Met a Murderer
So, I wondered if I would be able to write to an inmate doing hard time without knowing what he'd done, and even if I did know, without allowing it to influence my thoughts or feelings towards him.
Not 7 days ago, I sat face-to-face with a convicted murderer and listened to him talk about his civil rights being violated, and had to figure out how I was going to defend him given his current situation and living environment.
It was incredible to find that I had zero disdain for this individual. The night before I met him, I read a 20 page document that summarized his life, his personality, and the crime he committed 15 years ago. When I read the crime scene report and the effect it had on everyone involved - including him - I admit that I cried. What a tragedy.
And when I sat across from him in a private room, listening to his concerns, I neither judged him nor feared for my safety, although I did wonder before hand if I would have to.
Maybe it's because he wasn't smug or angry, mean or rude - he did not look like a killer. I wonder if his representation of himself was true - but it really doesn't matter. Above all else I saw a man, a person, a being, and it answered a lot of my most burning questions.
Not 7 days ago, I sat face-to-face with a convicted murderer and listened to him talk about his civil rights being violated, and had to figure out how I was going to defend him given his current situation and living environment.
It was incredible to find that I had zero disdain for this individual. The night before I met him, I read a 20 page document that summarized his life, his personality, and the crime he committed 15 years ago. When I read the crime scene report and the effect it had on everyone involved - including him - I admit that I cried. What a tragedy.
And when I sat across from him in a private room, listening to his concerns, I neither judged him nor feared for my safety, although I did wonder before hand if I would have to.
Maybe it's because he wasn't smug or angry, mean or rude - he did not look like a killer. I wonder if his representation of himself was true - but it really doesn't matter. Above all else I saw a man, a person, a being, and it answered a lot of my most burning questions.
