Criminals, Justice, and the Grace of God.

An exposition: By, William R. Lewis W.V. C.F. l.D.O.C. # 866155 PO Box 1111 Carlisle, IN 47838 Thus it is demonstrated that to capture a man it is not enough to enslave his body it is necessary to enlist his reason; that to free a man it is not enough to strike the shackles from his limbs his mind must be liberated from the bondage to his own ignorance.~~ (Manly P. Hall, 1901-1990, Founder of The Philosophical Research Society.)

There are none so enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free. (Goethe) As a Convicted Habitual Criminal having spent most of my teenage and adult life in and out of the Indiana Department of Corrections my genuiness as a rehabilitative and changed person is of course questionable. Personally I would be skeptical of any convicted criminal claiming to be rehabilitated because the process of rehabilitation involves change; and change involves pain and pain is something we as human beings naturally strive to avoid. The reason change involves pain is because in order to experience true rehabilitation one must first engage in the painful work of honesty and selfreflection:

But while consciousness is the whole cause of pain, it is also the cause of our salvation, because salvation is the process of becoming increasingly conscious. When we become increasingly conscious, we go further into the desert instead of burrowing into a hole like the people who choose not to grow up. And as we travel onward, we bear more and more pain because of our very consciousness.

As I said above, the word salvation means healing. It comes from the same word as salve, something which you put on your skin in order to heal an area of irritation or infection. Salvation is the process of healing and the process of becoming whole. And health, wholeness, and holiness are all derived from the same root. They all mean virtually the same thing. Even old Atheist Sigmund Freud recognized the relationship between healing and consciousness when he said that the process and purpose of psychotherapy healing of the Psyche was to make the unconscious conscious; that is, to increase consciousness.

Carl Yung further helped us understand the unconscious, ascribing evil to our refusal to meet our shadow, or that part of our personality that we like to deny, that we like not to think about, not to be conscious of, that were continually trying to sweep under the rug of consciousness and keep unconscious.

Note that Yung ascribed human evil not to the shadow itself but to the refusal to meet this shadow. And refusal is a very active term. Those people who are evil are not just passively unconscious or ignorant; they will go far out of their way to remain ignorant or unconscious; they will kill or start wars to do so... It is no accident that people who commit the most evil in this world are people who see no power higher than themselves... (Further Along the Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott Peck M.D. 1993, Touchstone Pub.) I can certainly testify to the truth of Dr. Pecks words. In fact many of the most notorious criminals I have encountered within prison, those who have committed the most brutal and heinous crimes, who show no feelings of regret or shame, are the ones who do not believe in God or the nature of evil itself. They are, in their own minds, a god unto themselves! To deny, or be unaware of the nature of evil as a real force within the world and human nature itself, is to open oneself to the influence or in many case even the possession of evil. Whether we realize it or not, there is an unseen battle that exists just outside our normal range of perception. This battle is for the souls and the minds of mankind itself and in order to protect one self, you have to recognize and understand the enemy and how the enemy works: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12) The mind is a battlefield and we all must become psychological gardeners if we are going to defeat the enemy of

our souls. The mind is like fertile soil and thoughts are seeds that are planted either by ourselves or by outside influences. When you plant seeds eventually they begin to grow into desires. Desires can be either good or bad; positive or negative; light vs. darkness, etc. These desires can manifest themselves in many ways; greed, lust, hate, pride, and etc. eventually if you entertain these thoughts and desires long enough, they will grow into fully mature actions; greed will turn into theft, lust may turn into rape, hate can turn into murder, and pride can cause a person to step all over the feelings of others without any consideration whatsoever! The ascension or descension of the personality always follows three steps; 1. Thought 2. Desire 3. Action When we begin to entertain and dwell on negative thoughts that become desires we are opening the door for negative energies to get a foothold and this is very dangerous. The Bible calls Satan the Prince of the Power of the Air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:2) As the Power of the Air, Satans influence is received via the mind. For many criminals within prison, especially those who have committed the most horrible crimes, the reality of who they are and what they have done is too much and to painful of a reality to allow them to pursue an intense and honest selfreflection of themselves which is needed for true positive change and so they instead choose denial and justification as a means to cope with their own feelings of guilt and self-condemnation. Denial A mental mechanism; a person disowns an intolerable thought, wish or need.. .an effort to allay anxiety and

