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Obama's Reach

Entrance to the Apatachee Correctional Institution


Some of you may know Brad. If not, you may know someone like him. He used to be an attorney in Pittsboro and an active soccer dad in our community. He is now serving a fifteen year prison sentence in Florida at the Apatachee Correctional Institution. He has been there for about a year. He was arrested in Pittsboro as part of a “sting operation” conducted by the Florida State Police. Brad pleaded guilty to a series of internet-related sex offenses.

My family knew Brad for several years prior to his arrest and we were shocked when we learned about what he had done. Brad and I have exchanged letters quite a few times since his incarceration.

I got a touching letter from Brad this week. He wrote it on the morning of Inauguration Day. He described his hope that he and his fellow inmates would be allowed to watch the inauguration on television. He was optimistic because they had been allowed to watch television on election night. He wrote, "On election night it was nice to see a number of the older inmates – black and white - teary eyed and quiet when Obama was declared the victor. I was teary eyed, too."

It is impressive that the significance of Obama’s election extends to those who are as forgotten as the inmates at Apatachee Correctional Institution in Sneads, Florida. I hope they were allowed to watch the inauguration.

If interested in Brad’s experience with the criminal justice system you can read an essay I wrote about it at: http://whatsmentalhealth.blogspot.com/2009/01/in-defense-of-friend.html

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks again for this dad. It means a lot to Brad, as well as myself, that you keep up with him.
February 19, 2009 at 8:40 PM
MichaelO said…
I got a letter from Brad just before Christmas. He is still technically appealing the length of his sentence, but it does not appear that anyone is listening. He has been incarcerated for over 3 years so far.
January 6, 2010 at 10:08 AM
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