crime to cross over the railroad tracks because the whole neighborhood goes through that way, back and forth. children go to school back and forth from school that way. i see grown folks going through that way all the time. a police officer saw jones cut through the hole and cited him. when he discovered jones was on parole, he arrested him. out of all these years that i was on drugs and alcohol, i m finally clean, doing good. and all of a sudden, bam, you re back in jail. you know, like i hurt my mama again, you know. the trespassing charges were quickly dropped. but because jones was on parole at the time of his arrest, he would have to be detained in jail until the parole commission completed its own investigation. we joined him on the morning of his hearing. on the day that he was going to his hearing, he was very nervous, and rightfully so, because he was going to find out whether he was going to go back to prison for a few years or go back on the street.
alcohol. i d pass out. he was once sentenced to 25 years in prison. and it was during that time that he says he changed his life by getting involved in alcoholics and narcotics anonymous. i started going to naa, aa meetings in prison and started going to church. the only thing i wanted to be around, if you weren t spiritual or talked about something positive, i didn t want to be bothered with you. jones was eventually paroled and found a place to live and work at the noah house. a residential drug treatment program in tampa, florida. but one day when he took a shortcut on the way home from work through a hole in a fence, he was arrested and sent back to jail for trespassing. when they handcuffed me, as soon as they put them handcuffs on me, i cannot lie, you know. as much as i ve been through, i didn t think i d do it, but tears started coming to my eyes. even though the charges were dropped, jones still faced the possibility the returning to prison. if the parole board deter
mr. jones, it states that you violated condition seven by failing to obey all lays, ordinances or statutory conditions of release. at this time we re going to take testimony from officer fricks. i was on the west side of the railroad tracks. i saw the defendant ride his bike towards the tracks. he entered through a hole in a six foot chain link fence that was put up to keep people off the property. and he was stopped on the west side. when you came in contact with him, was he cooperative with you? yes. after a few more questions, the parole examiner asked jones s probation officer to weigh in. well, given that this charge was dismissed, i recommend reinstatement. had he been convicted of the charge, i would have recommended return to prison. mr. jones, is there anything you want to add? i know they need me back there working. i really want to be there to help them fulfill the goals and
house, he really thrived there. he really loved the sense of responsibility and the fact that he was helping his fellow roommates there. always want to keep the mirror looking good. mirror looking good, you re looking good. jones is not taking his second chance at freedom for granted. he gives himself a daily reminder of the shortcut that almost sent him back to prison. i purposely ride my bike that way not to go through there. i go around the long way. but even going around the long way, i can see that place. and it s still open. there s still a big old hole in the fence there. people are still going in and out of it. and i say, well, they ll never have to worry about me doing it no more. i just know now i can t do what everybody else does. this last episode of the trespassing really gave me an eye opener even in a greater way that i ve got to watch every little thing. it s the little things that can lead to a big thing like going back to prison.
there is to be no talking, period. one behind the other, single-file line. a prominent research study estimates that 1 in 31 american adults are either incarcerated, on probation or on parole. just as interesting is the fact that many of the inmates we ve met have told us they actually prefer serving out their sentences in prison to being freed on parole. they say it s difficult to find work and that the parole rules are so strict that they can make a simple mistake and end up in prison where they cause more pain for their families and further tarnish their reputation. few inmates illustrated the problem of walking the thin line of parole better than one we met at the jail in tampa, florida. his name is valester jones. when we first entered one of the jail s open dorm housing units, we noticed a guy, somewhat intimidating, very large, working out on the yard. and at the same time, one of the inmates was telling us that we needed to interview their jail s resident poet. and it a