resolve conflict.. .it can lead to serious mental illness when overused.. .the only real cure for denial is confession (owning up to ones faults). (The Psychology of Counseling, by Clyde M. Narramore, Ed.D., Zondervan Publishing House, 1960) Change for me began when I finally admitted to myself that I was a parasite, preying on others who I deemed weaker or lesser human beings than myself. I glorified the criminal, anti-social, and gangster mentality based on respect through violence! My whole attitude and perception about life and others was shaped by a warped and evil materialistic and selfish ambition to be somebody, to have respect (through fear) and to hell with anyone else who wasnt down for me and my ideals. For many years I thought that being a convict and being hard was cool! however, I eventually came to recognize the real underlying emotion that causes all criminals who want to be hard is fear.. .not fear of violence in and of itself, but fear that others will know theyre afraid... In prison, its easy to justify violence when the law of the jungle rules and in order to avoid becoming the victim or preyed upon one must make it clear that they are not an easy target. But the question I asked myself was, where does the violence end? The only answer that came to mind was with me! The violence can only stop when I refuse to participate anymore! That doesnt mean that the violence against me or around me stops; it only means that I have chosen to stop! Of course, that course of action is recognized as weak by prison standards and by doing so, one becomes an easy target! However, I have discovered that in turning the other cheek involves great strength because to do so means swallowing ones pride and allowing oneself to feel humiliated in the presence of others. Why would anyone choose to go through that, to become despised and a reproach?

Indeed, why did Jesus Christ choose it? if there is nothing more to life than just the here and now, and there is nothing more to be had and experienced other than what we can see and touch with our physical senses, then of course my decision to turn the other cheek and surrender my pride and respect would have been foolish. But if life does have a greater purpose, and if the world we currently inhabit is only a temporary training ground and prelude to something greater and eternal, then its only natural and wise that one gives consideration and attention to the more important spiritual and moral principles of life and conscious. Life is about choices we make, either for good or bad. The choices we make are based upon our understanding and perception of how we see ourselves and the world around us. The ancients taught that the first discipline of a wise man is to know thyself; the second discipline is to know the enemy. More often than not youll discover that you are your own worst enemy. People of the Lie =

For most of us, if there is evidence around us that might point to our own sin and imperfection, if that evidence pushes us up against the wall, we usually come to recognize that something is wrong and we make some kind of self-correction. Those who do not, I call people of the lie because one of their distinguishing characteristics is their ability to lie to themselves, as well as to others, and to insist on being ignorant of their own faults or wrongdoing. Their guiding motive is to feel good about themselves, at all costs, at all times, no matter what evidence there may be that points to their sin or imperfection. Rather than using it to make some kind of self-correction, they will instead often at great expense of energy set about

trying to exterminate the evidence. They will use all the power at their disposal to impose their wills unto someone else in order to protect their own sick selves. And that is where most of their evil is committed, in that inappropriate extermination, that inappropriate blaming... (Further Along the Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck M.D.) Our jails are filled with people who are there precisely because they do not have any guilt, or do not have enough guilt. We need a certain amount of guilt in order to exist in society... (Further Along the Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott Peck M.D., copyright 1993, Touchstone Publishing) It is easy to play the blaming game rather than taking responsibility for ourselves and moving on to a more positive and realistic path. In prison I meet a lot of individuals who always attempt to justify themselves by placing the burden of evil on God Himself, claiming that since God created all things then He must have created evil as well and therefore all of the evil and suffering in the world is a result of God creating it, therefore God is to blame! In most cases when I attempt to offer an intelligent and educated explanation to this seemingly mysterious concept we call evil and its origin, they do not want an answer at all, rather their question is to seek support for what they have already determined to be the answer in their own mind. Any attempt to enlighten them is of course a wasted gesture. There is an old saying, A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still. How true that is? However, for the reader of this current exposition, I will attempt to answer the question. The rise of evil is not so much a creation but a result of freewill. When God created the angels and later mankind as well, He bestowed within and upon all of us free-will. If not for free-will we would all be like robots and slaves without any responsibility to be held accountable for our actions. When God granted all of His

