Sunday, November 20, 2011

View from the Inside...Lorne's Voice Pt. 6

Monday, November 14, 2011

With pretty severe carpal tunnel, I regret that I am unable to re-type Lorne's latest blog entry.  However It is available for viewing here (page 1) and here (page 2)

Have a blessed holiday and as always, feel free to pass this along to everyone!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Yes, it has been a while...

Sorry to all of you who are blog followers.  It's been a crazy month and in all honesty, a bit of a lazy month too.  Fall always does that to me, makes me lazier than I already am.  The body's natural rhythm takes over and next thing you know I am sleeping through the winter.

For the most part Lorne is doing ok.  But ok when dealing with NDOC could mean anything.  All of the grievances he filed have come back denied so he has had to appeal the denials.  The grievances are such a joke...I asked Lorne how they investigate the grievances to verify what is being alleged, and he said its usually someone like a lieutenant or a captain will make a phone call to a CO, ask them "did this happen?", the CO says no...and grievance denied.  All done!

But on the upside, Lorne is working in the braille transcription program.  Apparently while he was at Lovelock Correctional Center, (before I started out there as a volunteer) he became certified as a braille transcriber.  That means that he takes books and turns them into books for the vision impaired! I think that is VERY cool! He is certified through the National Federation of the Blind and the Library of Congress.  He had sent his original certificate out to his father and I had to request a duplicate for the program director.  The certificate is on its way to the program director and in the meantime the director has him brushing up on his skills.  He should get about $20 a month or so for his time but more importantly, it will keep him occupied. 

As for me and Lorne, well, that is going ok too.  I can tell that he is extremely frustrated in his endeavors to get things accomplished...like getting his glasses adjusted or seeing a doctor for some gastrointestinal issues he has been dealing with for quite some time.  I wish Lorne could go back on the vegetarian diet since that was so much better for him in so many ways but NDOC removed that option.  Trust me, Lorne loves a good chunk of meat but if you are familiar with NDOC food, it's garbage.  Most of their meats are so processed its extremely unhealthy (full of sodium and fillers...cheap and barely meeting nutritional guidelines) and for someone who suffers from GI issues...veggie is way better.

Lorne should be sending me a blog update soon so when I get that I will post it for all to read too!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

And yet another turn of the wheel...

As the year closes down for us Pagans, I have a tendency to become very introspective.  I think most people do this time of year.  The last 4 months have been really emotional for both Lorne and I.  Since the end of June when his cell was "raided" and all of his religious materials went missing he has been in a deep funk.  The truth of the matter is, he hates it down south and I can't say as I blame him.  As for me, it has been very hard to stand next to him and say silly stuff like "it will be ok babe" when it feels like a lie dropping off my tongue.  I want it to be ok, I really do but it doesn't feel like it ever will be. 

Letters to lawyers and the cranky warden at NSP has resulted in nothing...not a thing being done with regards to the loss of Lorne's religious material.    One would think that it would be the on the top of their list "prevent lawsuits" but the system is not designed that way.  It is designed to force the inmate to file a lawsuit just to get a straight answer out of anyone! I have literally written 3 and 4 page letters to the warden and NSP and I get single paragraph responses that say nothing.  I have questions, they have ZERO answers other than, "I'm glad that Inmate Richardson is using the grievance process to resolve these unfounded allegations"....unfounded my ass!! I have documents that say otherwise just as I know you don't have documents that prove you didn't do what you say you did. 

I wish I had money to hire a lawyer to handle this.  I wish I had the money to take on the state of NV for their abuses to inmates...not just Lorne but for all those who are persecuted.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Another day...another ...?

I got a phone call last night from Lorne, of course, it is always nice to hear his voice. So a bit of an update for you.  At this point all of Lorne's grievances have been denied and he is appealing the denials.  I had to laugh when he was telling what was written on the denials...one of the denials has a statement from a CO that when they were doing the first alleged random cell search, the at no time did he damage any of Lorne's belongings.  I have a bit of information to you NDOC...if there are only two officers in a cell during a search and items become damaged...guess what...A NDOC OFFICER DAMAGED HIS STUFF!!  Not quite sure what is so hard about that bit of detective work but it apparently escapes the people that review the grievances.  I also received a letter from the NSP warden in response to my letter.  I write this guy a 3 page letter with a list of issues.  His response back to me was a single paragraph that basically said "he was pleased to hear that Inmate Richardson was using the grievance process".  Apparently he feels that the grievance process will exonerate the CO's of wrong doing in all the issues we have raised.  Perhaps someone should inform him that the only reason inmates file grievances is to preserve their right to sue at a later date! Silly warden...inmates don't file grievances because they expect the wrongs to be addressed...they know at some point they are going to have to sue so they want to preserve their ability to do so by using the NDOC grievance process first. 
NDOC will continue to violate their own policies and procedures and not even the Inspector General will hold these clowns accountable.  I get the fact that these guys are convicted criminals, but someone should tell NDOC that that does not make them liars.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Settling in...

Well Lorne is settling in down at Southern Desert.  He still hates it, not that I blame him.  For being a supposedly newer facility, it actually is worse for the inmates than NSP was.  There are far fewer phones per inmate...or should I say working phones.  The other day Lorne called and the connection was absolutely terrible, all full of static and there was even some crossover from other conversations! I think there are two or three phones on his tier, but only one was functional.  On the upside, he did get over to the gym the other day and worked out and he said that he felt much better afterwards.  Because of his eating less, he's also dropped almost 17 pounds since he was transferred. 

His grievances that he filed as a result of his cell searches, damaged property and loss of religious materials have all been denied.  Not surprising especially since it appears that the warden didn't even read the grievances and just decided to add his interpretation of the facts (mixing up dates and times, etc) when denying Lorne's grievance.  The letters that I have sent to the warden at NSP asking for his assistance in these matters have been met with zero responses other than, (I'm going to paraphrase here) I work with fine, professional officers who have an excellent work ethic and your fiancee is making unfounded accusations.  Not a single question that I asked was given a response...not a one.  The fact of the matter is, while I understand that everyone perceives events differently, his continued reluctance to answer even the simplest of questions gives ME the perception that he is hiding or tying to cover up a very big screw up on the part of his officers. 

For me personally, this has been a trying time.  The lack of phone access (and no money to put on the phones) means contact with Lorne is even more limited.  Our discussions have a tendency to focus on doing things for him, updating him on outside assistance and him requesting me to do more stuff for him.  Little sharing of thoughts and feelings and the day to day stuff is ever done. 

I have a feeling that it will be Lorne and only Lorne who can get himself out of that place.  Let's hope he's a fast learner.

