THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 2, 1995 TAG: 9502020010
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
I read with sadness A. C. Black's response concerning the article on my prison sentence and good fortune to have become a more-educated and -responsible person even though in prison. I hope to clear up two points that distressed Mr. Black.
First, I could not agree more that prisoners should repay college education while in prison in one form or another. However, that the state paid not one dime for my education. I was sponsored by a woman in Northern Virginia who, thank God, believes in the value of education and behavioral change.
Second, the article mentioned that I was an upper-middle-class housewife in order to warn that addiction does not discriminate according to socioeconomic status, which seems to be the myth so widely believed. I, too, believe that when you ``do the crime'' you should be ready to ``do the time.'' My question remains, ``Isn't a lifetime in prison enough?''
Mixed messages are being sent to prisoners. Clearly, we should pay and take full responsibility and try to compensate society for our misdoings. That is why I chose to try to get an education and devote my life, should I ever have the opportunity, to the other forgotten victims - children of incarcerated parents.
If we are expected to return to our communities, we should be allowed some tools with which to successfully become what the communities want - decent human beings, taxpayers - and let us give something back. We owe that to citizens and to our victims and families.
SUE KENNON
Inmate No. 157507
Goochland Correctional Center
for Women
Goochland, Jan. 22, 1995 by CNB