Hello friends!
It is true I have been released
. It feels really good to be out of jail and able to take care of my own affairs again, not to mention eating good food, seeing friends, sleeping in a real bed, wearing my own clothes, listening to music….. When I turned myself in on February 15th I was totally not prepared for fighting a 16 month prison recommendation, I was under the impression that I would be in jail for about a week. I now feel foolish for underestimating the Criminal Justice System, we should have counted on absurdity. I have been given a 6 month sentence for my first probation violation. To me that is still crazy, but I am very eager to serve it and move on. I have around 25 more days to go and am now serving my time on the Public Service Program (PSP), which is an early release program through the Santa Clara County Department Of Corrections.
I work 7am to 3pm in the Santa Clara County Main Jail Wednesday through Sunday. On this program I get only credit for days I work, and as I have Monday and Tuesdays off I only get 5 days credit every week. If I stay out of custody and finish PSP I will complete my sentence sometime in the second week of May. I may however turn myself back in and finish my time in jail at any time. This is also the repercussion of breaking any of the numerous rules of the program. I work in the jail during the day so I can go home at night – works for me. I was working in the kitchen while in custody before I got out, except the only benefit was an extra lunch and not losing my ‘good time’.
Though I am out of jail I am still very much under the influence of the State. Serving my sentence continues to be my goal, just as it was while in Elmwood. I must finish this task before I can fully return to the rest of my life, and I feel confident in my ability to do it. My California case will be closed, probation terminated upon successful completion of my sentence which is something I look forward to.
I wake up before the sun and commute to the jail most days. I work with other people serving non-jail sentences mostly folding laundry and taking out trash. The majority of the time we are in the basement with no natural light, and we are forced to eat their jail food for lunch (I thought I had gotten away from it for good). But we get to listen to the radio and I have met some nice folks, and I carry my release like an umbrella, nothing quite gets to me.
I am so very very thankful to all who have written me, and donated to my legal fund. I am paying $9 a day to be out of jail (for PSP) as well as about $8 a day on my commute, so your financial support still makes a difference. I hope to write, email and call many familiar faces in the coming month, but for now have been focused on eating well, sleeping enough and making it to work on time. If you wish to write me you can find me at:
P.O. Box 8009 Santa Cruz, CA 95061.
I will be posting again soon, there are a couple friends still in Elmwood who could use some kind words.
With my love,
Jesse