Friday, August 12, 2011

View from the Inside...Lorne's Voice Pt. 4 and 5

Lorne sent me a couple of blog updates that I think would make for interesting reading for the blog followers.  The first one can be seen here

The second one can be found here. This one by far, is the most moving document that Lorne has written to date.  I think if you read it, it will bring you to tears.  People who didn't know very much about Lorne will get an intimate look at his heart and his soul...and see just how wounded he is. 

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Today's random musings....

I am not happy that Lorne has been moved to SDCC.  The phone system sucks there...and I mean sucks.  But my bigger concern is for Lorne's mental state. 

Today I got his latest blog update (I will get it posted this weekend for everyone to read) it highlighted just how deeply he feels about the injustice he sees all around him.  The sad part is, he is right. 

I knew that being sent south would be hard on him since he really considers Las Vegas to be his adopted home.  Nothing is the same anymore for him and he feels that all that time he spent there was wasted and that all he has is his memories of the place.  If he was here this is what I would tell him....

Everything changes, nothing stays the same.  It is not natural for you to expect that Las Vegas would stay the same.  Putting Las Vegas in a time capsule is not fair to you nor to the city itself...a city you love and want to be in when you get out.  Instead of mourning the loss of your favorite casinos, think of all the new casinos that you will be able to explore and learn about.  In the same way that people change and grow, cities do as well.  Certainly your current location is not what you think is ideal but perhaps it is the God's way of forcing you to acknowledge that even while you are incarcerated, life is still going on around you.  Perhaps they are forcing you to acknowledge that which scares you the most...that you are scared that the world is passing you by and there isn't a damned thing you can do about it.  Perhaps they are trying to tell you that They, not you decide your fate...yes, you can make choices but in the end, you have a destiny that must be fulfilled and They will make sure that you do that. 

It is time for you to embrace your fears my love...you aren't alone.

Friday, August 5, 2011

The latest NDOC hilarity of the day

http://tinyurl.com/3tmsaqv

This is an article in the Nevada Appeal, a local Carson City/Reno newspaperI've known about this for sometime since Lorne was one of the affected inmates.  It's quite the racket the state has going on, letting people buy things and them 2 years later, tell them they can't have them anymore.  even worse still is the fact that it appears that NDOC feels that the CO's were the one bringing that stuff in but yet their solution to the problem is to punish the inmates.  Somewhere that makes sense...not to me but somewhere I am sure it does. 

http://tinyurl.com/3g3bsox
Another piece regarding the closure of NSP.  It would appear that the unions are pissed off that they are closing NSP so quickly.  I have been telling anyone who would listen that CO's will not move to other prisons...if they have roots in Carson City (house, kids in school) unless they can get placed at NNCC or Warm Springs or one of the several camps in the area, they are not going to re-locate to the southern prisons like High Desert and Southern Desert.  You can't commute to there and financially most people just can't sell a home they are most likely upside down with their mortgage and buy another one in the Vegas area.  But anyhow, the union is upset that NSP is being cleared out quicker than they expected (predicted that too) and since at this point, NDOC has not made clear how the moves to other facilities will be accomplished...if it is done on seniority, then people will be pushed out of jobs they have had in a location that they like and be sent to a facility they don't want to be at.  

It's bad enough many correctional officers act like assholes and treat the inmates like crap, forcing a CO to work in a place that is inconvenient to them will just make it worse.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Thank you NDOC!!

Yes, the thank  you is a comment that is just ooooozing with sarcasm.  At this very moment it is dripping from every pore in my body. 

Lorne's transfer to Southern Desert Correctional Center (SDCC) has been an absolute nightmare.  First off was all the grievances that Lorne filed while he was at NSP...not a single one has been addressed.  No one has yet to respond to any of my please of assistance with regard to getting Lorne's financial information returned to him nor to help me with finding out why the state of NV felt that it was okay to dispose of all of his religious materials.  The change of phone calls with ICSolutions has been a bit of a challenge too...despite NV Bell saying that Indian Springs has two phone exchange number (702-447 and 702-879) apparently it is considered long distance to call from Indian Springs to Indian Springs...when I called the lady told me "but this is an excellent rate!" I'm sure it is but when I had a local number to the facility in Carson City, I was only charged $1.95 for a 30 min phone call...not an $.85 connection fee and $.11 a minute.  Which means that a 30 minute phone call with Lorne costs me $4.15...double what I used to pay.

To top all THAT off (as if it weren't enough) Lorne has not been eating hardly at all.  Because of the timing of his arrival, he has had to wait almost a week to put in a commissary order and will have to wait another week for it to arrive...so for the most part, Lorne has just not eaten.  Of course if that was not enough to worry about, Lorne informed me today that there was a roach infestation in the chow hall.  Yup...I wouldn't ever eat there either. 

Would someone please tell me again why I am doing this????

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Quick update

I just wanted to touch base with the folks out there who are following the Lorne v. NSP saga.  Lorne has been asking for the return of his religious materials for about 3 weeks now.  Quite honestly, I am sure that they are in the Carson City landfill by now.  However, one must try to get them back.  Repeated requests to the NSP warden have done nothing to further the return of Lorne's religious materials.  I kind of think that Lorne's move to NSP so suddenly was a direct result of the grievances he has filed against NSP as well as my letters asking "where is his stuff?" He was also recently denied access to pill call by the same CO who took his financial information back on June 29th.

I think that NSP and NDOC are hoping that Lorne's move to SDCC will make him quit or give up asking for that material back.  It is my hope that those organizations that I have contacted will make a quick decision to assist him or not.  In the end, Lorne still has to fight all these internal processes just get stuff like his CD player replaced (he is without a pillow again too) Lorne will also be putting in transfer requests to get out of SDCC and move to one of the facilities up north (Warm Springs, NNCC or Lovelock)

I miss Lorne and my heart is aching for him.  Last night I had a dream that I was in prison too...and I guess I am in some ways.  At this point, all I can hope for is that this will soon end but it's not looking like it will be anytime soon.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Phone calls from Indian Springs...

I am totally serious when I say that Indian Springs has only 10 phone lines...8 of which belong to NDOC and the other two belong to a hotel and a tattoo parlor...(ok I don't know if Indian Springs has a tattoo parlor but the google search engine said it did)

But anyhow, it seems like numbers for the (702) 447 and (702)879 exchanges are in extremely high demand...how high you ask? well Vonage has no local numbers for them...most any other place I tried does not have them so it will be interesting to see if the company that I chose has them (it said they were in stock but they must be worth their weight in gold)

Given that so many inmates are being moved to High Desert and Southern Desert facilities, it would behoove NV Bell to let loose some more numbers for that area.  The reality is, no one needs to pay for collect phone calls anymore when they can get a VOIP local number that will ring into their current phone (cell or landline).  Financially, I do ok but that doesn't mean that I have money to burn and it seems to me that $8 a month for 1000 minutes is a great deal and he only pays $1.95 per phone call.  I'll take it!

