Pubdate: Sat, 28 Dec 2002 Source: Oklahoman, The (OK) Copyright: 2002 The Oklahoma Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.oklahoman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318 Author: Tommy Green Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2276/a02.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration) INMATE WAITING FOR RELEASE TO THE EDITOR: In response to state Rep. Fred Morgan ("Point of View," Dec. 15): Not all inmates are hardened criminals. Some of us just got caught in our own addiction, whether it was marijuana or methamphetamine. I realize I must pay my debt to society, which I've been doing for the past three years. I've missed my son's first day of school and his first game of T- ball, along with all his birthdays and holidays. Each day is a passing reminder of where I went wrong. We all seem to hope and pray for an early release. I'm eligible for parole in June 2003. I've been at a community work center for almost a year. I feel like a completely different person. With the state's budget crisis, let's devise a plan where some inmates who are non-violent, first-time offenders could actually pay for their freedom. I would be willing to pay $500 a month back to the state. My family and career means that much to me. I'm serving a 10- year sentence for my first offense. Tommy Green, a licensed journeyman plumber, is an inmate at the Beaver Work Center. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake