July 2015
There is no easy walk to
freedom anywhere, and
many of us will have to
pass through the valley
of the shadow of death
again and again before
we reach the
mountaintop of our
desires.
-Nelson Mandela
Who Is Not “Struggling”
After being incarcerated for a very long period. I was allowed to live in an Oxford House. An
Oxford House is for recovering drug addicts and alcoholics struggling to put their lives back
together.
During my two year stay I had the honor and
privilege of witnessing personal struggles and some
victories. I am writing this piece because during that
time I did not have the opportunity to take care of my
personal struggles as they related to living in prison
for a very long time.
I lived in an Oxford House for little more than two
years. I am now out on my own and realizing that my
struggles personally and mentally have not been
addressed or resolved.
I struggle with hate and resentment and I find myself
outsourcing my hate and resentment toward other
people. This is not healthy for the other people and it
is certainly not healthy for me. As I began to realize this problem, it started me to think about
people just like myself who struggles mentally and personally. I have come to realize that we
are all alike in one way or the other.
The question then becomes how do we face and resolve our struggles? I imagine that there is no
real pat answer to this question but there are solutions available. The first thing would be trust,
trust that you as an individual will not be consumed by what you struggle with; second, trust
someone other than yourself to discuss privilege and private information that may be at the
heart of your struggle. This has been extremely difficult for me because people are not what
we expect for them to be. However, we can never give up on seeking to “trust”.
Contn’d on Page 2.
Struggling, Contn’d
Keep in kind that you are not alone and that there
isn’t anyone who does not struggle one way or the
other personally and mentally. For me I am learning
how to truly forgive those who were responsible for
my long term incarceration and that is work in and
of itself.
We must also not be in fear of facing what we
struggle with because when we fear it, we refuse to
face it and this places us right back where we were
when we attempted to get started with resolving
what it is we may be struggling with.
In sum, I must state that persons living and surviving
in an Oxford House have been a stark reminder of
a certain kind of courage that I believe most of us
have. We just need to find a way to harness it and
use it in positive ways not just for ourselves but for
others as well.
Peace and Love,
Bernstein/Rein interns from as far away as Spain are working on
our new website and marketing materials.
New grant to update website!
The Kemper Family Foundation made a generous
donation to ROFW for the purpose of updating the
website (rofw.org).
Ronnie Rhodes, Alumni
Freedom is just another word for
nothing left to lose.
- Janis Joplin
Please pass along your ideas in order to better
enhance communications through our website.
Inside & Out
Like us on Facebook!
ROFW has a new Facebook page
(www.facebook.com/reachinmates)
For
those of you who receive this newsletter as
alumni, volunteers, or supporters, and who have
internet access, please visit our Facebook page and
click the button for "like it." By getting more "like it"
entries, our status gets elevated. If you have content
for our Facebook page please submit it to
rthompson67@kc.rr.com.
Published for the benefit of ROFW members by
Reaching Out From Within
P.0. Box 8527
Prairie Village, KS 66208
913-428-9770 www.rofw.org
Articles, comments and questions may be sent to the above address
or to: jasondmiles@att.net
2
Photograph © Nick Vedros 2015
Steps to Freedom
Today the doors that hold the guilty, and some of the innocent, swing open for me.
The feeling of a superior power has allowed me to take the lead.
There are many fears, as the doors swing closed behind me. Soon life’s challenges appear.
I feel the building of tears, deep from within. Depression, Frustration, and now Desperation begins to set in.
Its evil trying to work his way in. He wants to bring me down, pulling me, tempting me, every step of the way.
He has forgotten of your mighty ways, your powers are sound. You have been known to breathe life through
the dust of the ground. The time has come for me to go to my knees, so I may receive his guidance through my
pleas.
I can continue my walk, knowing I am part of his spiritual flock. Knowing now, if I were to stumble and fall,
I have the confidence to go to my knees, to make that precious call.
For there is but one, that has the power to safely guide us through it all.
-Jerry C.
Craven Correctional Facility, N. Carolina
3
Group Updates
Larned—Here at Larned West Unit Chapter of
ROFW, we had a discussion on “Grief and Loss.” This
discussion was overwhelming, and the emotions that
were shared were heart felt. The Webster’s Dictionary defines these two words as the following.
Grief – Deep sorrow.
Loss – A losing or damage as a result of losing
something.
However, “Grief and Loss,” also mean a deep
mental anguish or bereavement in the suffering, or
the loss of a loved one. Everyone handles grief and
loss in different ways, grief is not a disorder. Grief is
going to happen especially after the loss of a loved
one, but a person must grieve to not forget, but to
let out the pain and suffering. Yes, grief changes us
and pain sculpts us into someone who understands
more deeply and appreciates the feelings of the
person who may be grieving.
