First person Narrative of Incarerated Woman

Narrative of Incarcerated Woman
Name:
Institution:

Introduction
I am a 36-year-old woman who had been incarcerated in one of the American correctional facilities. Apparently, after a long judicial process in trying to seek justice, I ended up being put to jail for three and a half years. I am of Hispanic origin and live in the Southern part of United States of America. I have lived in this part since my childhood when my parents came to the USA as immigrants. I live in a multicultural community consisting of Caucasians, Hispanics and African American people. The community is a busy one that is located, in a busy environment with all the sectors of the economy operating well. It is a society with all kind of workers from white-collar jobs to blue-collar jobs but the rising poverty levels have rendered the possibility of youths finding a job a bit difficult. I am a married woman. In fact, I was married at the age of 21 after dropping out of the fifth grade due to the challenges at my home at the time. My husband is a day worker at the nearest fruit-canning factory. I am an average income earner but I am still unemployed at present though occasionally, I am able to get temporary jobs that I work on a contract basis and contribute to family’s welfare in providing at least the basic needs for my family including my children whom I feel attached to very much. My children are young, four in number and ranging from the ages of six years to fourteen years. I am an American citizen in the state of Texas. Here we live with my family; with my husband as the breadwinner. My children are still attending school, they are proceeding well but are still finding it hard to cope with a mother whom they feel that she cares less about them, and apparently, they believe that I went to jail because I was irresponsible.
Life before Incarceration
Within the multicultural society that I lived in, poverty levels and the unemployment levels ware very high. Notwithstanding the buzzing economy in Texas, we still find it hard to get permanent jobs, as most of these require higher qualifications than the fifth grade that I attained. Most workers in my neighborhood are thus the lower class in the society living adjacent to a wealthy neighborhood that provides most of the jobs that we rely on. However, despite the lack of permanent jobs around, people have moved across regions to search for jobs. Those who are not able to get one therefore rely on the day jobs available at the agricultural processing industries in the near town. Since I got married, I have been able to get these day jobs sometimes on a contractual basis usually ending within two weeks’ time. At these times, my average income on a monthly basis had been at most $500, which I had to rely on in providing the household necessities while my husband catered for the children’s educational needs, health care and rent for our house that we live in.
Due to this low income, and my struggling husband who could not adequately satisfy the household financial needs, I ended up peddling marijuana to the nearest township and the ghetto that we were living in to get an additional income. As you are aware therefore, the act of dealing with illegal drugs including their consumption is highly punishable by the federal law. Many of the people in the society that I lived had been arrested severally for drug peddling but due to corruption the vice was getting off the hands of federal government and the police. This gave us a peaceful environment to carry out the drug business without much fear. However, during crackdowns some who were unlucky ended up in the hands of the police whom they either bribed or were prosecuted and taken to jail. The continued handling of the drugs made me to become a regular user of marijuana and cocaine, which at times I paid a reasonable amount of money to acquire. I must agree that I, myself did not only sell drugs but had become a regular user and an addict for that matter.
Before, I was incarcerated, I was lucky to escape a few other police crackdowns on those who were illegally dealing with drugs. Having been formerly listed to undertake a rehabilitation process that was not effective in shaping me from drug dependence I had become more alert and felt that I could easily escape police and again, even after serving the rehab process, still there was not able stable income to rely on end stop the vice. At these circumstances, many of us were arrested. For the male offenders, some gave out bribes to the police and were released illegally. More women though were asked sexual favors by the police. Those who would yield to the demands of the corrupt officers would later end up contracting sexually transmitted illnesses and their complications from the unprotected sex. However, personally, I was able to escape these unfortunate demands of the police but still whatever transpired at any moment we were in the hands of the place left me traumatized and questioning their integrity and the society that we lived in.
Apparently, even after serving the first rehabilitation process, no further counseling and follow up was done to ensure that I did not get back to crime. As a result of the economic hardships, flawed regulatory processes, lack of proper skills to acquire a formal employment and the lack of adequate rehabilitation, I found myself fearlessly engaging in crimes that I did in the past. As a result of my criminal record therefore, I would serve a heavier penalty if charged and found guilty of a similar crime later.
Legal Question
After being arrested therefore, several criminal charges were brought against me. First was the use of illegal drugs which included both marijuana and cocaine. The second charge was the sale and distribution of marijuana which was illegal under the American federal law. The third charge was the use of violence in trying to avoid police arrest and search in which process I was found in possession of the illegal drugs. The last charge, was propagating a crime that violated the right of others health owing to the health concerns that were outlined in the case showing the detrimental effects of both the short term and the long term use of marijuana.
In my defense therefore, I called on the advocate to understand my situation as a mother who had four children to take care of, an unstable job and earnings and as well the lack of a proper counseling process to correct me from my former criminal record. Additionally, I defended myself because injustice was done to me in the process of frisking me in which the police mishandled me. I argued that though it was clear that the handling of illegal drugs and narcotics in America was illegal under the current legislations, I possessed rights as a citizen and freedoms as well that the constitution guaranteed me. The constitution guaranteed me the right to a basic healthcare which according to my income I was not comfortably able to afford. My right from arbitrary arrest and search as well was violated in the police crackdown process in that apparently they used force in searching for evidence to prosecute me. More so, my right to decent pay was violated. As an American citizen, I was entitled to a minimum wage in which my employers were not providing therefore contributing to my financial misery and the eventual entry to drug peddling business to supplement my earnings.