Connecting with CCA Family in Crisis
One morning when I was 12 years old, I got up early to begin my paper route and noticed a light on in the front of the house. Not hearing any noise coming from the area, I went to investigate. What I found there was the beginning of a living hell. I found my father sprawled out on the kitchen floor. I screamed in horror because I thought he was dead. My mother responded to my panic; she told me he was not dead but drunk and passed out.
That started the flow of events that have impacted my life to this day. During my years growing up in the home of an alcoholic, I lived in fear. My father was mean and abusive to both my mother and me.
I left home after high school and, like many others during the 1970s, I experimented with a lot of alcohol and drug use. This behavior continued for many years. I began to use, not for the way it made me feel, but for the way it made me not feel. During that time, I was lucky that I never harmed anyone or suffered severe consequences as a result of my choices.
I am sharing this with you because of something that has recently happened in my life. You see, the destruction of addiction has been a part of my life for nearly 45 years and its pinnacle was most poignantly felt at my son’s funeral.
My son recently died of an overdose. He was only 30 years old and left behind a mother, two young children, and many other family members and friends who loved him.
The longest walk I have ever had to make in my life was at the funeral home. That distance was from the rear of the chapel to the front of my son's casket. The only way I made it was by having the support and strength of my God, my wife, my other son, and others, which include my CCA family.
The support from the staff of South Central Correctional Center and Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility gave me strength to endure that day and the days that followed. In addition, I drew comfort that day from the support of team members of the Inmate Programs Department. These folks stood and held me that day at the funeral home and have continued to hold me in the subsequent days. Many others of the FSC's staff have made their way to my desk and offered me support, words of comfort and encouragement.
I want to thank every one of my brothers and sisters at CCA for their prayers, thoughts, and cards during this time. I want every one of you who reads this to realize that it does not matter if you are the CEO or a security officer who just finished a 16-hour shift. We are not just a company, but also a family who truly cares for each other.
Thank you for everything and may God bless each of you as God has blessed me by bringing me here to this company.