out early for good behavior. I wanted to begin a new life on the outside, a life with God and Jesus Christ as my role models. I began to believe that having faith in Jesus was the answer, the only answer.
Levy came to me at a low point in my life. I was spinning ever faster on a downward spiral to nowhere. If it hadn’t been for Levy, I would have spent my prison time thinking up new scams until I could start my life of crime and drugs all over again. Levy taught me to have faith–in God and in myself. He taught me to appreciate the goodness in all people and to see Jesus in every face.
Even though I was only with Levy for ten short days, I believe he saved my life and soul. He brought me into the company of God. He gave me a role model; he gave me a father I could love, and who would love me back unconditionally. The more I learned about the goodness of God, the more I wanted to learn.
I believed God sent Levy to me. For the first time in my life, I felt happy and whole, and knew that I was on my way to a new life and better things.
I was transferred to the Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin, on February 16, 1990. All inmates assigned to the Wisconsin prison system go to Dodge first. That’s where each inmate receives a formal recommendation in terms of custody level, institution assignment, and individual program needs. Each prisoner also receives a complete physical examination by a doctor, nurse, psychiatrist, and psychologist.
Within a month, the Program Review Committee (PRC) evaluated me. They considered the crime I committed and my background, achievements (not many), as well as assessed my physical and mental well-being. They recommended the Wisconsin Resource Center in Winnebago, Wisconsin, a maximum/medium-security institution. I stayed there from March 27, 1990, until April 26, 1991.
While I was in Winnebago, I read my Bible and attended church services.On September 16, 1990, during services in the prison chapel, Chaplain Gary Lee asked if anyone was ready to put away the life of crime and drugs and follow Christ. I thought about Levy and what he had done for me, how he’d opened up a new world, a whole new way of living. I stepped forward and said, “I’m tired of this life, Lord. I’m ready to follow you for the rest of my life.”
At that moment I allowed myself to be reborn into a community of faith that serves only one master, Jesus Christ. I not only dedicated my life to God and his Son, but I also stopped using drugs.
In February 1991, I saw the PRC again and they recommended I choose where to serve the rest of my time: Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, or the Green Bay Correctional Institution in Green Bay.
I prayed about the decision. Something kept nudging me to accept Columbia. I’d heard the time there wouldn’t be easy, that it was a strict place. But a little voice in my head kept telling me Columbia was the right place.
I prayed specific prayers. “God, do you have a reason for me to be in Portage? You must. I feel you pushing me toward it. I’ll request Columbia. I know you’ll show me the reason when I arrive.”
On April 26, 1991, I arrived at Columbia. Located just off Interstate 39 between Madison and Stevens Point, the Portage facility is a maximum-security prison in the Wisconsin countryside, surrounded by fields, farmhouses, and country roads. It was peaceful there, in the middle of nowhere.
Four
Another Sinner Captured
I beg you
–
I, a prisoner here in jail for serving the Lord
–
to live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these. (Ephesians 4:1
, TLB)
My temporary room was a single cell in the orientation unit at Columbia Correctional Institution, and I could leave my cell only for meals in the dayroom.
The next day, April 27, 1991, the psychologist who would ultimately decide how I spend my time at the facility interviewed me. She
Learning to Kill: Stories