Atrocities integrity freedom

Smith, Dr. Henry

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* * ATROCITIES INTEGRITY FREEDOM * * When anyone is suffering from the atrocities of a unjust system or any situational mishap, their thinking abilities become sordid to the point of looking at their own experiences instead of others. Why is this happening to me is not the question because personal behavior could have set the very atrocious events in motion by the decisions one had made. Being confined within the New Jersey State prison system, I’m not the only one experiencing various kinds of injustice by the arbitrary and capricious decisions of those in power to grant freedom who are the cause of many prisoners atrocities when their rehabilitative factors has been accomplished to warrant freedom from any oppositional decisions. My knowledge in Religious Education, Ministry, Facilitator training to host group sessions with anyone who suffers from Alcohol, Substance abuse, and Behavioral addictions, para-legal training, and a host of training in Behavior Modification geared toward cognitive thinking with problem resolution, and having over 40 years experience in the prison system during the course of my life, I do qualify to share just a taste of information from the heart on various subjects. For the readers knowledge, it was my conduct that caused my incarceration and I blame no one and nothing for that occurring. No matter what subject is being talked about, I and I alone am the responsible party for my actions. Atrocities Integrity Freedom 2 When the call for Mass Incarceration went out within the Criminal Justice System as a result of the State of New Jersey getting tough on crime in 1996, the NJ legislation created new laws to deal with violent offenders by enacting the No Early Release Act (N.E.R.A.). This also changed parole policies to keep those who were already incarcerated in prison longer by using the same aggravating factors over and over again to incapacitate any progress prisoners made. Too often when any action is taken against any change in criminal policies and standards, the cost of these changes are not calculated as a direct result of the change. Recently, the call to end Mass Incarceration have been blowing because it is consuming the resources allotted for the purpose at a much faster rate than those who created the policy change had expected. They brainstormed the problem of violence at the wrong end and presently are looking for solutions that will not bring more failure to a already broken system. The opportunity to move freely was once a reality, but my faulty decisions made a chain to grip my physical body and instead of continuing in that reality of freedom, it disappeared. Something was truly wrong in the inner chambers of my heart that operated the soulish desires to think. Mind over matter. Pain in control of the will. Hurt directing the body. And with the soul, mind and body suffering, who is enjoying its fruit? Atrocities Integrity Freedom 3 There comes a time when everything in life stops because that life seen the Light of all Life and desired change. Change come in and have its way. It brings along obedience and integrity and they start to recognize there's more. There's a difference of expression when the light seem familiar as if it was always there. In fact, it was but it wasn't noticed. As a seed is being planted in the ground and watered, its transformation brings forth newness of life. That newness responds in obedience and what happens? Creativity motivated by the most beautiful love bring forth the Divine nature that truth and sincerity are the hallmarks of integrity. Who can stand in the midst of such an amazing Light? He and she that commits to the Oneness of their love for life. The courage of love stands against all atrocities it encounters and moves gently to restore what disappeared which was the opportunity to move about freely. When looking at the rules, regulations, procedures, and developed policies of a group or organized entity for a cause, there is a whole lot of political issues in one becoming superior above and over another. The use of any governing power to incorporate personal gain, to cause hurt or harm to another person, or to withhold justice deserved, is the abuse of all standards related to the laws set in place for one to be governed by. The mind is always in the position to be right, and does whatever is necessary to justify itself concerning its cause. Atrocities Integrity Freedom 4 Therefore, we all must be careful and consider the laws we are governed by because there is a moral responsibility to uphold our personal integrity pertaining to our actions. Sadly to say, there are those who will abuse their power of authority no matter where they are working and hinder those who have truly reformed and corrected their life. Their personal belief system is made to seem like they are administering justice when in fact, they are not. As the Apostle Paul says, "Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron" (1 Timothy 4:2 KJV). Having the knowledge of truth and not doing it can be a turning point in the eyes of Justice. Wait a minute, the symbol representing Justice have a blindfold on and I wonder, if they have one on too! Why does a caged bird sing? At first it didn’t because it believes the reason for their captivity is the result of their own doing. Then, sometime during that captivity, they saw their counterparts soaring high in the sky and the desire for freedom cause them to sing. There are a very few captors who would set their birds free after a certain period of time, but there are many who would not allow their valuable piece of property to go free. The circumstances of the content of my words are the facts of life in the lives of many prisoners who are singing for the opportunity of freedom to come around for the last time. The fate of many prisoners are interfered with by a Atrocities Integrity Freedom 5 governing agency of those who are in positions of power and authority because their own ideologies are secretly the driving force behind their work ethics. Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him or her it is SIN (James 4:17 NASS). In other words, if it is in our power to do something for anyone according to the rules, regulations, policies, or procedures we are governed by, and we don't do it or abuse those laws, we first violate our dignity and then the integrity of our office. But we will probably have those who will always bring more atrocious sufferings on prisoners who doesn't deserve any injustice. There is no freedom to act outside the guidelines of any established truth in measuring or deciding a person's fate. To be exempted or liberated from the control of some other person(s) or some arbitrary power that capriciously make unjust decisions, is freedom. Having the freedom to twist and misuse the facts need to be addressed in the moral court of public opinion because nothing is being done in the criminal and administrative arena where the battle is being fought. In the criminal arena, Rachel Elise Barkow, in her book, Prisoners of Politics, Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration said, "Some prosecutors have admitted openly that they use drug charges and the long sentences that accompany them to incarcerate people they believe are dangerous for other reasons, even when they lack proof" (p. 53-54). She goes on to say, "One can Atrocities Integrity Freedom 6 reasonably ask why these prosecutors can be so sure these individuals are involved in violent offenses when they lack proof and why they should be trusted to go on their gut instincts that the individuals are guilty when we have an established process to protect defendants from someone's hunch” (Barkow. P. 54). In the administrative arena, I will use my case as a example when I received an Institutional Infraction on May 7, 2002 and the parole panel used it against me as a aggravating factor reason to deny parole on March 28, 2013. When I re-appeared before them the second time 6 years later on March 15, 2019, they noted I was infraction free since the last parole hearing, however, since I received an Institution infraction on May 7, 2002, they used that aggravating factor against me again for a reason to deny parole. My question to the Appellate Court is, "How many times can the same aggravating factor be used as a reason to deny parole?" This factor will never change, just like any prisoner past record will never change, but it is used again and again to deny parole even when our life have been rehabilitated, reformed, or changed for the better. They arbitrarily down-played and capriciously under-evaluated the years I was infraction free. In other words, instead of being infraction free for 6 years from the last parole hearing, it was 17 years from May 7, 2002. Eleven years wasn't honored! The Court said, "It would be virtually impossible for any inmate Atrocities Integrity Freedom 7 to win parole release if his past life were allowed to override successful efforts at rehabilitation" (State v. Trantino 331 N.J. Super 577, 752 A.2d 761). And many have suffered from this atrocity for the last 22 years. Those who hold these positions are in power to administer justice according to the procedural law established in the Criminal Justice System on all levels whether it be criminal, civil, or administrative. The majority of our politicians are lawyers and administratively, we have our criminologists and law enforcement dignitaries. And no one should experience any atrocities of any kind secretly within their decision making abilities. Their integrity should never be called into question from anyone. And freedom should be experienced in fundamental fairness of justice received and justice due to anyone. Dr. Henry Smith South Woods-State Prison

Author: Smith, Dr. Henry

Author Location: New Jersey

Date: June 4, 2021

Genre: Essay

Extent: 7 pages

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