Pace e Bene

Court Day: February 9, 2010

 Pace e Bene staff member Fr. Louis Vitale, 77, began serving a six-month prison sentence on Monday, January 25 for nonviolent, prayerful protest calling for closure of the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Georgia. On February 25 he was transferred from Crisp County Jail in Cordele, Georgia, where he has been held for the past month, to the US Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia.  You can write to at the following address:

Louis Vitale #25803-048

USP Atlanta

U.S. Penitentiary

P.O. Box 150160

Atlanta, GA 30315

To see updates from and about Fr. Louie, please click here.

Two of my cellmates had a court date today.  They had been anticipating this day.  They tried to determine just what were the charges and what is the law.  When I was in this jail in 2006 Robert Phares, part of our legal team, sent me a clipping describing a review of the public defender’s office by the ACLU.  They determined the services in Crisp County were the worst.  Primarily they are very understaffed.  This was verified by inmates claiming how hard it is to contact them.  At best they showed up the night before with 40 file folders! 

Both were up for probation violations.  They were on probation for a previous conviction and received a new charge.  Before going on trial for the new charge they came before a probation hearing.  Brian received a sentence opf nine months in a detention center.  He was hoping to receive “time served” and sent home.  But he is lucky.  He will be out fairly soon,  He has two children and is anxious to go home.

Robert has aa more serious situation.  He is 32, a former police officer and military veteran.  He previously did five years in prison and had 24 years of probation.  The new charge of simple battery, a misdemeanor, had not been tried yet either.  The district attorney wanted to have all of his probation time revoked and served in prison. 

I was stunned top hear Robert’s sentence.  He said, “My life is over!”  He is 32 and has two children.  It brought me to tears.

The trial was rather dramatic, according to Brian, who was in the court awaiting his turn.  The judge did revoke the probation and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. 

I was stunned top hear Robert’s sentence.  He said, “My life is over!”  He is 32 and has two children.  It brought me to tears.  He came back to the cell and called his mother.  Hiss sister had said this is very hard on all the family.  We try to be family to them here.

Later that evening we were watching some TV on the History Channel.  There was a snake expert in a special “box” with plexiglass in the middle of Fremont Street in Las Vegas.  He was in the box 10 days along with 100 of the most dangerous snakes in the world.  Robert expressed that he would not get in that box for any amount of money – and he is a brave and strong man.  I noted to him then that it seems his life must still be worth a lot then.  Nevertheless, he is sure to be depressed as this sinks in. 

The first time I was here one of the inmates watched TV on the floor where he slept, and did not say a word to me for the first three days.  I was there.  Then finally he said, “I was just given a sentence of 15 years in prison.” 

I recall another inmate in El Centro jail whom I had met before.  His brother is a very good friend of mine in San Francisco.  He was being offered 30 years in prison.  He was trying to kill himself even as he was there in the cell.

Every time I encounter these extremely long sentences without any real means of rehabilitation or a realistic possibility to earn parole, I feel frustrated.  So many young lives are wasted.  Meanwhile as many children raised without the presence of that parent, while the other parent must carry the load without even the aid of child support.

Now we are very aware of the enormous cost of the prison system (where so many services are cut).  We desperately need a new approach to re-integrate ex-prisoners into the community and family life. 

Meanwhile, Thomas, our other cell mate, who is waiting to go to a boot camp for sixty days (his waiting time here – already two months – does not count) and I try to keep he spirits up.

There has been a lot of praying here.  Brian especially spends hours praying and reading the Bible.  He comes in to pray and share frequently.  He, Thomas, and I read and study the Bible together.  Robert, who is Muslim, is included in our prayers. 

Please keep all prisoners and ex-prisoners and their families in your prayers.  Also we need to help work for people in prisons to reintegrate our returning brothers and sisters into our families, parishes, and communities as called for by the US Catholic Bishops.  In a larger view they propose we stop building prisons and use the funds for real rehabilitation and re-integration programs.  It is time to respond to that call.