25 Sept 07

Lurch

One of my neighbours, Lurch, a giant with learning difficulties, is serving time because he accidentally shot and paralysed his young friend. Thanks mostly to a public defender who worked against him and a prosecutor who charged him with all kinds of offences, he was sentenced to twenty years. In prison, members of the Aryan Brotherhood wielding socks filled with padlocks almost killed him.

Lurch allowed me to read his court documents and letters. Saddest was the letter from his mother to the judge. Also, I noticed some sentencing errors in his paperwork. He’s eligible for release several years before the prison calculation, so we’re going to see the counsellor to try and bring his release date forward. I'm also going to write a short story about Lurch.

Can you imagine how many more Lurches and Slingblades there are stuck in the prison system for want of help, their stories never heard?

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