I know that being able to talk to me is important to Lorne especially now that he is in a new environment with few familiar faces.  I am glad that one of his tier mates is in the same place as him...he's a great guy and his wife is a lovely person as well.

We shall see how things work out, I will keep you posted!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Big Move...

Last night around 10:30pm, I received a phone call from Lorne...was he ever in a panic! wouldn't let me talk, his voice was very insistent that I just listen until he got a chance to tell me what he needed to tell me.  And his news? he was being "rolled up" (prison slang for pack your stuff, you are going on a road trip) and being sent to Southern Desert Correctional Center in the morning. 
Lorne has been preparing for this physically by getting rid of alot of his stuff or shipping out things to me for safekeeping.  However, I don't think he spent any time at all preparing mentally because he was absolutely panicked...and I mean PANICKED!...I thought he was going to cry, I truly did.  Lorne likes stability and routine and certainly this move destabilizes the life that he has created for himself on the inside and now he has to create a new life all over again.  Also, each prison has its own "personality".  Now he has to re-learn the personality of this facility and that can be daunting and sometimes even dangerous.  Mis-steps can be painful, physically and emotionally. 
Needless to say, he was unable to fit all his "stuff" into the designated containers (a box and a duffle bag) and had to part with several pieces of clothing, and of course to me, its just stuff, easily replaced (and it will be, not a big deal) but it was heartbreaking to see him so emotionally overwrought by all this.  All he kept saying was "I want to come home, I want to come home".  And of course home for Lorne is Las Vegas...talk about being the carrot at the end of the stick! Let's put him within an hours drive of the ONE place Lorne wants to be...
For those of you who were following Lorne's issue with the cell searches and the subsequent "loss" of his religious materials, I am sure that NDOC is hoping that I will just go away.  I am sure that they are thinking that now that he is gone from NSP that they no longer bear any responsibility for the loss of his materials.  However, they are wrong.  It was the regime at NSP that allowed this to happen and they will be held accountable for taking away an inmates religious materials.  It doesn't matter to me that Lorne isn't there anymore.  It matters that there appears to be systemic corruption in the way that NSP continually plays fast and loose with their own rules and regulations.  It matters that they be held accountable for their wrongs just like Lorne was when he was put in prison.  You can't tell people "when you do bad things you get locked up" and then act all surprised when people try and hold you accountable. 

Mama didn't raise no fool.....

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Round Two...

Well it's been a while and I thought I would update you on what is going on with Lorne on the inside.  June 29th, Lorne's person and cell were searched.  During the course of these alleged "routine" searches, many items of Lorne were either damaged or removed from his possession.  I can't go into alot of detail (and I am sorry for that) because there is the potential of litigation against the state of Nevada.  What I can say is this...Lorne's banking information has still not been returned to him.  The response letter that I got back from warden Smith stated that "he was concerned about Lorne having personal financial information around hundred of convicted felons."  Ok...I'd accept that if it weren't for the fact that hundred of correctional officers and free staff bring their wallets to work everyday and they have the same exposure to inmates as Lorne does.  It would also be believable but for the fact that it now appears that Lorne's information is being passed around to other correctional officers under the guise of "investigating" the legitimacy of the information.  Apparently keeping that stuff in your wallet is creating a problem but allowing officers to hand it off to others isn't.  Right.  I got it now.

Lorne is also still waiting for the return of his religious materials that were removed from the box he was mailing out to me for safekeeping.  No one can find it.  It disappeared off the face of the earth.  Being a Wiccan inside prison is not easy.  We draw wisdom from everywhere and everyone we can.  Our paths continually shift and grow as we shift and grow.  Nine years of Lorne's Wiccan journey is missing and no one knows where it is.

He also appears to be on the receiving end of retaliatory actions from the officer who originally singled him out.  Today, this same officer denied him access to pill call...this is where inmates are sent to the dispensary to pick up prescribed medications.  In an ironic twist, it was the actions of this same officer that forced Lorne back to picking up his pills in the dispensary instead of keeping his prescription in his cell.  So...Lorne has to go get his pills from the dispensary...but the officer won't let him get to the dispensary because his is too busy making life miserable for Lorne.  So, as a result of today's actions, Lorne is filing yet another internal grievance.   Given that last year, about this time, the ACLU,NDOC and the state of NV finally reached as agreement regarding the appropriateness of medical care inmates receive, one would think that correctional officers from the state of NV would be hypersensitive about how they deny/grant access to medications. 

As for me, another round of letters to the warden at NSP, the NDOC Director, the NV ACLU and the NV Inspector Generals office...dang I'm tired!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Update!

But unfortunately it is not good news.  Lorne still has note received his banking information back.  Apparently the warden is worried about Lorne having this information on the inside.  Maybe someone should tell him that it is now in the hands of NDOC officers...yes...plural...officers.  But that is fine too...the Canadian embassy is involved at this point in order to secure its return to Lorne.  As I type this, there have been no unauthorized charges put on his account so that is a good thing...quite frankly, I would almost wish someone would.

The bigger issue for me and Lorne is the loss of almost 90% of his religious materials...most of which cannot be replaced.  I understand that a message was sent out via email to try and retrieve it, however no one seems to know where any of it is.  This by far is the most despicable act to date.  I fully understand that Lorne is an inmate and that he lost many rights when he plead to his charges.  However, not one of the rights he lost had anything to do with his religious freedom.  For this I blame the ignorant, uneducated and poorly trained correctional officers that NDOC hires.  Certainly their worldview is very narrow if they can't seem to be able to distinguish religious materials from ....well, something bad (I don't know what you can confuse religious materials with...)  So...it will be yet another letter I write to see if NDOC will be able to make this right.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The View from Inside...Lorne's Voice Pt. 3

Lorne is going through some very bad stuff at the moment as the result of immature, unprofessional and possible illegal conduct on the part of a few NDOC correctional officers.  This "rant" was written before his current situation happened but it does reflect that vagaries of life on the inside. You can find his scanned document here.

