incarcerated 18 years, and when I was out there were no Ipods, laptops or blackberries. There was also no internet, something now used daily on a vast scale in today’s society. I hear that cell phones allow you to go online and research anything you desire, from job listings to health care benefits, but IDOC has no programs to teach pre-release prisoners about new forms of technology. So when you release a person who has done twenty or thirty years of dead-time, what do you expect from him? I pray he doesn’t allow the rapidly advanced technological society to defeat him and make him feel out of place, but only time will tell what the effect will be on unprepared guys who’ve been locked down for thirty-plus years to function in the new age of living.
So, to whoever is reading this, I’m sure you understand the gist of my thoughts without further elaboration. I urge you all to fight to make Illinois safer by supporting positive change on the inside.
My name is Matthew Carmichael, #R03911 at Hill Corr. Ctr., and there are many more like me…
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