"Second Chance": "Women Behind Bars"

By Holly Clayton

HOLLY CLAYTON is a business major, and has a B.S. degree in Teaching. She taught children and adults for many years. She is a widow, and has two children, one son and one daughter,
and five grandchildren.

She wrote a book on Marys life in prison, and why Mary went to prison. Holly believes everyone deserves a second chance. Mary didnt get a second chance Act, and believed she was treated wrong by the justice system and the prison she went too.

She also wrote about her life with her husband and the love they shared together, and the way the end came for her husband and her not being there for him when he needed her the most.

Holly also talks about how the justice system is so unfair for the first time non-violet crimes on taxes. Compassion is what the justice system needs, and to look into a persons file and life, before sentencing to prison.

Hollys concerned with equal justice for all!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Aug 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781466992382

Holly Clayton

HOLLY CLAYTON is a business major, and has a B.S. degree in Teaching. She taught children and adults for many years. She is a widow, and has two children, one son and one daughter, and five grandchildren. She wrote a book on Mary’s life in prison, and why Mary went to prison. Holly believes everyone deserves a second chance. Mary didn’t get a second chance Act, and believed she was treated wrong by the justice system and the prison she went too. She also wrote about her life with her husband and the love they shared together, and the way the end came for her husband and her not being there for him when he needed her the most. Holly also talks about how the justice system is so unfair for the first time non-violet crimes on taxes. Compassion is what the justice system needs, and to look into a person’s file and life, before sentencing to prison. Holly’s concerned with equal justice for all!

Book preview

Chapter One

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M ary was fifty one years old when she went to court on tax fraud. She was sentenced by the judge, four years in prison. Mary had never had a speeding ticket, or ever been in trouble before with the law. Mary is married, and has seven grand-children, and two children of her own, and a stepson.

Mary never thought that she would be sentenced to prison for four years, beings she offered to set up payments with the internal revenue service. Mary told her attorney that she should set up payments with the internal revenue service immediately.

Mary’s attorney advised her not too! Her attorney said wait, because when she goes to court she may not even owe money back to the internal revenue.

Mary was told because she was a 501 ©3 company, and had a contract with the State, that taxes were very serious.

Mary has a booming daycare center, and was told by the State she couldn’t be an administrative sponsor, unless she sold or got rid of her own daycare center. Mary and George were told it was considered, conflict of interest. Mary loved her daycare center that she had for fifteen years, but wanted to work at being an, administrative sponsor, for the child and adult food program for the State".

This way she could travel with her husband George. Mary got the start-up funds for the company, and was ready to start their business. They thought this was a lot to the business, but working together was a dream come true. They thought working together, this business would be successful.

Mary and George went to several training programs with the State. All the training programs were to teach you how to fill out an application form. Nothing, laid-out, how to operate the company, and what was expected of them.

Mary and George were told to learn by, trial and error. The only training that was available for the administrative sponsor’s was how to fill out an application form for the child and adult food program. The trial and error that Mary thought was right put her in prison for four years. Mary and George thought the training program would go over on how the State wanted the books kept for the company, but they did not, and we was told to do the books the way we thought they needed to be done. We were told that everybody’s company books were done different. And you learn by trial and error.

Mary and George couldn’t believe the training programs that they attended only covered how to fill out an application, for the child and adult food program. This was not proper training to be an administrative sponsor! Mary and George went to several training sessions that the State said we needed to go to. They were told these training sessions would help them to become an administrative sponsor for the State-child and adult food program. Mary and George were told after six training sessions that there were no more to go too.

They talked to several different people in the State asking about other training sessions for an administrative sponsorship, besides the application package. They were told the same thing, that no further training on administrative sponsorship were offered at that time, and didn’t know in the near future if it would be offered on additional training.

Mary and George wanted training on the business itself, on how the State expects you to handle the books, paperwork, accounting, employee’s, salary’s, files, monitoring, traveling, and so much more.

But the State and Federal told Mary and George that you learn by, trial and error. They wanted to know how the State expected them to keep records under their sponsorship. How did they want this done? What was expected of them? There was no paperwork gave to them on any further or future training. Mary didn’t understand why? How can the State or Federal expect you to run a business with no proper training? The State and Federal has thousands of rules and policies. But no hands on training! What was required of them? Surely some guild lines to go by, Mary thought.

Even Mary’s hired accountant had nothing to go by. Mary’s accountant called the State, and they told him their was nothing to go by. The accountant didn’t understand why? He was also frustrated!

Mary and George went into being an administrative sponsor, for the State. It was so many rules and regulations, and policies to go by, until it was unreal. No one trained us on how to be an administrative sponsor, and what was expected of us, or the business. Working sixteen hours a day, seven days a week, Mary finally after two years got the company built up.

She had under her sponsorship ninety-two day care centers. It was a lot of responsible. Mary had traveling, paperwork, training, employees, monitoring, employee training, and building her business, and so much more. Mary was exhausted! She had to have furniture for the office, employees, equipment, and all start-up cost out of their own pockets. It was all very expensive, and then she and George had to be approved by the State. They had four audits per year. It was exhausting, and pulled all her energy from her body.

Mary’s health begin to fail, because of so much stress, and so many long working hours that she was putting in each week. She got sick a lot, and needed rest, but she kept on working to build her and George’s company. Mary was determined to make the company a success, or die trying. Mary and George were in the company seven years when the State claimed, she and George didn’t pay tax one year. The State went back three years. The State came unannounced, and did an audit when most of my employees were out working monitoring day care centers.

