Many years ago, upon my own conviction, I decided to be an inmate visitor.  I was assigned to a Federal Prison far away, but I only made monthly visits.  So, it wasn't so bad.  I visited in the medium to high security.I don't think I have enough time or words to tell what I learned over the many years that I visited, but of all the inmates, there is one I will never forget.

By the time an inmate is processed through the system as far as to reach me as a visitor, he has given up on any efforts to convince anyone of his innocence.  The only inmates that I visited were without visitors either by being located so far from home in the Federal system, or just lack of family or friend interest.  This was even more of a reason to not have anyone to convince.

Mr. Johnson (a fictitious name) and I met and would visit every month for a few years.  He had in his words been framed.  Though he never spoke of it often, he always maintained his innocence.  I met Mr. Johnson in his 11th year of a 20 year sentance. 

We really did enjoy visiting.  He always had the best attitude.  He was a long way from his home in Virginia is why I was his only visitor.  Until I came to the prison, he had not had a visitor in 9 years.  I would bring a roll of quarters and we would buy the stale chicken biscuits that were in the vending machine and heat them in the microwave.  And to wash it down, Dr. Pepper was his favorite.  He would always say that when he was released, he would eat chicken biscuits every morning for breakfast.

One year, right after Thanksgiving, I went to visit Mr. Johnson and they said that he denied the visit.  I thought that to be odd.  But to have a visitor, it took about an hour for an inmate to be indignantly searched, so I thought that he must not feel well and I made the long drive back home.  After Christmas, I went back the first week of the new year and made the request for Mr. Johnson.  He came out with his hands in the air with news to tell me.  In November, he actually was not at the prison, he had been taken back to Richmond for retrial as the DA there had admitted to fabricating evidence to promote his political campaign.  Mr. Johnson was found to have been framed!  All that time, he was telling the truth.

It was not until September, nine months after having been found innocent of all charges, that the Federal system was able to process him for release.  During those nine months our visits were full of his plans and excitement.  To be able to wear street clothes, was one of the biggest rewards.

Early one Wednesday morning in September, I drove to the bus station in Savannah where Mr. Johnson was to be dropped off by the prison with a bus ticket back home.  After the guards left, I walked up behind him dressed in his original clothes that he had checked 14 years ago and stood with two chicken biscuits that had been made fresh that morning.  He smelled them and turned around to be surprised. With a Dr. Pepper for him and a Coke for me, we sat on the bench and ate our breakfast.  Mr. Johnson was never bitter.  He knew that if he was upset for one minute, then that was another minute of incarceration.  His freedom was in his mind, even more than in his movement. He had a 16 year old daughter in Richmond that he was going to see that day.  He had not seen her since she was 2. 

I stood outside and watched him board the bus and ride away.  We never spoke again.