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 determined that his arrest and admission that he did, in fact, take the shortcut violated the conditions of his parole. jones expected to learn his fate after a hearing with the parole examiner. so regarding my findings in this hearing, i m going to defer them for a period of ten days in an effort to look everything over. i m going to make a recommendation after i come up with my decision. i m not going to recommend anything today. the delay in his ruling meant jones would have to remain in jail until the board could reach a decision. come on, sir. how am i going to sleep tonight?
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 everything of the job. i want to go back to that position and really help make a difference in the lives of people that s just getting out of jail and prison. anything else? no, ma am. finally, it was time for the parole examiner to decide jones s fate. coming up i ve just got to really have faith in my prayers right now. another unexpected twist for cerative colitis or crohn s,
whatever shirt i got, i like to have shoes that same color. i had these shoes first to go with a shirt that i had. and it was these shoes that made me go out and pick the color suit that i got. ain t that something? this is something that i love to do, cleaning the bathroom. seeing him back at the noah 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.
they help you stay straight, you know. i wanted to stay straight. i didn t want to go back to prison. i always, you know, participated. and so they finally gave me a job. my job title was peer advocate. and i basically helped ex-offenders. jones was doing well. he says he would ride his bicycle to various other halfway houses to recruit participants for programs at noah house. but eight months into his parole, things went horribly wrong one day when he decided to take a shortcut home through a large hole in a fence. i didn t know that that was a 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.
there working. i really want to be there to help them fulfill the goals and everything of the job. i want to go back to that position and really help make a difference in the lives of people that s just getting out of jail and prison. anything else? no, ma am. finally, it was time for the parole examiner to decide jones s fate. coming up i ve just got to really have faith in my prayers right now. another unexpected twist for valester jones.