Please keep Lorne in your thoughts as we wind our way through this mess.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Religious freedom...yes unless you are an inmate

So just  to keep everyone up to speed...in the last 4 days, Lorne's cell has been searched twice looking for contraband material.   This all started when a correctional officer decided Lorne's confidential financial information was not allowed and took it from him.  This started a chain of events that culminated in letters to the warden, NVDOC director, the NVDOC Inspector General and the Consulate General of the Canadian Embassy   Yes, I am pissed!!
One of the items that was removed form Lorne's cell was a box that he was preparing to ship to me.  With the closure of NSP, he has been going through his stuff and sorting it out.  He had managed to fill the box with items that he didn't need but wanted to save for future use. Lorne was taken down to the property room where an officer interviewed him about the contents of the box.  The officer removed a segment of Lorne's religious materials, asked him what religions he was and Lorne responded "Wiccan".  Lorne didn't see the contents of that box until June 30 where it was all returned to him in a garbage bag.  He spent most of July 1 sorting through it to determine if all the contents were there,  They weren't.  All of Lorne's religious paperwork was gone as well as a gift that he had made for me.  As any Pagan knows, our paths develop from a little bit of this...a little bit of that.  The material that was removed dates back to at least 2005 when he started as one of my students but even predates me since he said that some of those items were from his first teacher.
Looks like Erika will be writing more letters to...well,,,just about everyone I think! 

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Well, doesn't that just beat all...

It will never cease to amaze me how people with just a little bit of power think they can roll right over people.  Trust me when I say that most correctional facilities have their share of assholes and Lorne appears to have found a nest of them where he is at. 

Soon I will be posting a letter that was written on Lorne's behalf to the following people, NSP warden, NDOC director, NV state attorney general and the NV ACLU.  It will be a doozy I assure you.

It makes me wonder why the state of NV doesn't do a better job of screening these people out before they get into the system and cost the state of NV millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements.

Way to go NV!!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The View from Inside...Lorne's Voice Pt. 2

Tuesday June 21, 2011

I just got an appointment with the institutional dentist on Friday June 17, 2011 at 8:45AM.  I showed up half an hour early because I know that 9 other guys were scheduled for the same time, which usually means, first come, first served.  I was indeed first served.  However, the served part left much to be desired.

After explaining that I had intermittent pain in my top right incisor (the #8 tooth) which was exacerbated by cold and pressure, the lovely, polite dental assistant took an x-ray and then the dentist asked me to wait outside while he helped others.  I waited for awhile and then I was asked to come back into the dental exame room whereupon the dental assistant explained to me that she needed to take another x-ray.  Ever so complinat I sat back down in the nice, comfy dental chair while the dental assistant took another x-ray and then I was sent back outside to wait some more.  After waiting for yet some more unspecified time, I was asked yet again to return to the dental room, whereupon the dental assistant explained to me that she neede to take yet another x-ray.  Once again, I sat back in the nice, comfy dental chair and went back outside yet again for more waiting after she took the third x-ray.

Finally, I was summoned back inside the dental room for a fourth, and what would indeed be, the last time.  The dentist, a rather youngish gent not too far removed from dental school, was quick to explain that he couldn't see anything wrong with the tooth in question but admitted that something indeed was amiss because of the pain I was experiencing.  He went on to mention that there may be a fracture high in the root of the tooth and / or that the tooth in question may be infected.  After asking what my options were, he said that in this situation the general options were to leave it alone, do a root canal or extract it.  Just as I was about to tell him to go ahead and do the root canal, he adds that "root canals are not done here". Seriously?! So, somewhat frustrated now, I told him that I didn't feel like having a tooth pulled when the pain was not constant nor severe and he said that if it was his tooth, he would keep it.  I asked him since he mentioned that the tooth might be infected if I could get something for the infection to which he replied, "No." I then asked about getting a periodontal scaling done and a prophylaxis and the dental assistant replied that she just got the machine back and hadn't set it up yet but that I would definitely be added to the list, which she made sure to mention as being very long.  At that point, I left and as it was now 10:45 AM, I went straight to lunch to eat my griddle friend bologna sandwich.

To sum up the foregoing, I spent $8 (the dental co-pay) and 2 1/2 hours of my Friday taking 3 x-rays and ultimately having nothing done and being no more pain-free than I was weeks ago.  To add insult to injury, I haven't had a prophylaxis (that's the technical term for a tooth cleaning) in at least 3 years and in truth, I cannot remember the last time I had one or even if I have had one since I have been in prison.  Perhaps I'm mistaken but I seem to remember that the American Dental Association tells us on a regular basis that in order to maintain proper dental hygiene, a person should see his/her dentist every 6 months for a checkup and a tooth cleaning.  So, either the ADA is lying to the populace to drum up business for the dental industry, or the Nevada Department of Corrections is grossly, woefully remiss in providing proper dental care to its inmates.  I tend to believe in the latter. 
I know that there are people out there who think that inmates should have the worst of everything pssible, or even no, health and dental care. To those people I would say this" Every disadvantage suffered by an inmate incurs a corresponding cost for that inmate to fix once (s)he is released from incarceration.  As the costs and the debts suffered by an individual inmate mount, it becomes harder and harder for him or her to do things the right way for the simple reason that there simply isn't enough money for the inmate to live decently and fix all the disadvantages suffered during incarceration and everybody has a breaking point.  When that breaking point is reached, more often than not, criminal behavior ensues, especailly when the criminals are drug and property offenders.  Wouldn't it make more sense from a publlic policy standpoint to give inmates every possible opportunity to be law-abiding citisens instead of burdening them with mounting debt and other penalties which carry over long after their sentences have been served? Having decent medical and dental care is a part of that, because having to fixd all of the problems which were potentially ignored in prison is a very expensive proposition, costing in the thousands of even tens of thousands for ex-felons who have no medical or dentla insurance and lets face it, inmates are not exactly going to be frequent hires for jobs that provide medical and dentla benefits.

I read in a handy reentry pocket guide for ex-offenders that ex-offenders disproportionately exhibit four types of health issues: chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes and the like; infectious diseases, such a tuberculosis, hepatitis, and the like; mental illness like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and that ilk; and substance abuse issues such as alcohol, tobacco and drugs.  Proper treatment for all fot eh foregoing is a huge financial burden on somebody who doesn't have (adequate) health insurance, and I doubt that many inmates are going to walk into $60,000+ per year jobs; if they did, then they'd have adequate health insurance needed to take care of the years of accumulated neglect arising from incarceration.