Sometimes in correctional facilities, we are always
told not to show too much grief because, as inmates
we could find ourselves being locked up in small segregation cell or on a suicide watch by ourselves.
However being inmates in a Correctional Facility, we
are causing are own grief to ourselves and to other
loved ones. When we are out breaking the law and
doing whatever we want, who are we really hurting?
We are not just hurting ourselves; we are hurting our
children, our wives or girlfriends, and our families by
the action of our choices.
When families lose someone, if they don’t grieve the
loss of the loved one, it can tear families apart. You
have to release the pain, that was caused by the loss
of that person. When you keep the pain, the hurt,
and the anger locked up inside, the only thing that
you are doing is hurting yourself and other family
members. You can tell stories or talk about the loss to
other people or family members, which can release
the hurt and pain. Plus it helps with the healing process. Grief is a slow process of healing, but over
time the hurt will heal, and pain will stop, but the
love you have for that person will never end.
Oswego-We here at Oswego Correctional Facility
have held our annual elections and the new board is
now established and functioning. The new board
members are:
President Ramon Noriega; Vice President Steven
Smith; Secretary Antonio Smith; Treasurer Billy Derrett; Vincent Cunningham Bey; Newsletter Roy Humpphrey.
We are blessed that we have members that are
willing to take on positions of leadership within our
group.
We, through our Blue Book, have a tool that is
dedicated to searching ourselves to discover those
pressure points within us that can lead to violence. Yet
our group has taken on the responsibility to address
some of the needs of our population. We are checking out the possibility of starting a garden so we may
have access to fresh vegetables. Hopefully the administration will let us proceed.
We continue to seek community leaders to come into
the facility to speak to our group, so that we can
establish a relationship with them so they can become
aware of the positive effects that ROFW group has
on each member as well as the our work in the
community. We shall keep reaching out from within..
-R. Humphrey, Newsletter Editor
Topeka Women’s Facility-May was a very short yet
productive month for us. We continued working in the
conflict chapter, which provoked lots and lots of
healthy discussions.
But our most exciting news for the month was that we
finally have staff sponsors. Not just one, but
two! Christine Brooks and Della Gamino. We are so
happy to have such an amazing pair on our team and
we are looking forward to accomplishing great things
together!
-Kira M., Bo, and Deb B.
4
Group Updates
LCF Minimum-Greetings to one and all. I hope you
are well. Remember, no matter where you are at in
your journey to realize the various levels of humanity,
even if you are just beginning, there are many who
walk the same path with you.
A couple of months back we had Mr. Antonio Booker, a
head administrator from Johnson County Work Release, present his personal story and the efforts of his
program. With him was Ms. Amy Rozell, a case worker,
who presented the criteria of their work release program and the objectives a potential resident should
keep in mind if considering that to be a possibility for
themselves. It was available for a few, but very encouraging to many.
The experience gave everyone a lot more clarity since
they are actively seeking to expand the program.
ROFW members were able to be in the front seat
again as at that time KDOC administrators hadn't yet
adjusted to the latest changes in criteria for acceptance
into the program. As many of us who are incarcerated
know, things change when you hear it directly from the
source and get and opportunity to have your questions
answered. It reminds me how having clear lines of communication with administrators and their staff can
breed positive experience, better relations, and create
more opportunities for all those involved.
We have been maintaining our commitment to the
Evening Reporting Center (ERC) of Johnson County
Court Services. The ERC helps at-risk youth and we
speak there twice a month. This allows us to establish a
positive rapport with the juveniles in the program. We
encourage them to make good decisions. Being a member of the Speakers Bureau myself, it's awesome to
think my screw-ups and bad decisions could help someone else.
We began a new tradition at LCF Minimum in the last
week of May dubbed "Victory Day," a day to
celebrate our group achievements and the hard work
and personal sacrifices of the board members.
More recently we've had a facilitation on addiction from the Blue Book. We also completed a
two-meeting facilitation on anger.
Looking forward, we are preparing for our annual Summer Summit with skits and multiple speakers. We are also setting the wheels in motion for
our annual Bike-a-thon and the associated food
drive, with all donations going to Harvesters.
As you see, we're keeping that ferocious focus.
May you have equal success in your endeavors.
Until next time, keep thinking and feeling positive.
—Barry S., Newsletter Editor
Norton Medium-Greetings from the Norton
Medium ROFW Group. The first half of 2015 has
been excellent for us. We have added some really enthusiastic members to our group and we’re
spreading the word around camp about our
callout.
On June 2nd, we held our first Open House in a
long time and we had a glorious 84 men attend.
