Jose “Hamza” Saldana is 63 years old and has been in prison since 1988. In this clip, he discusses how his incarceration impacted his daughters. Hamza will appear in front of the NYS parole board this September.
Stanley Jamel Bellamy, talks about his desire to experience the internet. Jamel is 51 years old and will not become eligible for parole until 2047. He has been incarcerated since 1985.
“Has incarceration helped you in any way? Has it changed your view of people and society? Has it changed your moral view? How does it prepare you for work on reentry?”
Being in prison has allowed me to step back and examine my life and the choices I’ve made. Being recruited into the Resurrection Study Group and the National Trust for the Development of African American Men helped me to view people and society differently where, before, there was a disconnect, a feeling of being on the outside looking in and now I have a sense of community, a sense of ownership where I view myself as a stakeholder in community affairs. Incarceration doesn’t prepare anyone for anything. The individual has to prepare him or herself for reentry; otherwise they are doomed to fail. (Stanley “Jamel” Bellamy)
Yes, incarceration has helped me become a man well equipped to speak to the youth that need a mentor to keep them on the right track and far away from locked down environments. It also helped me to buckle down and take my education seriously and look at life in a different view and it allowed me to see all the little things that I took for granted. I view people as gods creation. I view society as a privilege and a place that I would like to be. Being incarcerated has been a college to me because I took advantage of every inmate organization and programs that the prison system has to offer, which helps me have a better transition back into society. (Dwight R. DeLee)
In order for a unified prisoners’ movement in relation to race, sexuality and gender to be effective, obviously superficial differences must be put aside. Unification on a large scale can only happen if people come together based on what they have in common, namely their common goal and humanity. People have to respect each other as human beings first. Without this nothing else will be possible. (Joe Robinson)
“What’s the food like?” (Answered by *Thornwell “Malik” Richburg who currently lives at Groveland Correctional Facility in Sonyea, NY. *Thornwell is not a member of the Civic-Duty Initiative although he is a lifer committed to mentoring younger prisoners. CDI members at Sullivan Correctional Facility have confirmed that his account of the food applies to their facility as well.)
“How do you evolve as a human being?” (Answered by Bruce Bryant)
It means taking regular inventory of one’s life, and taking full responsibility for all of your thoughts, feelings and behavior - past, present and future. (Joe Robinson)
My life has been a process in many ways. Gradually with wisdom I have learned how to respect others’ points of view, even when they differ from mine. I have also developed a love for mankind when at one time in my life all I knew how to do was hate. I have undergone a transformation mentally, spiritually and physically. I have seen both sides of love and hate. And we as human beings must learn how to respect each others’ cultures, religions, etc. because in the end, only God will have the last say so. (Richard Seabrook)
“What is the most important thing you’ve learned about people while doing time? Could you have learned that outside of prison, or would it have been less apparent?”
The most important thing that I’ve learned about people while doing time is that most people lack a sense of purpose, a sense of what they were put on this earth to do. I could have possibly learned this outside of prison, but it would definitely have taken much longer to learn had I not come to prison. That’s just the truth. (Joe Robinson)
“Is it difficult to pay for phone calls and stationary to keep in touch with loved ones? How so?” Answered by Roland Roberts who specifically discusses the challenges of conjugal visits (edited by Sarah Kate Kramer).
Anyone without family support definitely has difficulty paying for phone calls and stationary to keep in touch with their loved ones. Someone not financially stable finds himself having to choose between buying something to wash up with or buying stamps or buying something to eat after 5pm (which is around the time that the last meal is served until 7:30am when they serve breakfast). This is a very serious problem in prison that leads to unnecessary breaks in family ties. (William Holmes)
“How can we help you mobilize for rights and justice within the prison?”
Since the issue of rights and fairness is an ongoing problem in the criminal justice system, there are a number of things people can do: (1) form or join a prison reform advocacy group; (2) educate your family and friends on criminal justice issues and that what goes on in the prison system impacts the broader society. Prisons should be viewed as an institution, no different than the education system, the health and mental health system, etc. These institutions were created to serve the people of the state, and therefore, people should look for a return on their tax dollar investment; (3) support the Safe Parole Act to ensure that community-ready individuals are being released from prison; (4) ask the governor to form a commission on Parole. (Stanley “Jamel” Bellamy)
You can help by forming coalitions and petitioning both your state representatives and Governor Cuomo about prison and parole reform. Only a well-coordinated and relentless campaign will be effective. (Joe Robinson)
Contact prison advocacy organizations and groups such as the Think Outside the Cell Foundation, etc. Be pro-active in supporting the Safe Parole Act, Commission on Parole, the Geriatric Bill, the End the Stigma Campaign, End Mass Incarceration Campaign, etc. (Jose Saldana)
“What are your 5 biggest worries when released?”