I can also be pretty damn sure that even fewer inmates are going to walk into $60,000+ per year jobs with fucked-up grills.  I daresay that a person's smile makes a memorable impact on a potential employer.  Well done Nevada.  Thanks for making it even harder for an inmate to walk the right path after getting back out into the world.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Dental Care....Prison style

Anyone who has a loved one in prison knows without a doubt that the medical and dental care that our loved ones get is less than stellar.  While being unemployed for two years has given me a bit of insight into this issue since I got NO medical care during that time.  But inmates put up with quite a bit more than what I had to go through.

Today Lorne finally got in to see the dentist.  He jammed one of his front teeth in a basketball game about 4 months ago and it has been bothering him all this time.  In one of our many phone discussions about this issue, I felt that it was just a loose tooth and there really wasn't much that could be done to it.  His best course of action would be to try and not use it and just keep an eye on it in case it starts to darken.  Well that didn't happen but it was still causing him some discomfort.  So about a month ago, he asked for and got a dental call slip and today was his appointment.  So he shows up 15 minutes early and waits.  He gets called in at his scheduled time and the dentist isn't quite sure what is going on with his tooth.  He takes three x-rays to get a better look but still can't see anything.  So the doctor pronounces that it could be several things and Lorne's treatment options are: 1. have a root canal 2. the tooth could be extracted  3. you can leave the tooth alone to see if anything happens.  So Lorne is getting all geared up mentally to have the root canal done and the dentist promptly follows all the previous information with "...and we don't do root canals here".  So Lorne is left with two choices...get the tooth pulled or wait and do nothing. Given that this was one of his front teeth, he opted to do nothing in the hopes that the tooth will eventually heal itself (the dentist thinks it may have a hairline fracture but he can't be sure since there was nothing conclusive on the x-ray)

This decision cost Lorne $8.  Now keep in mind while Lorne gets some financial support from his family, his job pays him a whopping $14 a month.  The state is required to give them dental check ups every year but god forbid if there is anything beyond a filling or extraction that needs to be done...you ain't gonna get it.  Lorne already has problems with his jaw due to the beating he took (the one that landed him in jail) and good dental care is important to his ability to chew his food properly and have good digestion.

It is no wonder that so many inmates come out of jail with most of their teeth missing.  Those that can't get into a dentist quickly enough have been known to pull their own teeth.  (I wouldn't recommend that)  You read that right peeps...people pulling their OWN teeth!!!

Sad...so very sad.  I for one am glad that Lorne decided to sit back and wait this out...he's got a cute smile and it would be a shame if he ended up looking like a toothless wonder.

Friday, June 10, 2011

The Closure of NSP....so let's fix it up!!

So today Lorne called and I could not help but notice the sound of drills, Sawz-All and other various power tools.  Of course, those sounds begged the question "babe...what is that noise?" Lorne: they are making some repairs up on the tier.  Of course...it makes complete and total sense now!! Close the place down so let's put time, effort and money into making repairs.  YES! I see the TOTAL wisdom in that.  (insert eye roll here)

For those who have never worked for a government entity, it is truly an experience to say the least! The layers of bureaucracy that must be navigated to change a set course of action is burdensome to everyone.  Here is how this probably went down;
1. Someone notices that a repair needs to be made to a cell (Day 1)
2. That person generates a work order to inform the maintenance personnel of the broken item (Day 2)
3. Maintenance prioritizes that work order in order of importance to the facility security, safety, or any other set criteria they have.  (Varies...Day 3-60)
4. At some point, the priority could change due to changing environmental factors (Day 4-infinity)

My guess is that this work order for whatever repair that they were doing was submitted 4-6 months ago...before the decision to close NSP was made.  However, it seems to me that once that decision was made (and indeed, transfers have started to occur) all those work order items could be removed from the queue since it would be a waste of resources to fix a building that the governor and Acting Director Cox feel  is no longer worth putting any more money into.  Why put money into a building that the state will no longer be using? It doesn't make sense to me...I am sure that other people looking in from the outside (and of course the inmates too) feel that it does not make sense either.

Let's hope that the State of Nevada sees the wisdom of that too...

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Wiiiiilllson!!!!!!

It's a Sunday which means, with my limited cable, I get to choose from all manner of infomercials or religous programming.  None of those choices appeal to me.  So it is off to Netflix I go!

The program I chose is a NatGeo Special on Solitary Confinement.  I think I wrote a bit on this issue before somewhere else but it is a subject that bears repeating again.  The institution that is being observed is Colorado State Penitentiary.  According to the narrator, many solitary confinement programs are modeled on their program.  The practice of solitary confinement has been under some extreme scrutiny for quite a few years now.  While its advocates argue that it plays a role in inmate behavior modification, the reality has shown to be just the opposite.  You can find an interesting article here about the effects of solitary on an inmates mental faculties.  You can find another fact sheet from Solitary Watch here , they are a great resource for issues relating to Solitary Confinement. 

But anyway...I am watching this show and one of the guys in solitary compares his time in solitary to being on a desert island ala Tom Hanks in "Castaway."  With your extremely limited social interaction, you feel like finding a volleyball to talk to just so you can have some conversation...(ala Wilson from Castaway)  I think that is kind of sad...that one must resort to having conversations with inanimate objects just to have a semblance of human interaction.  Is it any wonder that mental illness is usually the end result of extended stays in solitary?

What type of help is available to these inmates once they are removed from solitary? what does one do to help them get their bearings again? what types of psychological services are available to help them with emulating the correct appropriate behavior? I think this country needs to re-examine its relationship with solitary confinement.  I think the mental an emotional anguish of those programs is just way too high.

Friday, June 3, 2011

It's the little things that count

Lorne amuses me to no end.  He is such a funny guy and has a sweet, childlike quality about him at times.  Today I ordered a food package for him and his choices always amuse me.  Of course there are the usual things, turkey summer sausage, powdered milk, garlic powder...typical stuff.  However, he had his heart set on some candy.  Of course they were out of it (just like the last time too) but he wanted some of those Sugar Free sours like no tomorrow...and of course the whining that followed when I told him that they were out was cute.

From time to time, when I was a volunteer on the inside, it was a running joke during rituals that I always brought roasted garlic Triscuits and apple juice.  For four years the guys looked forward to those items.  Certainly I was just able to go into a store and buy them but I had no idea what a treat they were to the guys.  I always brought a lot more than I needed because it wasn't often that they guys got REAL apple juice and you can just forget ever seeing Triscuits inside.  They devoured the 3 boxes I usually brought and the gallon of apple juice went quickly as well.  I never worried about leftovers...NEVER!

It is at times like these that the deprivation our inmates experience is on a whole different level than what we experience out here.  If we don't have something we like, we just go to the store and buy it...if it is something we want but choose not to, then that is our choice.  Inmates aren't so luck.  They must rely on the commissary system within the state of NV for their needs and the quarterly food packages to add a bit of variety to their diets. 