creatures the gift of free-will (free thinking) He left all of us free to make our own choices. Yet He also instilled within and upon His creatures an instinctual code of morality as well. Since God is Love and desiring love in return, then it was necessary that His creatures have total and complete freedom of thought and freedom of choice! Anything less would not have resulted in true love and worship from the angels or mankind. God takes no pleasure from a forced allegiance. However, freewill also opened the door for evil and rebellion from His creatures as well if they chose such a path. God knew the danger involved of course, yet He recognized the necessity of allowing it to proceed according to the ultimate divine purpose and plan. God is in the process of creating a perfect and holy divine family through those who choose willingly to repent and serve Him through Jesus Christ (who is our example first born of the divine plan; see 1 Peter 2:5, Romans 8:29, and Colossians 1:15-18). Of course this explanation has been given from my own understanding, so I will now offer my readers a more respected and educated answer from one of our classical Philosophers of Antiquity: Title: The Consolation of Philosophy

By: Amicus Manlius Severinus Boethius; born 480 A.D. and executed in 524 A.D. for sharing his philosophy. Subject:God and free will Much of the discussion focuses on the question of how humans could have free will, the capacity for genuine choice over what they do, and yet at the same time there could be a God who
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knows in advance precisely what they will in fact do. Without free will there cannot be rational action; yet if God can see what we are going to do, it is not at all clear in what sense we genuinely free to exercise choice.1 Philosophys answer to this conundrum in part turns on the distinction between predestination and foreknowledge. Those who believe in predestination argue that God has brought it about that certain events will inevitably happen in the future. Philosophy argues that Gods knowing that certain choices will be made does not cause those things to happen human beings can still make a choice. So divine foreknowledge is compatible with genuine choice for humans since knowing what will happen does not predestine it to happen.

And yet it might seem that if God knows in advance what we will choose, our apparent choice is an illusion, not really free will, but the fantasy of it. Philosophys response to this line of criticism is that our idea of foreknowledge erroneously, but understandably, rests on human experience of time. But God is not like us in important respects. In particular God is outside time, His foreknowledge is comparable to our knowledge of the present: past, present and future are all as one to Him. Our perception of what is happening now doesnt make what is happening happen. Nor then does Gods foreknowledge wipe out the possibility of genuine free choice about what we do. Our mistake is to think of Gods relation to time as like our own. God is aware of everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen. Philosophy ends the book by exhorting Boethius to virtue since he is living in the sight of judge who, from a position outside time sees and knows everything. (Excerpt from; Philosophy: The Classics, 2nd Ed., by Nigel Warburton; Published by Routledge)

This intelligent man Boethius was executed for his convictions and in that sense he is worthy of our respect. The problem with most criminals who lack wisdom is they make the mistake of thinking that they are smarter than everyone else which is why they always, and eventually, get caught! When you take into consideration Murphys Law (whatever can go wrong, will go wrong) and the reality of ~karma (what goes around, comes around) one wonders why any intelligent criminal would choose to continue in a life of crime anyway? I speak from experience, because it took me over half my life to figure this out. Even if we consider life from a worldly perspective, one has to ask the question, What is the purpose of life? The answer is (or should be) to be happy and successful! However, for those who would choose to be a gangsta are knowingly choosing unhappiness and failure because everybody knows there is no future in becoming a gangsta except prison or death! Yet many people choose this kind of self-destruction and anti-social life every day. The illegal sales of drugs is alluring because it represents a quick and easy profit minus hard work and you get to be your own boss in the process without sacrificing a little of the ego or pride for having to take orders from someone else who holds a position of authority. However, a drug dealers prosperity is always short lived due to the nature of the business itself. If someone else doesnt kill you, you will eventually be taken down by one of your own customers who will be used as a witness to set you up and testify against you in court. Understand, the drug dealer doesnt get caught because someone snitched on him (thats going to happen anyway) the drug dealer gets caught because he chose to sell drugs! Now he finds himself in prison living on $20 a month and taking orders from people who have absolute authority over him telling him when he can eat, sleep, stand, or use the restroom! And if you ask him if, while he was making all that quick and easy

