From A Prisoner's Perspective
From the desk of G.A. Bailey...
Hello Everyone, I thought I'd take this first page to introduce myself.
My name is George Bailey. I'm 33 years old. I was born and raised in a small community in Indiana. My father was a minister until he retired. After that, he entered into politics and became mayor of our town. He passed away unexpectedly,while in office in 1993. Mother is retired from the nursing department at our county hospital after about 30 years of service. She still resides in our town. I have one brother and 3 sisters. Growing up, we had a close family and I enjoyed what I feel is a typically normal childhood.
My junior year of high school, I had a serious automobile accident, causing a head injury. After the accident I developed severe migraine headaches which lead to frequent trips to the emergency room. During one of those visits, the physician that was on duty prescribed the narcotic, Percodan and told me he would be happy to follow up with my care. The medication was very effective so I continued to visit him for refills.
Upon graduation from high school, I decided to enter the nursing profession. I loved working with the sick and elderly and received a great deal of satisfaction in caring for others. I graduated from college in 1985 and become licensed in Indiana, Ohio, and Florida.
During this period of time, I continued to take the prescription for my headaches until one day I decided to stop. It was then I realized I had become physically dependent upon the drug. I developed severe muscle cramping and flu-like symptoms. I could not function in this state of withdrawal so I began taking the medication again to enable myself to continue working. I approached the physician and explained what I was experiencing. His response was to increase the dose of medication. Later, I learned that physician had been asked to leave his practice due to overprescribing narcotics. No action was taken against him or his license.
In 1986, I entered into a hospital for drug dependency. I ended up leaving because the pain of the withdrawal was too much to bear. I would go to work and if I would run out of my medication, I would inject myself with morphine or dilaudid to get me thru til I could get another prescription.
When that physician lost his practice, I began to phone in my own prescriptions under ficticious names. In 1995, on a 100 pill a day addiciton, I was arrested and put into jail which is where I withdrew from the drug. I had drug charges in 6 counties and 2 states. All of the counties I was charged in gave me suspended sentences. The court's overall statement was that I had not committed a crime against society, but against myself. The judge in a county in Ohio, however, did not agree. He sentenced me to 4.5 years in prison and denied me rehabilitation.
I am now in a correctional institution in Ohio-- 3 hours away from my family and my fiance. My mother is 75 years old and does not drive.
I went thru a long period of time where I was very angry and bitter. I had actually given up the will to live. I lost over 100 pounds in about 8 months.
Being raised in a christian home I chose to turn to God for help. It was very quickly that the anger began to turn to peace and began to look at things in a whole new perspective. I see so many lives wrecked by any number of things: drugs, alcohol, abusive homes. Beautiful human lives, valuable human lives, diminished to nothing...What's wrong? These human warehouses packed full and busting out at the seams with men and women that made mistakes. Maybe wrong choices in life. So many of these men and women's support systems have deteriorated into nothing over time, if they even had one to begin with.
As I see it, the only difference that can be made is on a personal and individual basis. We as adults have to take responsibility for our actions and choices. Good or Bad. We don't have to enter "the system" we know the behavior, the acts that lead to punitive consequences and we must take a stand thinking enough of ourselves and our loved ones to stay clear of the penal system. How is this possible? To begin with, I believe we need to recognize that we are imperfect beings. There is only One who is perfect and always has been and He is the only One able and qualified to guide us. I have found through personal experience that in my time of lonliness, despair, anger and fear, I can always depend on Him to comfort me, give me peace, and give me joy even though I'm surrounded with such misery.
Instead of being angry and bitter and blaming "the system" and everything else, I have chosen this time to be used as my "wake up call." To reflect on my life, past and future. To see the mistakes that I've made and be determined to learn from them. I'm determined never to be separated from my loved ones again and when I'm rejoined with my loved ones, I want to be responsible and productive.
There's much to be said for a family, or a wife or fiance that sticks with an incarcerated person. It's those indviduals that provide strength and hope that there is something to hold on to and hope that there is a better day coming. Until that day arrives, we should learn to rest safely in the arms of the One who holds our future and turn to Him for strength, courage and hope.
May God bless and comfort all of you, George Bailey
My name is George Bailey. I'm 33 years old. I was born and raised in a small community in Indiana. My father was a minister until he retired. After that, he entered into politics and became mayor of our town. He passed away unexpectedly,while in office in 1993. Mother is retired from the nursing department at our county hospital after about 30 years of service. She still resides in our town. I have one brother and 3 sisters. Growing up, we had a close family and I enjoyed what I feel is a typically normal childhood.
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