Today is one of the last days of June and I thought I'd be more excited about the month of July coming. Richard was supposed to be home by July 25 but in an instant, everything changed.
Once Richard was transferred from Wasco State Prison to Sierra Conservation Center ( one prison hub to the next) I knew we were going to hit some more road bumps.
Richard had been improperly classified and transferred to S.C.C. due to the negligence of the counselor he had there. Once at S.C.C., he went through his actual proper classification and was denied entry into fire camp.
In January, when he was sentenced, we had our hopes up as the lawyer and the D.A. recommended Firecamp for him and the judge approved it. Meanwhile, the judge, lawyer, and D.A. must have known that his charges would not make him eligible for fire camp and yet they all agreed, and suggested it to the judge to get their deal set, passed, and set in stone. The system at it's best. No one on our "team" really cared about what was going to happen to Richard. They just wanted to get paid.
Fast forward to now, Richard is sitting in S.C.C. ready to be transferred to Lord knows where at this point. I am not even sure at this time if he will finish his sentence there or not. He is stuck in limbo and I feel pretty helpless.
We write daily to keep in touch with him but this also helps because I can keep track of his journey, and everything he participates in, and I can advocate for him.
He also completed his GED program at Wasco State Prison and participated in other programs encouraged by the correctional officers so he could get time off. Then he was told by a counselor at SCC that he had not got credit for any of the programs or classes he helped with. To me it sounded like the guards got Richard to deal with dangerous inmates, did their job, and got no recognition for it. I wrote to the Ombudsman about the issue and suddenly his diploma was found, credit for his GED was finally given, but we are still trying to fight for credit for the other programs he did. Apparently, he did not complete the time needed to complete the other programs and just helped for no reason. I know for a fact he participated in church, teaching other inmates math for time off, and was denied any of these credits.
We are constantly being told one thing, our expectations get set, are hopes rise, and then the switch up happens.
This morning I had a video visit scheduled from 8:30-9:30 am, I saw there waiting for Richard to be told after 9 am that due to "institutional needs" the video was canceled.
No matter how many times the outcome changes or things get messed up, I am so proud of Richard for being positive. Our love will never waiver, or change and our commitment only continues to grow.
I am so very excited about our family visit coming up in the next week. I miss my best friend so very much and I can not wait to hold Richard in my arms!
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