I hope the next quarter they have those sour candies...I think it would be awesome if Lorne was able to have some.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

When "I love you" isn't enough

Last night I got a phone call from Lorne and to say that he was at an emotional low would be an understatement.  His cellmate got all of his things "rolled up" (prison slang for taking an inventory of an inmates possessions before they are moved to another facility) because he was heading off to one of the camps around NV to finish his last three years.  "Everyone is going home...why can't I come home?...this place sucks and I am so tired of being here."  All I could say was "I know baby...I know" The reality is, I don't know.  I know what it is like to be separated from people you love but I can go visit them whenever I want.  I have the freedom to move from place to place if need be.  What do you say to someone who feels such a victim of an exceptionally long sentence with no seeming recourse? where are his paroles? where do you draw the line between "justice" and "revenge"?

It occurred to me that being in a relationship with me has to be emotionally difficult for him.  I am outside with access to all the things that Lorne loves, especially technology.  I am the small bit of "normal" he has access to and that has got to be painful for him.  I remind him of all the things that he is missing out on and a subtle reminder that the world is passing him by, that every day that goes by is another day locked inside a world that he does not want to be a part of any longer.

I told him I loved him but I don't think that was enough.  What do you say when someone tells you "I should have let them beat the hell out of me, if they had, I wouldn't be here"?  Am I supposed to say "yes dear, you should have let those guys beat you"? It feels like no matter what I say in response, it will never be the right thing or the understanding words that he needs to hear to feel better.

All I can think to tell him is "I love you baby" and listen as he responds, "I love you too".  But I know deep in my heart that it's not enough...its just not enough. 

Monday, May 30, 2011

Ya gotta have faith....

As a bit of background, I spent four years working with the earth based religious groups at Lovelock Correctional Center.  I did this from 2004 till 2008 when I left Nevada entirely.  As an outside facilitator I had a little more leeway in providing for the religious needs of my students than the facility chaplain.  (Whose name at Lovelock at the time I was there was Richard Garcia, a very kind and spiritual man.  I really liked him as he was extremely respectful of all the different religions he had to assist)  Being a facility chaplain can't have been easy since you are charged with meeting the needs of all inmates not just the group you may be affiliated with.  Outside sponsors like myself served a vital role in bridging gaps for certain groups.  Even though most of my work was with the Wiccans, from time to time I did interface with the Druid group and the Asatru group.

It was through my volunteer work at Lovelock that I met Lorne.  He had a bit of trouble getting to class for the first couple of months since he was in a different yard but he finally managed to get transferred to the other side and was able to attend classes with about 12 others.  Wicca, as a practice on the inside, gets its share of "posers" people who attend these types of classes because they think they can get different "stuff" for their religious practices than everyone else.  Needless to say, I had a few of them...however, Lorne was one of three exceptional students.  He had quite a bit of knowledge when I met him and he was very hungry for more.  He was also very sincere in his desire to learn more about his path.  He felt that it would really help him gain insight as to some of his attitudes towards women.  I was able to spend about a year with Lorne before he was transferred to Nevada State Prison and I was no longer able to contact him since I was still working on the inside.  As a teacher, I was crushed...I was losing one of my best students and while I knew he would carry on in his studies without me, it left me very empty inside.

Being a pagan in prison is not easy.  You can forget about using any tools since most have been deemed "a threat to the safety and security of the institution".  Using herbs or even growing things are for the most part, forbidden as well.  Grounds where groups practice usually have to be shared with other groups. (something the Odinists/Asatrus really hate doing)  Rituals must be done during daylight hours only since once the sun goes down, all inmates are confined to their houses/pods/tiers.  Food has to be provided by the prison if there is to be food there at all and IF clearance is obtained in advance and IF it is one of the holidays they will provide for and IF the correctional officers remember to pick it up from the chow hall...most of the time practitioners of the group just donate small amounts of food from thheir personal stuffs for their rituals...a small box of crackers here, a bunch of drink mixes, cookies, etc.

As a facilitator, it was wonderful to watch all my students grow in their faith and craft.  It was amazing watching Lorne grow in the one year that he studied with me, he was so hungry for knowledge.  When we re-connected I was very pleased to see that he continued on in his studies and that he had grown so much as an individual and as a leader at NSP.  He takes his faith very seriously and for that I am really glad.  He's a much better partner since he took the time to learn about himself and about women...giving them an equal voice, seeing them as a partner not just as an appendage.  If you ever have the opportunity to ask him about women, you should...the answers will be startling.

Yes, I am very happy that I am the recipient of all that he has learned and happier still that this is yet another items that binds us together.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

"That which we call a rose, By any other name, would smell as sweet."

I love roses.  I think they are some of the most beautiful flowers in the world.  I have a special fondness for heritage roses...those rose strains that have not been bred with others to change specific traits about them. 

Last year, after Lorne and I became a couple, he acquired a small rose plant and planted it out on the grounds he uses for his religious practices.  It was a tiny sliver of a plant and he was VERY concerned that it would not make it through the winter.  He planted it about May of last year and nurtured it so that it would have solid root growth for the winter.  H watered it, kept it mulched and gave it regular fertilizer.  He reports on the progress of "my rose" weekly and , according to him, it is doing quite well.

I think that our relationship is a lot like that little rose plant.  It started off with a tiny sliver and we have both worked really hard to keep it not only alive, but to keep it growing too.  We know that we have to work very hard to keep the lines of communication open.  Something that is not easily done when you have 2,000 miles separating you and visits are twice a year.  The "fertilizer" of our relationship is that we tell each  other the truth...even when it is painful for us to tell (or hear) because we know that without the ability to be so open and honest with each other, we run the risk of other things coming between us.

Yup...I love roses...not only are they some of the most beautiful plants, but they can be some of the most hardiest as well.

Friday, May 27, 2011

The View From Inside...Lorne's Voice Pt. 1

NOTE: From time to time Lorne will be sending me his perspective on life inside.  Trust me when I say, inmates don't think like the rest of us...it truly is a whole other world inside.  The following note is a letter that Lorne asked me to post for followers to read.


Tuesday May, 17, 2011
Sitting in the office at work this morning (I am the gymnasium clerk), another gym worker and I were discussing some of the other inmates whom we've known and who've been sent to the hole.  As a result of this conversation, it occurred to me that the possible impending closure of Nevada State Prison (NSP) is creating yet another advantage for those inmates who get into trouble over those of us who do our best to stay disciplinary-free.

