Saturday morning, 04/11/2010 the crew proceeds down 95-S to Brevard C.I. to visit my son for the 2nd time. *singing the Johnson and Johnson commercial* NO MORE TEARS!! *laughs* I was determined there would be no tears on THIS visit, I am prepared from the last visit.
**REWIND** I received letters between visits, things were going on in there that wasn't working well for him. He asked me to call his Classification Officer and request a relocation, talk like this scared me but I did just that. His Classification Officer was a wonderful lady and she advised me of all the things that could and could not be done, what my son's options were and were not. I decided not to write my son about it since we were visiting soon and we could simply talk in person.
**FAST FORWARD** Upon arrival to the prison (I forgot to break this down in PART II) we are searched/patted down, shoe removal to check the soles of our feet and bra's shaken to assure no contraband is being introduced into the facility. They even checked Miss Daysha's diaper!! *rolls eyes* The things we go through to see our incarcerated loved ones but the looks on their faces and the family time spent is worth it.
So Dante' enters the visiting area and he is EXTREMELY jittery, for lack of better words. He sits but doesn't sit, if you know what I mean. Of course, as a mother, I am ALL over it and quick! I needed to know what was wrong because his actions were not setting well with me and almost ruining my visit. He went back to the letters he had written me about some "problems" in the dorm he was in. There were some "gang" activity that he didn't want to be a part of which is what prompted him to ask me about relocation information. He then went on to tell me another inmate advised him that he over heard some other inmates saying they were going to plant a "shank" in his bunk. My son isn't the biggest person in the world but one thing I know is he has heart, he is fearless (too fearless sometimes) and doesn't ACT as if he is afraid of anything and NEVER in his 22 years of living he had NEVER ONCE told me he was scared, not even when he was a little boy BUT this day he did. Soon after this conversation we began noticing that the Correction Officers (C.O.) were looking our way...this made me incredibly nervous! Were they going to end our visit early after we'd driven 2 hours to see him?!?! This could not be happening (over reacting mother mode kicks in)!!
This visit most certainly was not going my way, though my son settled down enough to talk and play with Ms Daysha (as you can see her mouth was going a mile a minute - LOL)!!
Eventually a C.O. came over and asked to see his badge, once they verified it was him he was instructed to stay in the visitation area when it was over. He was not to go back to his dorm. At that point he and I both panicked. They would not give any information but kept a close eye on him, on us, the entire time. This made for a VERY uncomfortable visit! *sigh* I asked my son if they find it what would happen? He said his visitation and phone privileges could be revoked for the remainder of his sentence. WHAT?!?! For the entire 66 months, no visits or phone calls?!?! *faints* This can't really be happening. Well, we will just pray this isn't the case since they check you and your bunk before visitation and he was there with us so they couldn't have found anything, right? WRONG!
At the visits end as we were lining up to live out of the double slamming prison doors we noticed the C.O.'s getting up as if they thought he was going back to his dorm. That was the last time I heard from my son for about a month and last time I saw him for about 2-3 months. When I hadn't heard from him I called his Classification Officer who advised me he had been placed in confinement for possession of a weapon, he could still receive letters but no calls or visits. She advised that an investigation would occur and after the findings are reviewed his fate would be decided. *HAVE MERCY* Corresponding via letter was the only way we could communicate, it felt like we were back to those 6 months from sentencing when I couldn't even see or talk to my child. The things he was telling me while in confinement was sometimes too much for me and I was OVERWHELMINGLY emotional all the time (sometimes I am still).
**LONG STORY SHORT** He was cleared of the weapon charge after about 4-6 weeks in confinement. Shortly after his release to general population there was a prison riot which resulted in 30 inmates being sent to other facilities to include my son. Dante's Classification Officer gave me more info than she was supposed to, she had been exceptionally kind from day one. I prayed where ever he was moved to his new Classification Officer would be half as if not just as nice.
He was relocated to the Central Florida Reception Center (CFRC) after the riot and was there for about 2 weeks while they decided where to send him next. All I kept thinking was PLEASE DON'T SEND HIM TO MIAMI!!! I don't think I could handle that, this prison thing was still so new to me! All I could think about was OZ or PENITENTIARY, the Toss Salad Man...all TYPES of lewd and lascivious thoughts ran through my mind. You hear so many horror stories about prison and the smallest man is always subject to being SOMETHING to SOMEONE, you know? *tears* The things that runs through a mothers mind when her child is going through something she can do NOTHING about and that she knows NOTHING about. My heart felt like it was in a thousand pieces all the time and there was no way I could put it all back together.
He was finally given a new home (please know you are NEVER advised of an inmates whereabouts, you are not informed of any moves. I kept up with him via the Florida Department of Corrections website! I have NEVER been so thankful for this type of website in all my life! He was moved to Mayo C.I., an hour and a half drive from Jacksonville cutting through Live Oaks. *sigh* A new prison, new C.O.'s, new rules to follow...JEESH! I just want this to be over!
...our new scenery! I pray this is the LAST move until he comes home!
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