What I Bring To Light By Jarmaine Spruill

 

Jarmaine M. Spruill & Family

My name is Jarmaine M. Spruill, fighting the fight for judicial freedom, justice and equality in the Virginia penal system.

From the starting point of the HB1532, it was introduced to impact all inmates with a reevaluated calculation of earned sentence credits to be determined in accordance with full participation and cooperation in programming, education, having no more than one minor correctional infractions and no serious correctional infractions, and also employment; Which statue the specification of the Earned credited prerequisites following the four-level classification system.

This was the initial information that emphatically made sense. Pertaining to the claims and prerequisites of the bill, the change from it effectively impacted me, to now "a conviction for any offense is ineligible".

I've been following this particular reenacted House Bill for 3 years now and from it's birth it offered interest rewarding all inmates an incentive for maintaining full participation and cooperation in programs, school, education, remaining infraction free and maintaining employment. With the slight change that the Governor signed into act made me ineligible disqualifying me from the earning of the sentence credits I've worked hard to obtain and maintain, because of my Robbery conviction labeling me a violent offender. The irony of it is, my offense will never change, but my character can.

For instance, it's become despairingly normal to bear witness an elderly inmate return from his parole hearing with news of another turn down due to the laconic reasons of "Serious nature of the crime". Amazingly, and ironically regardless of the proof of low recidivism, proof of rehabilitation they're in authority to both legitimately and determined to perpetuate the same systematic approach to any of Virginia's flawed self- contradictory mindset when it comes to equity while complying with the conditions of meeting their default system. I've gone through great lengths to defuse any of my situations psychologically, emotionally, physically all for the sake of my well being and having the desire to reverse the polarity of a young black man coming to prison being sentenced to more time than he's lived in society.

Which brings to my attention these rhetorical questions, "What's the point of maintaining good behavior if we're tricked every time into believing in a fairytale incentive"? I'm not even given a fair part of the so-called "deal" and there are those who are like me that rightfully worked towards empathy, betterment of self, who practice and display a civilized way of themselves.

What I want to bring to light is, regardless of the offense or charge, it is based upon that individual to choose whether they want to participate in Earning Sentence Credits (ESC) or not. Being that I've been reforming myself I feel as though I shouldn't be ineligible from any incentive based upon the nature of my crime.

Peace,
Jarmaine Spruill

We at vapac thank Mr. Spruill for his voice.