Because of the director's zeal to shut down as much of NSP as possible, NSP has no unit which is designated as the hole.  Inmates who get sent to the hole as a result of disciplinary sanction, being put under investigations, or whatever other reason are held in a temporary holding cell on the bottom floor of the worker's unit until they're absolved of whatever wrongdoing of which they've been accused and let back out into the yard or until they're shipped off the yard.  Those who are shipped off the yard go to Warm Springs Correctional Center (WSCC) Northern Nevada Correctional Center (NNCC) or Ely State Prison (ESP), this last if they've done something really horrible and I use that phrase loosely.

The irony of this is that with the exception of ESP, which is Nevada's primary maximum security establishment, most inmates, me included, feel that WSCC and NNCC are far preferable destinations than the one to which the vast majority, if not the entirety, of NSP inmates are slated to go to if NSP does indeed close, that is to say High Desert State Prison (HDSP), where they have major problems with both water and power.  It is my understanding that you can only flush the cell toilets every so often like once an hour, and that surge protectors are not allowed so that you can only have two appliances plugged in at a time.  Furthermore, HDSP has very little, if any, movement, so suffice it to say that doing time at HDSP or anywhere down south right now for that matter just sucks.  To add insult to injury, I would be losing my job so that will trim a few meager bucks off my monthly income but more importantly, will cost me work time credits, making my expiration date for this sentence further back.

Meanwhile, these other inmates who got shipped to WSCC and NNCC did a couple of weeks to a month in the hole and are now walking those respective yards.  They may have even acquired other jobs by now.  it makes me feel as if I should go to the hole for something serious, but not serious enough to go to ESP, just so that I can stay up north and get to a yard where there's plenty of movement and some semblance of normality.  It seem preferable to a trip to HDSP, which is my punishment for holding down a job and staying disciplinary free.  Obviously, the lesson to be learned here is that there is no regard for doing the right thing, following the rules and being an upstanding, model inmate.  And people wonder about why Nevada has such a high recidivism rate.

Just chalk it up to their great incentives for good behavior.

**For those unfamiliar with the term "the hole", it is where inmates who can't follow the rules are placed until a decision has been made about what to do with them.  Most facilities have a separate area for them, like a pod or wing.  Interaction with others as well as mail, phone and visiting and other privileges are very restricted.  This is not the case at NSP as Lorne notes in his letter.**

Friday, May 20, 2011

I read the news today....oh boy

When Lorne and I got together, I had told him that I didn't want to know the details of how he came to be incarcerated until I was able to tell him that I loved him.  The day that I told him, he sat down to write out the story of how he came to be in prison.  He gave me all the details I needed.  It was hard to believe that Lorne, my kind, gentle, Lorne killed a man.  Lorne remembers very little of that night.  I think that is a combination of the brutal beating he sustained (that culminated in him having his jaw wired shut for six weeks) and the emotional trauma of being viciously attacked like he was. 
As our relationship develops and unfolds, he sends me things.  One of the things that I asked him to send me was any legal paperwork he has for the blog.  Today I received the first packet of legal paperwork.  The first and largest chunk was the transcripts form his sentencing hearing.  This was probably the most painful of the documents to read since it included victim impact statements from the family members of the man who Lorne killed as well as his other victim, the one of whom he assaulted.  Certainly these are gut wrenching statements from family members who are mourning the loss of their loved ones.  However, the story that the prosecutor presented at sentencing was that Lorne was a vicious killing machine, hell bent of taking the life of someone that night.  It was difficult for me to see Lorne being portrayed that way.  That could not possibly be MY Lorne they were talking about.  Attached to that was some of the support letters for Lorne..all of them portrayed Lorne as I know him to be.  Hardworking, intelligent and someone who is devoted and faithful to his friends and family.  So Lorne's conviction stands as thus...Count 1 Voluntary Manslaughter 120 months; 24 mos. minimum before he can be eligible for parole.  Another 120 month term to be served consecutively as a use of a deadly weapons enhancement.  Count II Attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon, 240 months; 48 month minimum before he can be parole eligible...another 240 months for the weapons enhancement; 48 month minimum before he can be eligible for parole.  Count II runs consecutive to Count I.  30 years total before Lorne will see the light of day.  30 years because he had the gall to fight back after he was brutally beaten by 3 people who were drunk and high.  The prosecutors portrayed them as people just hanging out having a good time...the coroners report paints a very different picture, but that is for another blog posting. 

Sunday, May 15, 2011

"Human Livestock"

Last night as Lorne and I were discussing his options (ok, he talked, I just listened) regarding the soon to happen closure of Nevada State Prison.  He was expressing the frustration he felt at being at the mercy of the prison systems with regard to where he could go.  Lorne, unlike so many, does have some options open to him.  He has enough "yard points" (I think that is what he called them) where he can be classified as a minimum security (he is in a medium facility at the moment) and can request transfer to one of the camps (not likely due to medical issues) or other "Lorne preferred" facility.  He has no enemies to speak of, no gang affiliations, etc. that would limit his ability to make those requests or change his custody level. 
However it was a comment that he made regarding himself that really bothered me...he referred to himself as "human livestock".  He was right of course...like any other form of livestock, they have no say in where they are sent.  They are put in a bus, usually within hours of being notified they are being moved, and sent on down the road.  NSP inmates know that they will be moved...its all over the papers by now that it is closing within the next 12 months.  Most of them also have a good idea of where they will be going...High Desert State Prison.  It is unlikely that the inmates will know exactly which facility they are being sent to until they are given their paperwork and told to get on the bus.  Most facilities do this as a security precaution, and I can see their point.  I'm also sure that many inmates will be putting in transfers to those facilities that they deem to be more suitable to their personal tastes and NSP will have to work through that mess of applications too. 
But the term livestock truly bothered me...made me cry even.  These inmates, even if they are scum of the earth, are people that should be treated with at least a minimal amount of human dignity.  How sad is it that this is how inmates view themselves? as livestock, having no mind or will of their own, to be unable to control even the smallest part of their destiny.  Lorne isn't livestock to me...he is a very real, living, breathing human being with thoughts, feelings and a heart that beats just like mine does.  He has the ability to vocalize his pain, his feelings in such a way that any other human can understand them. 
To me he is Lorne...my heart, not a piece of livestock.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

