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9/09
Message from Attorneys Habern, O'Neil and Pawgan |
October 2009 |
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December 2009 Digest | January 2010
December 2009
Digest
Scripture of the Month:
"God blesses those who
hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied."
St. Matthew 5:6 (nlt)
An article from Paul
Stuckle
"Defense of a False Child
Sexual Abuse Charge: The Grand Jury Phase"
Christmas 2009
Christmas
is a time for the special celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and
His Great Love for us; A time that should be spent with families and
friends enjoying the traditions of the Season.
Jean
Karlo spent Christmas 2007 with my family. Jean became a Fewell
that day. We had so much fun playing Rock Band. You
guys should have heard us! I sung lead on “Roxanne” and shocked
all the kids and probably shocked the neighbors as well. We were
loud. Jean was on probation during this time. I was just
beginning to witness the devastating effects of registration.
Jean, who was only 18 at the time, tried hard to abide by
the shackles of an RSO on probation. Christmas time is a time most
teenagers spend with their families, hanging out with friends, going to
movies, the mall, hanging out in the neighborhood with other kids,
Christmas shopping, etc. Jean's teenage years were over.
Then,
in February 2008 Jean was arrested on a motion to revoke and on July 30th, 2008 was sentenced to 3 years TDC.
This is the 2nd Christmas Jean
will spend incarcerated and there are hundreds maybe thousands more
just like Jean who will spend Christmas behind razor wire and armed
guards. Christmas hasn't been the same for me since Christmas 2007.
I can't begin to imagine Jean's Christmases now.
I
can't imagine changing places with Jean or any other RSO. I want
to send Christmas Cards to all the guys I know, but I don't want to
remind them it is Christmas because I know it must hurt.
Friday
I visited with an 18 year old RSO who is currently on probation.
He was 17 when he got into trouble over a girl, age 13. He
is struggling with everything required of him by probation and his
treatment provider. He is struggling with the treatment. I
was shocked to learn his treatment provider has placed another
restriction on her “offenders.” They are not to be shopping at any
department store during the Holiday Season. Thursday I visited
with a paroled RSO. The same treatment provider will not allow him
to buy Christmas presents for his grandchild; a grandchild he's never
seen. His treatment provider says he's not ready for
Chaperone. He served 14 years on a 20 year sentence and was paroled over
2 years ago. This past summer another one of our TX Voices
members spoke before one of the legislative committees. He talked
about how hard it was for him to be restricted from seeing his daughter
play the lead role as Rudolph in her school play. This TX Voices
member has been off probation for over 7 years. His “victim” is
his wife and the mother of his children. They love each other very
much. There are hundreds of guys like these who will be banned from
family gatherings and outings this Christmas, just as any other time of
the year, but it has to be much harder at CHRISTmas.
Over
the last month I have talked to several moms. Some moms have sons
just like Jean in the prison system. Some moms have children who
are incarcerated on false accusations. Some moms have children
serving 20 or more year sentences. Some moms have teenagers or
young adults sitting in county jails for having sex with other
teenagers. These kids are just waiting to be devoured by the
criminal justice wolves, and to be spit back out into society as a
leper.
It
is man's troubled laws that have created lepers among us. These
troubled laws are removing people from their homes and their way of
life, even at CHRISTmas. Because of the trouble laws, people are
being cast out from our cities just as the “unclean” were in Biblical
times. We can't legally incarcerate them, so we cast them
out away from us. It is beyond my understanding how anyone,
especially a believer can justify what is being done to RSO's.
Christ teachings are clear.
This
Christmas I will renew my Faith in God and trust that He will continue
to lead Texas Voices in the right direction. I Hope we will soon
see man's troubled laws being replaced by common sense laws.
I will pray that the Love of Christ will touch the hearts of
our lawmakers in the next coming session so that our loved ones will be
able to celebrate the Love of Christ with family and friends,
especially at Christmas.
"But
now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is
love." (1st Corinthians
13:13).
Merry
CHRISTmas All,
jan
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