money, did he put any on the side for attorney fees later on, most of the time his answer will be No, because he didnt think that he would get caught. Go figure! Hear, 0 my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.. .Take fast hold of instructions; let her not go; keep her; for she is thy life. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of the evil man. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. (Proverbs 4:10-11, 13-19) The criminal always blames his capture and failure on someone or something else never realizing that his choices and his failure to remember God are what cause him to stumble and fall: He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. (Job 5:12) 14:1) The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. (Psalm

As Dr. Peck stated before, ignorance is an active term, a result of choosing to ignore or deny ones own evil nature (shadow). This helps us to better understand what Jesus meant in the Gospel of John: And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither

cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (John 3:19-21) In preparation for this manuscript, I decided to do a little research in the facility library on Criminology itself. I did not want my own observations and experiences of crime and the criminal mentality to be based solely on my own understanding which however substantiated may be fraught with ignorance. I therefore chose two books in particular that I felt addressed the issues at hand quite eloquently. These two books are as follows: 1. Theoretical Criminology, Third Edition; by George B~ VoId and Thomas J. Bernard, copyright 1958, 1979, 1986, by Oxford Press University) 2. Correctional Treatment, Theory and Practice, by Clemens Bartollas, copyright 1985, by Prentice-Hall, Inc. Using these two books as a main point of reference along with several other sources I was able to formulate (with Gods guidance) a fairly enlightening and accurate understanding of crime, criminals, the justice system and Gods grace. What soon became apparent to me after only a brief examination of the material selected is that there really are no answers to this problem we call crime and the criminals who commit it. After all is said and done, the experts cannot offer any concrete explanations or solutions to the problem of Americas rising crime rate. No matter how much money, time and energy is spent, the criminal justice system cannot stop the rise of crime and chaos in our streets: Although rehabilitation programs were found to benefit offenders in a variety of ways, in general these programs did not appear to affect recidivism.., this finding indicates that participation in

rehabilitation programs apparently has little effect on whether a criminal does or does not return to crime. It does not necessarily mean, however, that most criminals do return to crime... (Theoretical Criminology, chapter eighteen) In recent years most criminology theories have focused on social factors as causes of criminal behaviors. Given the present state of empirical research, it seems reasonable to conclude that this present focus is appropriate. A substantial majority of criminals are apparently biologically and psychologically normal individuals whose criminal behaviors arise because they are placed in particular kinds of social situations... (Theoretical Criminology, chapter nineteen) While I will not attempt to examine all of the fields of research related to criminology in this current work, I will only attempt to touch base on the more pertinent issues that I feel are the core of the problem. Further research can be pursued individually as a matter of personal interest as the reader desires. I will say however that the field of research is extensive and involves many different branches all connected to the same tree. These include, but are not limited to the following: spiritual explanations-natural explanations-criminal behavior as freely chose-criminal behavior as caused... These categories involve such issues as: Theories related to intelligence-biological factors-personality disorderspoverty and inequality factors... in conclusion to all of these factors or ~causes there is always inconclusive evidence and questions concerning the validity to any one cause or causes. Over the years Ive noticed a change in the personality and the demeanor of the younger generation entering the justice system. They seem to be increasingly more violent and ignorant lacking severely in attention and reading skills. They are noticeably more angry and confused, arrogant and devoid of any normal feelings of remorse. They seem to have no direction or