The closure of Nevada State Prison

You can read the latest about the closure of Nevada State Prison here. Certainly this means a change of address for all the inmates there, including Lorne.  Many people think that prisons are located near towns and other services.  However, in the state of Nevada, that is not the case.  With the closure of NSP, about 500 inmates will be shipped south to High Desert, another 200 or so will be shipped to other prisons within the state of NV.  In case you don't know where High Desert is, it is about an hour outside Las Vegas.  In the middle of nowhere...literally.  There are a host of problems with this facility, lack of water being the biggest issue with this place.  Water is already rationed there so I can't imagine the situation will be improved with the addition of 500 additional inmates.  NV is a very mineral rich state...for that reason even drinking water has to be brought in due to high amounts of naturally occurring arsenic in the local water supply.  You can find an article form the CDC regarding the cancer cluster in Fallon, NV here. Same state, just in the northern section.  Did I mention that southern Nevada is known for above ground atomic bomb testing back in the 1950's? See a map here.  Yes, let's put a prison in the midst of a known fallout area for radiation.  Genius!! Let's give the inmates leukemia and allow them to die slow painful deaths due to poor medial treatment. 
     For whatever reason, the state feels that closing NSP will close some of their budget shortfalls...I, and many others, are not convinced of that.  But let me tell you what this closure means the for inmate's families.  At NSP, for visiting, we were spoiled.  I had the chance to spend 3 days with Lorne, 8:00am to 2:30pm.  I didn't need an appointment, I wasn't restricted to how long I could be there or how many days I could show up.  At High Desert, you are assigned a specific day depending upon which unit your inmate is assigned to.  Let's hope that if you work during the week, that your loved on gets assigned to a unit that gets a weekend date.  Transportation out there can be difficult as well.  There is a bus service that runs out there from Vegas but what if you live out of state or can't afford the bus company's price? There are many families of inmates who struggle with finances and for those who have family in the Carson City/Reno/Sparks area, I can see this going two different ways...visiting becomes such a financial burden that they can no longer afford to go...OR the distance for people to travel is so unwieldy that people don't see the point in driving for 7-8 hours for a 3 hour visit, especially since they will do the driving the day before, stay in a hotel in Vegas, visit the following day and then drive home. 
There are many, many problems at High Desert...I can't tell you how many times it has been on lockdown in the past year for fights of some kind. Phone service is spotty as well with few local numbers being assigned to that area since the only place in town is the prison.  (Indian Springs has a population of 1,302 people per the 2000 census count)
I also feel sorry for the correctional officers who worked at NSP.  Many of them are lifelong residents of the Carson City area.  Certainly the legislators didn't think about the staff when they made this decision either.  While the current director states that there are jobs for those who want one in any of the other facilities, I am thinking that very few will take him up on that offer since all the facilities that they will be placed at are located in VERY rural areas where drives of an hour or more to get groceries are common place.
There is a whole lot of nothing where these facilities are located and it will be fun to see just how many officers make the move.  I suspect, very few. 

Friday, May 13, 2011

The road to normalcy.

     Is there such a thing for an inmate? I think it is merely a point of view.  I'm thankful that Lorne's parent provide financial support to him in the form of a monthly allowance.  Not many inmates are so lucky.  A contribution from Lorne's parents have allowed me to open up a bank account for Lorne.  When he called this evening and I told him all was set up and he was now an account holder, I honestly thought that he was going to cry.  I've never seen anyone so moved by a bank account! But of course, when you have nothing, no access to these types of things, I can see where one could get excited about it.
     He recently tried getting his credit report...to which I pointed out that after having been in prison for the past 12 years that he wouldn't have much of a credit history.  All three credit reporting agencies wanted extra information to confirm that he was indeed Lorne Richardson.  Even providing this is proving to be a struggle since the caseworker assigned to his unit does not understand why Lorne would want a credit report to begin with  and dragged her feet until the day she retired, leaving the facility with a host of unanswered requests from Lorne and others. (side note...why do they call them "caseworkers" when they do so little?) He has no government issued ID to share and when you are taken into custody at a prison, all documents that show who you are, are taken from you.  Hence, one companies request for a copy of his social security card can't be accommodated since Lorne is no longer in possession of said document.
    When I moved to PA, I took my drivers license down to the local bank and quickly and easily opened up an account.  It seems to me that instead of offering inmates assistance in getting back on track, we do nothing more than put barriers in their way to that success. 

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

And so it begins...

     When I entered into this relationship with Lorne, I knew what I was getting into...I knew that Lorne was a convicted felon, I knew exactly what he was in for.  Lorne has been nothing but upfront and open with everything.  Every question I asked, he answered.  I knew it pained him greatly to be so open and honest.  He risked me walking away if he wasn't, and he knew this.  I have always felt that anything can be faced as long as one knew all the details.  So for me, it was paramount that he give me all the details of how he ended up being incarcerated. 
     According to Lorne, for the most part, his case was done.  There were no more appeals to be had, higher courts had affirmed his conviction and there was nothing left to be done but to work towards either a parole or a sentence modification through the pardons board.  The most recent venture was to work towards a sentence modification through the pardons board.  Not an easy thing to do.  Lorne's mother wrote a letter, she also enlisted the help of other family friends to write letters as well.  I wrote a letter as well (which I will post on here as well) all in the hope of securing a release date for him.  When you read my letter (and the others) you will see what our plan was. 
      I try to visit him twice a year.  May and October are our dates because they follow our favorite holidays, Beltane and Samheim.  The most recent visit was May 7-9, 2011.  On May 6, Lorne received a lovely form letter from the pardons board that his case was not to be heard.  My first full day with Lorne was listening to him rant about the injustice of it all.  All I could do was listen.  The sad part about it all, he's right. 
     Now keep in mind, Lorne has NEVER said he didn't do the crime...he did and he accepts the fact that jail time was warranted.  Lorne isn't an inmate who proclaims his innocence (although given the circumstances as described by Lorne, it could be argued that his crime was in self-defense...more on that later) but he does rail against a system that keeps their criminals far beyond "justice" and moves into "revenge".
     My second ex-husband was a correctional officer for the state of NV.  He was very fond of saying that "NV likes to keep its inmates".  And that they do! One prison wife told me this weekend a statistic that was told to her..."67% of Nevada inmates who are eligible for parole, get it" However, what that figure does NOT tell you is that most of those are paroles to other sentences.  The inmates don't get out...they are still incarcerated.  The only thing is that they can now start working on their NEXT sentence. 
     I'm not quite sure what I hope to accomplish with this blog...all I know is that there are somethings that need to change and that the only way change can be initiated is for it to be shown the light of day. 
    I will be posting on here my journey through this system.  Some will be my thoughts, some will be cold hard facts and some of the postings will be from Lorne as well.  I will also be posting some of his legal documents on here as well so that you can see for yourself and make your own decisions if his incarcerations for the past 12 years has been "just" or if it is time for him to just come home.