I saw the Kansas parole board in 1993 and was granted parole to my Ohio Judgement and Commitment Detainer. On February 11, 1993, I was transported from Ellsworth Correctional Facility to the Correctional Reception Center at Orient, Ohio by Tuscawaras County, Ohio Deputy Sheriffs. They drove straight through with me in the back seat with belly-chains and handcuffs, and leg irons (cuffs). 17½ hours later, we arrived at C.R.C. where I was processed for classification to a correctional institution.

In a 1-year period of time, I had 7 parole board hearings here in Ohio. The reason for so many hearings was that Ohio authorities were waiting for information from Corrections authorities in Kansas and Tennessee before making a decision in my case in Ohio on my charge of Murder and my sentence of 15-to-Life. In May of 1994, I was continued 10 more years so that I will see a parole board in June of 2003. I’ll have an opportunity for what is called "half-time" here in Ohio for a "possible" reconsideration by the parole board. This will be in June of 1998. It is primarily a formality unless an inmate has shown a "significant change" from the time of their initial hearing. That may translates into, "...if you have the wealth and/or influence from family or friends outside the prison, to at least argue and possibly create an illusion of a "significant change," for the parole board.

With my medical problems, I seriously doubt that I will live that long (6/2003), but then I didn’t think I’d live this long when I was diagnosed in 1989 to have all my chronic diseases with their singular and combined potential for being terminal. Angina, Emphysema, high blood pressure, and diabetic with oral medication rather than insulin shots, along with being morbidly obese with my sedentary life-style, pretty well made me a high-risk package for not meeting longevity concerns. And yet, I am still alive, and am pleased to be so, even under the circumstances of prison. My health has been holding up as far as I can discern, but the continual stress of the atmosphere of this Ohio prison system is wearing me down.

I become impatient and so bored with hearing the hateful filth that continually spews out of the mouths of so many of the denizens I share space with here in this institution. They snarl and threaten each other with glee and make mock assaults and assassinations on each other as if to sharpen their heinous skills and talents for violent behavior. These budding sociopath/psychopath personalities don’t realize--or don’t care--that they are internalizing values rooted in antisocial understanding.

Many of the youthful offenders who are thrown into prison brag among each other of the atrocities they committed out there in the streets. Anyone who doesn’t share their attitude for violence and hatefulness is considered "soft." This is extremely derogatory; to be called "soft" is very demeaning among youthful offenders in particular. Many of these youths were emotionally impaired at some point in their growth and development.

Not much interest in this area of concern these days because too many people--even professionals--think this factor is used as an excuse for maladaptive behavior by our young people. I think working with such emotionally impaired children, before and after their maladaptive behavior would be quite interesting and challenging to say the least. I wonder to what extent the professionals classify kids as being emotionally impaired through examining their short life histories. I’m glad they’re doing it, because I believe it is a real issue to be dealt with a specialty focus rather than just dismissing such children as being everything from "demon seed" to being unbalanced and incorrigible.

How far do they examine and delve into how emotionally impaired those kids might be? Has it become a widespread concern for educators in general, such that they have withdrawn from the old attitude that such children were simply "disturbed?" What criteria is considered in determining just how emotionally impaired a child may be? How many of these children "fall through the cracks," because of their increasing number and lack of facility to accomodate such numbers? Who gets treated, upper middle—class and rich kids? Or is it just a pinch of each social element being caught and cared for?

I can remember much of my youth. I remember how important it was to be able to act tough among your peers. This might be an appropriate time to take it back to the beginning as I have perceived it to be. That qualification is important, because life has taught me one particularly clear lesson, and that is that there is usually more than one side to a story; sometimes more than two sides to a story... lets say, my side, their side, and possibly an independent reality of the two reasonings of "my side" and "their side." An example may be that I could argue with someone that the shape of the planet Earth is round; their argument could be that the shape is oval, when in reality--through scientific proof--the shape may be more of a "pear-shape."

A more familiar example might be a military saying that, "...there’s the right way; the wrong way; and the Marine Corps way!" This told the recruit that although there were "right and wrong" ways of doing things, the way it was to be done regardless was the Marine Corps way.

Okay; back to the begining:

I was born a second child on December 21, 1939, in Dayton, Ohio, to Paul William Bradford and Dorothy Ida Poteet-Bradford. I was Paul William Bradford Junior. The first child was my sister Elizabeth Joan Bradford on January 5, 1939; just eleven months before I was born. My father was born and raised as a farm boy in a small Ohio farm community, and had been kicked out...