GROUP PROVIDES SUPPORT TO FAMILIES OF INMATES

The road can be long for families who have loved ones in prison. But in
Texas, help is available so those families don't have to travel alone.

Bille Brown, chairman of the Amarillo chapter of Inmates Family
Organization, a statewide support group, wakes up every morning
feeling as if her two sons are dead.

"You cannot believe it; you are just devastated," Brown said of her
feelings when she learned her sons were going to prison for drug and
burglary offenses.

"You are angry at your child, you are angry at the system, you are
angry at the judge, your family, everything," she said.

Linda Reeves of Austin, InFO's state director, said she raised her
children under a stable roof. They were involved in their school and
played team sports. But Reeves' daughter still ended up behind bars for
nine years because, as a drug addict, she wrote hot checks to get the
cash to stay high.

The turmoil Brown and Reeves endure spurred each to reach out to other
families dealing with similar circumstances.

Reeves will speak at 2 p.m. today in Room B of the downtown Central
Library, 413 E. Fourth Ave.

The meeting is free and open to the public.

"Fear is a common issue for families, because we never know what is
going on in the (prison) units, because it is a very dangerous place,"
Brown said. "The guilt and shame come along with thinking that we've
done something wrong."

Still, families can't just turn their backs on their family members who
are in prison, Brown said.

Debbie Harris could not turn away from her son.

The Pampa mother and her husband now raise their son's young children.
Debbie Harris said her son has been in prison for 61/2 years and she is
frustrated with the system that incarcerated her son and allowed his
partner to go free.

"The most hurtful thing about it, the guy who had the gun and kind of
roughed the people up, (the police) didn't do nothing to him," Harris
said. "He's still ripping and running."

Besides, Harris said, "It seems like, to me, the (judicial) system is
so messed up. You can go and kill a person and get out quicker, or you
can molest a kid and hurt a kid, and then, you don't hardly do no
time."

Harris said she doesn't condone her son's behavior but she believes her
son's friend should have been punished, too. She said her son's small
children are also being punished.

"It's hard to see the grandkids go through what they are going
through," Harris said. "One of them just constantly cries, because he
misses his dad.

"They see other kids with their dads and wonder how long will it take
before they can see their dad.

"It's just something every day, from morning to night," Harris said. "I
just wonder, when is it going to end?"

Harris said, however, that her faith in God has helped her to weather
the storms.

Stopping crimes committed by teen-agers and young adults tops InFO's
priority list, Reeves said.

"We truly believe the only way we can help stop recidivism is to help
families understand how the system works," said Reeves.

She is also trying to organize prevention programs geared toward young
children.

"You see a child in a bad situation, and, unfortunately, there is no
help until your child gets into trouble. Unless you have a lot of
money,
you can't afford to pay to get your child the help that he or she
needs," Reeves said.

Brown is pushing for adequate training to enable paroled inmates to
adjust to a high-tech society so they can become productive citizens.

"Amarillo needs a day resource center for parolees, where they could
learn how to apply for jobs," Brown said. "Many of those people have
been in prison since they were 15 years old, and with all of the new
technology, it's scary for the inmates and their families."

Brown said the local InFO chapter also supports resources for those
whose spouses are in jail and can't draw a paycheck.

At today's meeting, Reeves will discuss the program's involvement in
TDCJ's Victims Services and the Department of Human Services.
Prevention programs for children also will be discussed.

For information about InFO, contact Brown at 383-2337.