I have been telling a small part of Jeffrey's story in my journal entries for April 21 and 22...
He is scheduled to leave prison early tomorrow morning, report to his parole officer in Nassau County in the late afternoon, and then be driven to a shelter to live.
Earlier today, Jeffrey told me that part of his life plan is to get back on Welfare, which the parole officer will provide some assistance with. Not only is Jeffrey an ex-con, but he only has a ninth or tenth grade education. The medications he's taking to treat his schizophrenia will sometimes cause his eyes to blur so that he cannot read average size print. And in a world of official government forms to fill out for Social Security, Welfare, Parole and housing assistance...a maze of confusion awaits him.
But the biggest problem, however, will come when his mental illness gets mixed with booze. Jeffrey has been in prison four times now. All his criminal cases involved assaulting other men during arguments that turned into scuffles, then escalated into violent brawls, an angry alcoholic with a pocketknife in hand.
He is small framed, quiet, and diminutive, hardly someone who could intimidate. Alcohol, however, would make a giant out of Jeffrey, at least in his mind.
Tomorrow I will share about his final day here.
D.B.
Earlier today, Jeffrey told me that part of his life plan is to get back on Welfare, which the parole officer will provide some assistance with. Not only is Jeffrey an ex-con, but he only has a ninth or tenth grade education. The medications he's taking to treat his schizophrenia will sometimes cause his eyes to blur so that he cannot read average size print. And in a world of official government forms to fill out for Social Security, Welfare, Parole and housing assistance...a maze of confusion awaits him.
But the biggest problem, however, will come when his mental illness gets mixed with booze. Jeffrey has been in prison four times now. All his criminal cases involved assaulting other men during arguments that turned into scuffles, then escalated into violent brawls, an angry alcoholic with a pocketknife in hand.
He is small framed, quiet, and diminutive, hardly someone who could intimidate. Alcohol, however, would make a giant out of Jeffrey, at least in his mind.
Tomorrow I will share about his final day here.
D.B.
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