My uncle spent nine years in a federal penitentary for a bank robbery spree that spanned three or four states. He was in his thirties at the time, and he’d done a similar thing at the age of 16, landing him in a juvenille work camp.
Now my uncle is over 50, and doesn’t seem to have any desire to go back to prison. He works at a respectable job, makes an honest living, and is a great father to his teenaged son. I think the thing that keeps him out of prison is a true desire to set a good example for his son. His son was a baby when he went to prison, and he grew up only visiting his dad behind glass. I think that was enough to straighten my uncle out. He’s grown into a very responsible, good man.
I haven’t been to jail, ever. I guess I was “arrested” once, but I don’t know if it really counts. It was for an enitrely stupid reason: dumping. I was 17, and my parents were too cheap to pay for garbage pickup :rolleyes: so they used to tell me to dump.
Yes, I was old enough to know better. Yes, I should not have done it.
Anyway, they went through the bag and there was some personal stuff in there, so they found me. The cop came to the house and took me to the station. He let me drive in my own car, for Og’s sakes! He wasn’t mean but he scared me enough at a young enough age that I would never want it to happen again. So I certainly wouldn’t commit any other crimes.
You’re not Arlo Guthrie, are you?
I did seven years hard time and the experience has scarred me for life. Each hellish moment has seared itself on to my memory, just thinking about it has brought me out into a cold sweat. The minutes seemed like hours, the hours like days, the days years, stretching on and on into …
Wait a minute. That was my first marriage.
Nope, never actually been in prison.
Not me, but my older brother has spent more time in prison than not. Mostly felony drug charges, robberies and at least one assualt charge and at least one felony evasion charge.