Ex-cons discuss difficulties of life after release

Tommy 'Hashim' Cox, 60, stood in front of a group of about 40 people in a silver vest and tie, dress pants and shiny black dress shoes.

Looking at him now, no one would guess this motivational speaker had once served 26 years in Virginia's prison system.

"Prison is Hell on Earth," he said. "Prison is torture."

Three formerly incarcerated people spoke April 8 at the event "Long Walk to Freedom: Life Behind Bars" in the Alice Haynes Room. The purpose of the event was to address the stigma attached to people who have served time in prison, many of whom deserve a second chance, but quickly become frustrated with the metaphorical bars, or lack of resources that constrain them even after they have earned their freedom.

Black Student Alliance, Intervarsity and Common Ground sponsored the program with Boaz & Ruth.

Boaz & Ruth is a unique social program that has created an intense 12-month training period for ex-offenders and offers further support for its graduates. Training involves 50 hours a week of skill-building classes in subjects such as computer education, money management, public speaking, spirituality, literacy and GED tutoring, as well as on-the-job training within one of Boaz & Ruth's job programs in catering, furniture restoration, moving, construction, restaurant service, thrift store management, community service projects and counseling sessions.

In addition to rebuilding the lives of formerly incarcerated men and women, Boaz & Ruth's mission is to economically revitalize the North Side area of Richmond called Highland Park by restoring buildings, operating businesses and providing jobs in the area. Boaz & Ruth also seeks to connect Highland Park and the program's participants to the wider Richmond community through activities that bridge racial, economic and geographical borders, said Megan Rollins, volunteer and community connections coordinator.

To this end, Boaz & Ruth is hosting the Long Walk to Freedom on Oct. 10, which starts at the Richmond City Jail and passes by historic slavery sites, soup kitchens, homeless centers and the Capitol, all symbols of the obstacles people face when they come out of jail.

CEO Martha Rollins spoke about the prison system as a continuation of slavery. It is not a coincidence that the rate of blacks incarcerated in Virginia is almost 6 times as high as the rate for whites and almost 5 times as high as the rate for Hispanics, Rollins said.

Cox said he had been on a bread and water diet in prison, and sometimes wasn't given food for three days, after his stomach had shrunk, so when he ate a meal he would vomit. He was accused of stabbing a man 23 times in 1973, and accused of another murder in prison. Because of this, he was put in the segregation unit, or solitary confinement, for more than seven years.

"I'm not saying they created me into a monster, but they exacerbated the pain and the anger," he said.

Cox was once chained to his bed for nine days, urinating and defecating himself, he said. He often feels as if he is back in that bed when he lies down, he said. All of his family members turned their backs on him, and when Rollins told him that he could only be released from prison if he agreed to do the Boaz & Ruth parole program for 12 months, he said he would have agreed to 1,200 months if it meant his freedom.

"I seen murders," he said. "I seen things that was so horrible, that sometimes now at night I stay up and can't sleep.

"You got to decide yourself that you're ready to change. I got down on my knees one night and prayed to God: 'If you get me out of jail I promise I will do some good for the world.'"

Roger Whitney also attributed his freedom to Boaz & Ruth. He would still be sitting in a jail cell if it hadn't been for the Boaz & Ruth parole program, he said. When he was released he had no clothes or a home, but Boaz & Ruth provided him with a room, and he has a whole wardrobe of clothing now, he said.

You lose everything when you go into jail, including your dignity and pride, Beatrice Robinson said. And when you're out, it's like you're walking around in a shell because you're afraid to say what you really feel in fear of someone calling your parole officer to claim you threatened him or her, she said.

Freedom is about the simple things people who have never been locked up don't always appreciate, such as watching the birds in the morning, standing in the rain, watching the sun shine or being with someone you love, Cox said.

"I have anger, but I have a lot of love, and beauty, and I have a spark that won't die," he said. "As long as I have that spark I will motivate others to stand up for the right things."

Chaz Barracks is a first-year University of Richmond student who volunteers at Boaz & Ruth and said he would like to work with people who have overcome the criminal justice system.

"Being an ex-offender is a part of them but not what defines their future," he said.

Contact staff writer Avril Lighty at avril.lighty@richmond.edu