MI- 'It has ruined our whole lives'

A commenter questions this story, but I see no reason to doubt the journalist knowing they have to -fact check- their stories before publishing them; standard for all journalists and this is from a major paper in Michigan. No reason to doubt the story.

11-21-2008 Michigan:

All felonies come with a stigma, but few are worse than criminal sexual conduct charges.

"Benjamin," who asked to use an alias, became a sex offender at age 17 when a 12-year-old girl stripped in a park in front of him.

At the time, Benjamin didn't realize what a nightmare it would become.

Kids in his neighborhood chanted "sex offender" when he walked by, and he soon learned to avoid contact with unfamiliar people for fear of another charge.

"The stress builds up pretty fast," he said. "Basically, I just isolate myself from the rest of the world."

But when his family's home went into foreclosure and he moved in with friends, Benjamin wasn't sure how to re-register as a sex offender. In October 2007, he was arrested and eventually sent to prison for three months for not registering. He missed both Christmas and his birthday.

Benjamin's mother and younger brother now live in subsidized housing in Grand Haven, but Benjamin isn't allowed to stay with them because of his two felonies.

Most employers don't give him the time of day, Benjamin said, and temporary agencies tell him to come back in 10 years. Without the ability to find work, his mother and grandmother are forced to cover his rent to live with friends in Ferrysburg.

Benjamin's mother, who also asked not to be identified, said she just wants the family back under one roof.

"It has ruined our whole lives," she said. "His life was ruined by the age of 17."

Benjamin has missed out on college and work, and he said he can't even afford a driver's license. At one point, he considered suicide, but a friend convinced him to hold on.

"Basically, the only way I'm getting through are my friends and family holding me up," he said.

Like Benjamin, many parolees rely on family when they first get out of prison, while others are released to the Holland Rescue Mission — according to Mark Kornelis, program supervisor for the Ottawa County Community Action Agency.

Kornelis oversees the housing portion of the Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative, a state program for parolees who live in Ottawa County.

He said parolees must first obtain some form of employment before the agency will find them a place to live — "a sort of Catch 22," he said.

Those who have no place to live — perhaps they're no longer allowed at the mission — are unfortunately on the street, he said.

However, the Community Action Agency has occasionally offered those with no place to go a room at an "affordable" hotel or motel for a couple of weeks, Kornelis said.

James Lewis, 38, has double-digit felonies, but almost all were from his teenage years. He was in prison from age 19 to 32 for driving a stolen truck into a Holland gas station.

He currently lives with a friend in Grand Haven, but can't find a job — partially because of his record. He's also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a social disorder, anxiety and ADHD. Plus, he still has pain in his shoulder from an accident that happened when he was 7 years old.

Every few weeks, Lewis said the pain becomes so extreme that he goes to the emergency room for relief. The visits cost around $700 per month, he said — much more than he can afford.

"I go to the emergency room and they shoot me in my sides and send me on my way with a prescription I can't even pay for," he said.

Along with overdue hospital bills, Lewis owes around $2,000 in child support for his 3-year-old daughter.

Lewis has applied for around 200 jobs in the past few years, and has gotten several of them. But they've all involved activity, which wears on his shoulder.

Now Lewis is banking on qualifying for disability.

"I heard it was a long process, but I figure that's my last hope," he said. ..News Source.. by PETER DAINING