(1) Restoring the relationship with my youngest son; (2) confronting my victim’s family; (3) where I will live; (4) whether I will be able to find a job in the area of my expertise or if my writing will take off; (5) adapting to society as it is today as opposed to how I left it 28 years ago. (Stanley “Jamel” Bellamy)
(1) victim’s family retaliating; (2) my community shunning me away; (3) not being able to finish pursuing my college degree at SUNY Sullivan because they do not accept convicted felons; (4) going to stay in a shelter when released; and (5) not being able to travel on parole to present seminars, plays and presentations to the at risk youth all over N.Y. state and outside. (Dwight DeLee)
(1) finding someplace to live, and is it a place conducive to one’s rehabilitation; (2) finding employment, and will it pay enough; (3) finding a social circle that supports one’s new approach to life without criminal activity, and truly adjusting to such culture; (4) going back to prison for a technical violation; and (5) not being able to treat one’s significant other to common luxuries that are expected in a relationship. (William Holmes)
For me, my five biggest worries are: I will be assigned to a difficult parole officer; that I’ll be told by my parole officer that I can’t launch a business; that I won’t be allowed to visit my two youngest brothers, both of whom are incarcerated out of state; that I’ll be on parole supervision longer than 3 years; and that I won’t be able to travel out of state with my wife, and to give presentations. (Joe Robinson)
(1) Maintaining meaningful employment; (2) being discriminated as an ex-offender; (3) street gangs in my home community; (4) the drug epidemic in my home community; (5) being targeted by police. (Jose Saldana)
“I try to take all these stories and materialism out of these kids’ heads: ‘look, it’s not about glam, it’s not about glory, it’s not about the clothes. It’s bigger than that, you know what I’m saying? It’s about service and servicing your community.’” – Roland Roberts, Civic-Duty Initiative member who has served ten years of an 18 year sentence, discussing mentoring younger prisoners at Sullivan Correctional Facility.
“What neighborhood are you from? What is your favorite neighborhood?” Answered by William Holmes (edited by Jocelyn Gonzales).
“If money were put into education and children’s community centers, do you think that you and your family would use them? Would it make a difference?”
Resources and community centers would make a huge difference as long as concerned, quality staff were there running these institutions. They should have workshops that teach entrepreneurship, value-based cultural programs, alternatives to violence workshops, computer literacy programs, soft skills workshops, human relations workshops, etc. All of these courses are necessary for inner-city youth to navigate in mainstream society. (Bruce Bryan)
I believe so! However, if the programs or activities being offered do not truly assist in the development and upliftment of the people, it will not make a difference. (William Holmes)
Lack of education or inferior educational opportunities perpetuate the generational cycle of incarceration and perpetual poverty in our communities. Purposeful investment in our children’s education and after school social development programs would make an overwhelming difference. Education leads to empowerment of self and community. (Jose Saldana)
“What is the best/worst moment of the day?” Answered by Stanley “Jamel” Bellamy (edited by Jocelyn Gonzales)
THe best part of the day is being blessed to experience another day in this prison environment, by waking up healthy every morning. The worst moment of the day is not receiving any mail from your loved ones during mail call. That hurts when the Correctional Officer passes your cell. (Dwight R. DeLee)
The best moment of the day is when I get to interact with someone who genuinely lifts both of our hopes that things can get better. The worst moment of the day is when someone attempts to have me give up my hope. (William Holmes)
The best moment of the day for me is waking up early in the morning; knowing and feeling that I’ve been blessed to see yet another day, blessed with yet another opportunity to have a positive impact on the world. To grow as a human being. I don’t experience a worst moment of the day. (Joe Robinson)
I don’t measure my time in prison in terms of days. My time is measured in terms of years and decades. The worst years were early in my incarceration, when I spent a lot of time in the box. The best years were the last decade, when I was able to accomplish a lot more in terms of personal growth and development. (Jose Saldana)
For myself, the best moment of the day is when I wake up, because it means that one more day is counted towards me getting out of this hell hole and the worst is watching men getting mistreated by staff, along with not trying to change conditions that we have placed ourselves in. (Richard Seabrook).