Inmate released. The giving out of my name is tied a little bit to the comment about guilt and accepting responsibility. I know what I did was wrong, I understand the who, what, where, and why. I am not going to argue the opinions of others about me.

I am doing an incredible amount of jail time and I hope to some day live out in the free world. If I lose that hope and believe that the entire world wants me to be a caged animal for the rest of my life, I would have nothing left to live for.

I am not trying to sound melodramatic, but I do believe there are people out there that would be willing to get to know me and who would not feel that any moment I would do horrible things to them. I have made a mistake, I have learned a lesson that will always be with me, and that is the way I see it. I have to have some glimmer of hope that I can find people who will accept me in the free world.

It is not your responsibility to provide any of that comfort beyond what you yourself are willing to commit to. In other words I do not expect you to argue with your family or friends about the future of my life.

I understand the post that Aaron the Atheist wrote about his pen-pal getting out soon and wanting to stay with him when he gets out. I would certainly tell him not to do it. Just like I would not expect you to offer me lodging upon my release. You do owe me an anchovy pizza though, at an undisclosed secure location.

The guy just getting out is going to be subject to supervised release. This is the same as parole, and his residence is subject to warrant-less searches. Would Aaron want the authorities coming to his home unannounced? I doubt it.

This is where I disagree with a lot of my fellow prisoners. You should have learned one thing in prison: material possessions are not what is important. You do not need a castle to live in or to sponge off someone else so you can buy all the stuff you were deprived of in prison.

The best way to help a recently released inmate is to continue to write and call him and offer emotional support. If you have contacts for housing, jobs, etc., that's great, but the recently-released prisoner must get his life together on his own.

Opening your home to a non-relative ex-inmate who you did not know before he went to prison is not good for the ex-inmate in my humble opinion.  ¶ 3:28 PM