March 6, 2015
Finally, after fighting tooth and nail, being jerked around by a seemingly impenetrable penal system, justice has prevailed! As a new man, trying to take control of my own life, understanding the importance of no longer depending on my parents to pick me up and dust me off, I made the decision to do everything in my limited capabilities as a ward of the state, to fight the accusations against me in pertaining to substance abuse. For a while I thought that I would never win, understanding my situation and the slim odds of any inmate reaching a 'not guilty' verdict in any case, but I knew that if I didn't at least try to fight I would never forgive myself. And wouldn't you know it, after six long months, I finally won! Today I received another letter from the Correctional Inspections Committee, whom I've sent multiple letters to in order to help me with my predicament. In this last letter, they stated that they contacted prison officials again on my behalf, concerning their improper procedures pertaining to my drug screening. The committee was informed that my case was reheard by Columbus officials and as a result I was found not guilty. I was so excited to read this, I could hardly contain myself. Before reading this letter, not a single staff member took the time to notify me of this new finding. So I had to make sure this was true, not trusting my unit caseworker as a result of our last encounter, I decided to go a little higher up and ask the Sargent to look up my file. The Sargent brought me into his office, looked up my records and found that the incident concerning a positive urine screening for substances had been completely wiped from my record, as if it never even happened. This is such a major relief for me and right on time too, just when I really needed to hear some good news the most. For me, this is God's way of showing me my prayers will be answered if I just continue to work hard, have faith, and be patient.
Steven Dybvad