Chairman Fust did a superb job as the main facilitator and shared the talk with our Treasurer Mr.
Warren. Several Board members stepped up with
speeches and attendees were treated to chocolate
chip cookies, kool aid, and coffee at the night’s
conclusion.
I visited with several guests who expressed a
desire to learn more about our organization and
several others who committed to attending our next
meeting.
All and all it was a tremendous success and it
appears that the second half of the year will be
better than the first.
Thank you to all those that helped and until next
quarter, be prosperous.
—David Mc
5
Group Updates
Topeka Medium-Maximum-The Med-Max
ROFW group at the Topeka Correctional Facility
has been in a state of flux recently as more than
half of our members have been ‘rolled’ to Minimum. That’s a good thing but still it can be a little
disruptive.
The big news since the last ROFW newsletter is that
on April 7th, the group hosted a forum: “Why
Some Women Stay in Abusive Relationship and
What They Would Like Police to Know About Those
Relationships.” We had about 40 people attend.
Most were KU students or were taking part in a
training program put on by the Kansas Coalition
Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. A representative of the Topeka Police Department also
attended. It was a huge success. Three ROFW
shared their icebreakers and presided over a lively question/answer session.
Initially, we’d invited members of the ROFW governing board (and some other friends), but they
couldn’t come due to irreversible scheduling conflicts. So at SuEllen Fried’s insistence, we held a
second forum in May. It too was a huge success.
Since then, we’ve been approached about putting
on a third forum for victim’s advocates in late July.
We are expecting several new members within the
next week or two. In the meantime, Ms. James was
elected president. She succeeds Ms. Sweat and
Ms. Voorhees, both of whom were ‘rolled’ one
week after the other.
Photograph © Nick Vedros 2015
Hutchinson-South—Greetings from ROFW HCF South! We have had a great year so far and it keeps
getting better. Game nights with table top nachos!
Counseling sessions for members who need advice and
opinions from the group. Blue Book grow discussions
with a different facilitator every week that always
ends on a positive note!
We have a great group of men here and it’s all but
impossible to leave one of our meetings in a bad
mood. Everyone contributes something positive every
week—and that’s what it’s all about! Staying positive
while surrounded by negativity. Keeping your head
and your spirits high while the pressures and stress of
incarceration want to push us down into the depths of
despair.
Stay positive, my friends, and you will find it is contagious and that we can make a difference in other
people’s lives…and most importantly, in our own!
We all have two goals in common: (1) Freedom, and
(2) Staying Free.
-Dave Ranney, Volunteer
PRISON IS A PLACE...where you grow up and are raised
by thieves, where a caged spirit becomes free.
Stay positive, and live positive.
— David K.
–Blue Book, Chapter 5
6
IN THE PRESENCE OF LIONS
By Lynn Hinkle, Executive Director
I spent the last day of my vacation in May in a South
African prison.
At the invitation of an organization working on
Restorative Justice, I attended Family Reconciliation Day
at Voorberg Correctional Facility about 90 miles
outside of Cape Town. There were 36 inmates
participating, and more than 80 family members
showed up on this rainy Saturday to face their son,
grandson, brother, uncle or father and ask them to
answer honestly any question the family asked. This was
after a week of intensive work on their issues with social
workers and volunteers from Hope Prison Ministries,
which was founded by a former inmate and his wife,
Jonathan and Jenny Clayton.
Jonathan called up the first inmate, Russell, and his son
Darren, 18, stood in front of his father. He said, “You
were not there when I went to school on the first day, or
when I finished school. The positive thing is that I looked
at your life and decided to make positive choices in my
life. I am aware that you took interest in me from
prison, and asked about my grades. I graduated.” At
this point, there was a standing ovation. The
grandparents who had raised this articulate and authentic young man were recognized. Then he said: “I am
proud to be your son. I cannot look at you just as your
one mistake. I salute you, sir.” There was not a dry eye
in the house, including amongst the guards (about 4 or
5 during the process were observing and seemed genuinely moved).
Russell then spoke. He said he has been incarcerated
for 17 years. “I was feared back then. Every day for
17 years, I think about my choice.”
His grandmother apologized for not being there for
him. She asked him, “How long is your sentence?” In
South Africa, unless a family member was present when
sentence was pronounced, they have no way of
knowing. During this day, there were a number of very
dramatic and sad revelations of long sentences.
Russell said his sentence was Life (which in South Africa is 25
years), plus 33 years. His grandmother said of her first
grandchild, “You were so sweet and attentive, bringing me
tea and wishing me a good morning. Now, will you even be
able to be at my funeral?"
Darren, the son, then closed the Family Reconciliation session
with poise by saying, “Be the change you want to see,
because life is not going to change FOR you.”
