Grandmother.
These terms may seem mutually exclusive, but all of them may be used to describe Janice Jones, a 47-year-old woman serving 10 years in Taft's Eddie Warrior Correctional Facility.
"I made a bad choice," said Jones, who will be considered for parole in 2011. "I was a bondsman, but I had a drinking problem."
Jones was on parole for driving under the influence in 2003 when she and a friend got into an argument while consuming alcohol. Her friend, Jones said, tried to rape her, and she stabbed him during the struggle.
According to Jones, although she didn't intend to kill her friend, the fact that she violated her parole made the incident first-degree manslaughter.
"It was self-defense, and I never left the scene," she said. "But I was hysterical, so when the police showed up I got in a fight with them. I got assault and battery charges, and since I was out on parole it all stacked up."
Jones added that she was lucky to have a short sentence, since one of her friends received 75 years for the same offense. "Even though I was caught up in a bad situation, it was for the better."
The Department of Corrections, Jones explained, exists to correct inmates' behavior and change their lives. But it can't force those changes upon anyone.
"If you think you're coming in to play games, you won't change," Jones said. "Some people here will push you along the wrong path. But I made up my mind to do what I can to help people as a role model. Now they call me 'Mama Janice.'"
Jones regularly attends the Christian Women's Association, Genesis I, and substance abuse classes offered in Eddie Warrior, and she serves as a counselor for new inmates.
She also noted that her experience in prison has changed her outlook.
"I couldn't deal with life's turns after my mom died, so I dealt with them with a bottle," she said. "But you can make it without drugs and alcohol. I'll never drink again. And I don't say that lightly.
"It's up to us to change."
Brian Britt is a TU senior studying communication.
1 comment:
This is very true. I had the opportunity to meet Janice and yes she was a true role model.Thank you Janice!
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