The State took all her paperwork, boxes and boxes of paperwork, from six years back, and then closed Mary and George’s business down. We were devastated and shocked! All George told Mary was, I told you how they were assholes from the start!

Mary’s court appointed attorney told her and George that she shouldn’t get but twelve months probation, and probably would have to set up payments to the IRS, for the taxes. Mary’s court appointed attorney didn’t take up for her in court. Her attorney didn’t try to help her in court at all. He didn’t tell the judge that I tried to set up payments with the IRS, and he advised me not to at that time. All he told me after the court was to go on to the prison camp, and in approximately two weeks he should have me out of there.

Mary believed him and so did her husband and family. But it never happened! Mary waited and waited. She had to turn herself into a prison camp, and believed she wouldn’t be there long. The prison camp couldn’t control Mary’s diabetes. She was so sick, and her health continuing to fail her.

After six weeks she was transferred to New York Federal Correctional Institution for women. Mary tried to contact her attorney. Her attorney promised to help her, but no help came. Mary wrote to him often and e-mailed him for help, but most of the time he never answered her letters or e-mails. Mary was so upset! This is, in fact, why Mary applied for a pardon, and waited a year, and then she was denied. Mary, then wrote the judge, but was also denied.

Mary’s husband George hired another attorney to help Mary. The attorney took the money upfront, and did nothing! Mary talked to George everyday, for approximately ten minutes a day. That was all the time; Mary could talk to George, because of the limited minutes per month. Mary was worried and concerned about George, because he was also getting sicker, and begging for her to come home.

George called Mary’s attorney, and he refused to talk to George, because the attorney said, George you are not my client. Mary sent her attorney a written letter for him to talk to George about anything concerning her.

Chapter Two

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G eorge talked to a sentor, Mr. Williams. He told George that he would help, but nothing came of it. George worked two years with him, and then he became Governor, and forgot about helping us. George’s health got worse and had to go on kidney dialysis, three times per week. Mary’s health continued to fail too. She continued to have health problems.

Mary had cataracts, and couldn’t see out of her left eye. Her eye sight was failing due to her cataracts. Mary continued to pray daily, and wouldn’t give up hope in her going home to George. She knew George needed her. The church that her and George joined, and attended dropped George, because of Mary going to prison. There was no support for George, and no one to talk too. George leaned on the church for support. When the church didn’t give George support, this devastated George. This hurt him deeply. He needed the church’s moral support more then ever. Mary got sick in prison, and never had staph infection called mercier before. Mary got staph infection under her right arm, and was sick for five months, and nearly died. She needed to go to the hospital for proper treatment and care. The doctor at the prison wouldn’t approve it, or the warden at the prison. They would not let Mary go to the hospital, and her condition worsened.

Mary’s husband George had another attorney write a letter to the prison warden to arrange for Mary to go to the hospital for proper medical treatment and care. The warden at the prison denied Mary’s treatment again at the hospital. Even with the letter from the attorney didn’t make any differences in Mary’s care. This went on for five months of pain and suffering, and agony.

Mary prayed everyday for God to help her. The assistance warden told Mary to, shut up about it or she would go to the special housing unit, which is the hole! That’s where they put inmates that they call breaking the rules. The assistant warden did put Mary in the hole; which was worse on her, because she couldn’t go to medical for any help, and was rejected for proper medical care. The special housing unit was known as the hole twenty three hours a day. It was designed to wear you down emotionally.

In characterize prison officials as being arbitrary and inconsistent in the handling of inmate disciplinary actions for alleged violations of prison rules. Staff members who appeared for more mentally impaired than were the inmates they were judging in disciplinary proceedings for proper medical care. Being in the special housing unit, Mary had no one to talk to, or another inmate to help her. All inmates were scared of her, because it was contagious.

Only by prayer and faith was Mary saved. Mary was in the special housing unit, called the hole, for five months. There was a guard, he handcuffed Mary behind her back, and abused her, and almost broke her arm. There were bruises from the accident. Mary filed paperwork, and was told by the SIS investigations not to talk to anyone about the accident. The Shu was called the special housing unit. Believe me it wasn’t! There was nothing special about it. It was hell. Mary was trapped in a very small room size 5x8, with no windows to look out of, and nobody to talk too. It was only a cot and toilet in the room. It was so very cold in the room in the winter time. The cot had a plastic pad, and it was lumpy, and so was the one flat pillow.

They gave you two thin white blankets, and they were no thicker than sheets. An inmate only ate what they give you through a small hole in the door, and very little to drink, mostly a cup of water to drink. The, Shu hole, was isolation and punishment! An inmate got only three showers a week, and changed clothes then into another orange jumpsuit. Not always did an inmate get a clean jumpsuit to change into. The food was terrible. The prison didn’t go by the national menu. A lot of the time it was left over. The food contained a lot of starches, rice, bread, and beans almost every meal. Mostly water to drink, or this terrible kool-aid. I called it the, Prison Kool-aid. It was awful! While an inmate was in the special housing unit there were no visits from family. If your family came to visit you, and drove ten hours to see you, they were turned away from the prison, and weren’t allowed to see you. An inmate was only allowed one phone call per month, if you were lucky to get the call at all. An inmate only got to go outside, Monday through Friday, one hour a day, if it wasn’t raining. The isolation was so lonely, depressing, and terrifying.

Mary asked for her Bible, and was able to study, read, and pray. She was saved by faith! After being