purpose in life other than what todays society has conditioned them to recognize as normal American values; greed, violence, materialism and selfishness. We as a society create and sustain our own values and standards and our children are being raised up in a drug infested society surrounded by the promotion of sexual immorality and violent televised programming. In many households across America, television and video games, along with the internet have basically taken over the role of parent and teacher: It has been estimated that 78% of Americans with children use the TV, at least occasionally, as an electronic babysitter. The pattern seems to be one which decreases the amount of social interaction both inside and outside of the home. The implications of such a pattern are significant. With regard to children, the lessening of interaction between parents and children may result in deficits of the social skills and intimacy modeling necessary for them to develop healthy peer relations.. .there is some evidence that viewing violence may also lead to a kind of desensitization whereby those who watch repeated acts of violence become less concerned about victims of violence and suffering in real life.. .the heavy emphasis on advertising in commercial television is likely to lead to a materialistic or consumption-oriented value system. (Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology, Edited by David G. Benner, copyright 1985) I did not bother to quote the influence of sexual promiscuity our children are seeing everyday which is seeding the birth of future sexual predators. Our society is designed so as to produce thousands of new criminals every year and this same structure also guarantees that most criminals will continue in a life of crime as soon as they are released. The way our society is structured and functions is predetermined to promote not only crime but also

of injustice in dealing with it. Prosecutors are concerned more with the conviction of criminals than they are with Truth and Appropriate Justice. When I say appropriate justice (from a Biblical perspective), should always be tempered with Mercy. Mercy and truth preserve the King (Judge): and his throne (bench) is upholding by mercy. (Proverbs 20:28 *italics mine) Prison and correctional institutions are designed unintentionally, to ensure that the criminal learns his or her values and behaviors by associating with other criminals. Just placing all criminals together results in prisons serving as a school for crime. Once out of prison, ex-offenders often find it hard to get the opportunities needed for successful change. In a country that emphasizes material gain as the standard for determining ones self worth, a young man just getting out of prison and already plagued with feelings of low self-worth will not accept living in poverty for very long. Frustrated, they often feel that crime is the only thing they can turn to in order to escape the hopelessness of poverty. The poor and less well educated are also more likely to be involved in crimes of violence (a result of living in violent and turbulent neighborhoods), which increases the probability of a harsher prison sentence. The justice system places more emphasis on punishment rather than treating the problem (because just warehousing inmates is less expensive than treatment programs, but the consequences of rising crime and the burden on tax payers becomes worse in the end). Psychologists point out that most juvenile delinquent children and adult offenders suffer from what is termed, Psychopathic Personality Disorder (anti-social).

Reviews of the use of personality tests sometimes conclude that most criminals fall into one of three personality types: the neurotic or conflicted offenders, who is characterized by some form of mental illness; the unsocialized or psychopathic offender, who lacks any feelings of guilt; and the normal offenders, whose criminality is derived from close social ties to other offenders... (Theoretical Criminology, Third Edition, chapter seven) One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the Anti-social criminal is the extreme resentment and hostility towards authority (especially law enforcement and correctional officers). This hostility goes far beyond normal resentment that a functional person may have (because we all harbor some form of resentment towards authority at certain times). In prison the correctional officer is not recognized by the anti-social offender as a responsible citizen performing a duty necessary for the safety and security of society. On the contrary, the anti-social offender esteems the officer as the enemy and the cause of his, the offenders, discomfort and pain. As a result, the anti-social criminal directs all of his frustration and rage at the officer as a means to release the turmoil he has bottled up inside himself. In my younger years I also harbored such feelings of rage and resentment towards the correctional officers as well. My attitude and my understanding began to take on a more realistic and positive perspective when I began to embrace the teachings contained in the Bible: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained by God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same; for he is the minister of God to thee for good. but if though do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is the

minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. (Romans 13:1-4) This does not mean to imply that corruption and injustice does not exist within prison and government; abuse and indifference to personal and due process rights does indeed exist: Experience hath shown, that even under the best forms [of government] those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operation, perverted it into tyranny. (Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States I 1743-1826:) Correctional administrators also frequently abuse the authority given to them by denying the due process rights of inmates. Frogel believes that one of the most fruitful ways the prison can teach the non law-abiders to be law abiding is to treat them in a law abiding manner. (Correctional Treatment, Theory and Practice, #3) However, above and beyond this corruption and abuse of power, the justice system is honorable and worthy of our respect. There has to be a balance, a reckoning force between the forces of evil and chaos. The whole purpose in society coming together as one and forming a government is to bring order out of chaos so that mankind can live in peace and harmony! Sadly in todays world all we have in our streets is chaos and murder. Society pushes this rising problem onto the already over burdened justice system and expects the problem to just go away. however, unless society as whole comes together and puts real effort and finances into treating the problem, then the end results are going to be far worse than what we already see as a serious problem in and of itself. Humiliation and harassment by some correctional officers intent on provoking the already angry and unsocialized offender is a common practice in prison; especially on segregated units where the inmates are confined behind closed doors twenty four hours a day. This kind of

treatment can be compared to keeping an unsocialized dog in a cage for several years and every day the owner walks by and pokes it with a stick. The danger is that when that dog finally gets an opportunity to roam free, it is going to attack someone. Society is at risk because many of the angry unsocialized offenders have not learned to assess and control their anger and they are being returned to society in a state of extreme psychosis. It is extremely important that efforts be made to try and reach the offender with the realities that have contributed and shaped his negative outlook and behavior. You cannot just point out to him that any particular crime is wrong and against the law (he already knows this but doesnt care). But rather he must be taught to recognize and understand the nature and dynamics of why it is wrong and why we all need to respect and help each other as a community in order to survive: Unless repeat and multiple offenders make conscious decisions to walk away from crime and find support systems to help them succeed in this goal, they may end up spending a large portion of their lives in prison. (Correctional Treatment, Theory and Practice, chapter two) Rehabilitation is ultimately a choice that the criminal must make on his or her own. however, in order for the criminal to make the right choices leading to his eventual freedom and successful reintegration back into society, he must first come to understand the dynamics of his own personality and thinking flaws. The offender must be taught how to recognize and discipline his own thinking. Upon release there needs to be transition shelters set up that cater to specific needs of those offenders who need continued outpatient assistance in finding work and adequate housing! Follow-up studies from incarceration (Anderson Hem, 1959) indicate a maximum rate of improvement from imprisonment of somewhere around 50%, with a slight advantage going to those

programs which are highly structured and rigid. (Craft, Stephenson, and Granger, 1964: Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology, 1985) I think it very crucial that efforts be focused on reaching our troubled youth and giving them the understanding and skills needed to free themselves from how their dysfunctional family or environment has conditioned them to become anti-social people: Conduct Disorders; A group cfdiagnoses commonly given to children and adolescents who are referred for Psychiatric evaluation and treatment because of anti-social behavior... Categorization; DSM-1 11 categorizes conduct disorders according to the presence or Absence of Aggression in the antisocial child, and as to whether or not the child is socialized. The Aggressive Conduct Disorder child violates the rights of others by either physical violence against persons or property (e.g., vandalism, rape, fire setting or thefts outside the home which involve confrontation with the victim)... Undersocialized, Aggressive; These patients will be seen to have a high degree of egocentrism with no meaningful relationships. Their orientation toward others is in terms of what they can get from the other person, giving nothing in return. The Aggressive Anti-social behavior may take the form of bullying, physical aggression, and cruelty toward peers. Toward adults they may be hostile, verbally abusive, defiant, and negative (nongoal directed)... These individuals have often experienced parental rejection, frequently alternating with unrealistic overprotection, especially from the consequences of their behavior.. .the child is labeled a bad kid, and punishment at this time invariably increases the maladapted expression of rage. There is also persistent enuresis to an advanced age.

