MEDIA

James and Haley recap Season 2 of The Straight Outta Prison Podcast. They do fact checks, answer questions from listeners, and give updates about Season 3 “Free At Last!” …

In 1999 with The Honor Dorm fully established, good things were happening and James was living the dream. Then suddenly, everything fell apart… James was encouraged to begin counseling with Steve Longenecker. It was some thing he did not want to do, but knew that it was necessary. He had a word from Jesus written in his journal that said “I won’t get you out of here until you allow me to heal what got you here.” Sobering words, but James was ready to face this challenge and enter a new level of Freedom.

Once James finished with Orientation at B.C.I. the next stage was to enter a Court-Ordered Drug Program… It was mostly a joke and he learned that the inmates who had been convicted of crimes weren’t the only criminals at Brevard Correctional Institution.

James had no idea where he was going… he only knew it was The North Florida Reception Center for the Department of Corrections…It was literally in the middle of nowhere, and with every step it seemed he was getting further away from home. They pulled through the gates to Lake Butler just as the sun was starting to rise…it was a cold, scary day. After pulling into a locked bay, they had them all stand in line, strip butt naked, and listen to their instructions…they would walk around naked for the next 4 hours. It was a stark wakeup for James that he no longer belonged to himself or his family. They let him know that he was property of D.O.C. Lake Butler was similar to Boot Camp for the Military. They sent you here to see what you were made of, to classify you for your permanent camp, and to break you down if you possessed any resistance to their authority. You walked when they said walk, used the bathroom, showered, ate meals, etc. when they said so… In his first week, there were 30 of them going up two flights of stairs, and the officer barked an order “I don’t want to hear one sound as you walk up these steps!” … it was difficult to do, and they had to start over a few times, but eventually they learned to walk like their feet were made of cotton… Haley was shocked at some of the stories, especially some of the ways they broke James down. To say James was scared would be an understatement… he was terrified at what would happen to him at Lake Butler. He had heard the stories, and even witnessed some stuff with his own eyes that should rehabilitate even the hardest criminal… he kept his head down and did what they asked him to do, even if it was a silly thing like “Take this broom and sweep the sun off that sidewalk” … Fortunately, James made it through without any incidents and would be heading to his permanent camp. The awkward blue clothes would be his wardrobe for the next few years…

After a year and a half in the Delta Dorm (which was the Cadillac of spaces at B.C.I.) James found himself in trouble once again because of his actions… He was heading to “real” Prison because he was selfish, rebellious, and ever intent on getting what he wanted… Up to this time his Prison experience had been very comfortable, but that was all about to change…

The thing James thought could never happen to him (because he didn’t believe in any of that stuff) happened in a very real and radical way… Something on the inside of him that had been dead came to life. It was authentic, but his mind struggled with all of it, and he was fully convinced that surely Jesus would never ask him to go to Church. Tune in for more.