Pubdate: Tue, 29 Sep 2015
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2015 The Detroit News
Contact:  http://www.detroitnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Author: Lenore Skenazy, creators.com

INMATES FREED FROM PRISON TO LEAD

We may not think of ourselves as a vindictive country, but consider 
this: To even get us back to the incarceration rate of 1972 - hardly 
ancient history - we would have to reduce the number of people in 
prison by 80 percent. That's how overboard we've gone when it comes 
to locking people up. Trying to dial us back from this 
hyper-incarceration is a group called JustLeadershipUSA. It teaches 
former prisoners how to open America's eyes to our jail addiction. 
The other night, I attended the graduation for 19 fellows who'd just 
finished the yearlong course in leadership. They'd been chosen from 
117 applicants nationwide on the basis of the good they'd been doing 
since they got out of prison.

Ronald Simpson-Bey spent a huge chunk of his life, 27 years, locked 
up in a Michigan cell until his sentence was reversed for 
"prosecutorial misconduct" - including the use of inadmissible 
evidence and false testimony against him.

Once released, he started a letter writing campaign to other 
long-term prisoners so that if and when they ever get out, they can 
adjust a little better. But even on the inside, Simpson-Bey had 
already become a leader. He raised $5,000 for the Special Olympics. 
He studied law and helped other prisoners with their appeals. And 
every year, he held a Kwanzaa ceremony, where he'd give a copy of the 
book that changed his life - "Visions for Black Men," by Na'im Akbar 
- - to the youngest prisoner present.

Many of those young men are still in touch with him, as are eight 
prisoners he helped get out - all on mistrials. But when I asked him 
what the best thing he ever did was, those weren't it.

The best thing began on Father's Day in 2001. Simpson-Bey's only son, 
Ronald Jr., 21, called the prison that morning to say he was coming 
by to celebrate. The day got later and later. No son. At last, 
Simpson-Bey was called to the phone. Ronald Jr. had been shot. He was dead.

The murderer was a boy of 14. Ronald Sr. knew exactly what would 
happen to him if he were to be tried as an adult and found guilty of 
premeditated murder. Life in prison without parole.

 From his cell, he begged for the boy to be tried as a juvenile.

The young man served seven years and is now out - and still in touch 
with Simpson-Bey.

It's no surprise Simpson-Bey was chosen for the JustLeadership 
program, because the organization believes that decadeslong 
sentences, "three strikes" and the war on drugs are all squandering 
the human potential of entire generations.
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