There were dozens of intense and unique stories revealed in
front of the group that day, reminding me of the power of
community. In the same way that Reaching Out From Within
groups support each other, these inmates and the volunteers
worked together to deal with very tough situations, accept
responsibility and experience forgiveness.
On my vacation, I had the chance to walk about a mile
across the tundra with two grown lions. While I felt
courageous for doing so, it was nothing compared to the
courage of the men and their families in that rural South
African prison. As the world’s most famous prisoner turned
president, Nelson Mandela, said about his 27 years in
prison: “The cell is an ideal place to know yourself. People
tend to measure themselves by external accomplishments,
but jail allows a person to focus on internal ones, such as
honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, generosity, and an
absence of variety. You learn to look at yourself.”
At the Faces of Innocence dinner in Kansas City, from left are ROFW board members Janet Payne and Phyllis Stevens, alumni
member Ronnie Rhodes, executive director Lynn Hinkle, and co-founder SuEllen Fried.
Letter from SuEllen Fried
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Our theme this issue is Freedom in honor of the 4th of
July celebration this month. Freedom is a profound
word for all of our ROFW members but it is a profound word for our Volunteers, as well. We attend
meetings at our respective prisons - not because of
any obligation but because we have the privilege to
choose how and where we spend our time.
There are so many special reasons why we eagerly
cherish the freedom we have to be in your presence.
For me it is because of what I learn from you about
being "raw, real and relevant." I continue to discover
how to be more honest with myself, to be more open
and embracing of others' feelings and thoughts, and
to become non-judgmental of people who have accepted responsibility for past choices and are committed to their transformation.
I treasure the precious conversations and the wisdom
that emerges. The following is a list of names of people who have are currently Volunteer Sponsors and
some who have been devoted Volunteers in the past.
If I have missed someone, please forgive me. It is unintentional and I will look forward to hearing from
you.
From North Carolina: Larry Sarratt, Charles Davis,
Robert Levine, Mitch Crain and James Dunham.
From Kansas: Russ Thompson, Sam Jones, John Newman, Jason Miles, Marti Resch, Brian Lee, Greg Winship, Mary Batson, Danielle Landrum, Daniel
Dermitzel, Helen Nelson, Lew Goetz, Janet Weiblen,
Richard Sack, Dave Ranney, Joan Schultz, Deva
Buhrle, Nicole Fox, Sky Westerlund, Maralee Thompson, Joe Gallagher, Betty Barker Bashaw, Judy Beiriger, Amanda Newell, Paul Posch, Crystal Mason,
Mike McGurk, Lana Hopkins, Roger Regehr, Mary
Lee Wilkening, and Mike Warford.
In the last issue, I requested reports from ROFW
groups to discuss the topic of Grief and Loss. One
group, from Larned West, sent in a marvelous summary of a discussion that was "overwhelming and
emotions were heartfelt." Many thanks for the response from our LCMHF group!
—SuEllen
Jason Miles in the Buck O’Neil seat at the Royals game Sunday, July 5th. Great
publicity for Reaching Out From Within, plus a Royals victory.
Letter from Jason Miles
When we are locked up we put a lot of emphasis on the freedom we do not have, the freedom we long for,
and all the things we can’t do that we want to do. The truth is that we still have a lot of powerful freedoms at
our disposal. The freedom to make choices, the freedom to get involved in Reaching Out From Within, and the
freedom to be kind.
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
-Dr. Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and author of “Man’s Search for Meaning"
-Jason D. Miles, Board President
New Ideas From Within
Edward L. from Lansing Correctional Facility writes: “I have an idea or challenge for the decision makers in
Washington or any area of the criminal justice reform community. Get to know the people and the environment
you want to change. I would like to see a project that allows policy makers to walk one 24-hour day with an
inmate. Walk a mile in our shoes. Sam Brownback has come inside Kansas prisons and spent a day to support
the Brothers in Blue program. So why not a similar thing sponsored by Reaching Out From Within?”
Topeka Maximum held a forum for policy makers and others in May, with three ROFW members who were
victims of Domestic Violence addressing the issue: “Why women stay with their abusers.” There was a representative of the legislature in attendance, as well as someone from the Topeka Police Department. Volunteer
Dave Ranney helped the women prepare a 3-minute overview of each of their stories, and then the panelists
as well as other ROFW members were available to address questions. We have heard from the police representative that it was so informative, they want to find ways to use the information in their future training of police officers about how to respond effectively in domestic violence situations. Co-founder SuEllen Fried and
ROFW board members and supporters attended a repeat performance a few weeks later. It was a profound
and enlightening experience for all in attendance.
9