Typically, these individuals are described as hostile, provocative, and uncooperative... (Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology, Edited by David G. Benner, copyright 1985) This behavior is carried over into adulthood by the antisocial: In adulthood these behaviors usually continue .anti-social behavior continues, apparently compulsively, usually evidenced by a growing police record... (Anti-social Personality Disorder, Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology, 1985)
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If we as a society do not treat this problem while the child is still young and impressionable, then we will have to deal with it when they are adults and less likely to be reached by the voice of reason. America is called the Land of the Free yet people are afraid to step out of their own house for fear of being assaulted or murdered by some young ignorant gang banger who knows nothing about life other than what we as a society have taught them to see, violence, greed, dishonesty, sex, etc... America houses more criminals than any other country in the world, maybe even Russia itself. We as a people need to address this problem now, by ourselves as a community. We dont need more government, we need leadership and action. We need to focus our resources and give up some of our everyday luxuries and wasteful spending. We need to teach our children about moral virtue and bestow a sense of self-worth within themselves that is not based on what one has but on who one is! We need to hold the media and entertainment industry responsible for the content and the images that they are shoving down our childrens throats! As an American citizen you need to know your position as a Sovereign individual. The Constitution of the United States declares you to be a sovereign individual created in Gods image and government

emanates from you, not you a subject to government. We the people decide what is law in accordance to our constitutional rights! We the people decide how our tax dollars will be used, not the government. Under our system, the people, who were there (in England) called subjects are here to sovereign.. .their rights, whether collective or individual, are not bound to give way to a sentiment of loyalty to the person of a monarch. The citizen here (in America) knows no person, however in years to those in power, or however powerful himself to whom he need yield the rights which the law secures to him... (United States vs. Lee, 106 U.S. 196 at 208) Here (in America)sovereignty rests with the people. (Chisholm Exr vs. Georgia IL. ed 2 DalI 415, 472) The following definition of sovereignty is from Bowviers 4th Edition Law Dictionary (quoting from 4 Wheat, 402) It has been justly thought a matter of importance to determine from what source the United States derives its authority.. .the question here proposed is whether our bond of union is a compact entered into by the States, or whether the Constitution is an organic law established by the people. To this we answer; We the People... Ordain and establish this Constitution... the government of the state had only delegated power (from the people) and even if they had an inclination, they had no authority to transfer the authority of the sovereign people. The people in their capacity as Sovereigns made and adopted the Constitution; and it binds the state governments without the states consent. The United States, as a whole, therefore, emanates from the people and not from the states, and the Constitution and the laws of the states whether made before or since the adoption of that Constitution of the United States, are subordinate to the United States Constitution and the laws made in pursuance of it.

In the United States the people are sovereign and the government cannot sever its relationship to the people by taking away their citizenship. (Afroyim vs. Rusk, 387 U.S. 253, (1967)) We have stacked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God. (James Madison, 4th President of the United States) We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness. (The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776:)

This is not a call to incite rebellion or anarchy; this is a call for conscious awareness; a call for action through appropriate litigation.. .ln a court of Law, if you do not know and exercise your rights, then you have no rights! The use of physical force against established government both civil and federal only creates opportunity for Martial Law which gives even more delegated power to the government to control your life, as long as this current government exists under the Constitution of 1776 then it remains bound by it, and you have the

power to litigate in a Court of Law any and all violations contrary to the U.S. Constitution. There is an old saying: end...

Mental prowess will always overcome brute force in the

For those inmates who may be reading this, let me break that word down for you: Prowess; 1. Strength, skill, and courage, especially in battle. 2. A daring and valiant deed. (Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary) Notice I said, mental prowess, not physical! Change for me was a direct result of God working in my life through a desire to understand truth.. .Jesus stated: And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32) The truth that sets you free is knowing who you are and why you are. who are you? you are a man created in the image of God (spiritually). As the image of God you are governed not by instinct alone~ but by reason of free thought, freedom to choose, Why are you? you are because God loves you: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the Sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the Sons of God, and doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for

we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. You are the object of Gods love; thats why you were created; thats why Christ died; because God loves you! The term Grace literally means unmerited favor. We cannot earn Gods favor, we can only accept it by faith in Jesus Christ His Son. Grace was designed for criminals such as myself; Jesus stated; They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth. I will have mercy, and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Matthew 9:12-13) As hurting, angry and perverted criminals we are the ones that Jesus came for, we are the sick! Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7-8) So must it be! Shalom and God bless! Sincerely, William Lewis