By David Yi

After being in federal prisons for so many years, it saddens me to see more and more youths from many different ethnic groups overcrowd these prisons with lengthy sentences and with little or no sense of direction...

Nevertheless, what saddens me the most is when I look down the hallway from my prison cell, and I see a Korean youth approaching me and coming to greet me. As we introduce ourselves, there is an immediate bond between us, not because we are inmates, but rather because we are Korean and we understand the difficulty of surviving in such an environment.

After travelling several hundreds of miles away from home, family, friends and loved ones, they feel lonely and depressed, not to mention stressed out due to the amount of time that they have to serve in prison. They travel with no property or belongings, and are empty-handed when they arrive at the new prison. It’s pretty much comparable to a person whose house has been destroyed by a tornado and that person has literally nothing other than the clothes that is on his back.

Because I have experienced these feelings myself several times travelling from prison to prison, I try to comfort these new Korean youths by providing them with things that will make them feel a bit more comfortable as they adjust to their new environment. Although the prison provides all newly arrived inmates with a very limited amount of hygiene supplies, a prison uniform, and uncomfortable shoes, I accommodate them with things from the commissary (prison grocery store), like better quality hygiene supplies, sports wear clothing, slippers and other necessary items needed to survive within these prison walls.

When it comes to the meals that are served in these prisons, it is something that one must adjust to in order to live on. However, I have utilized the microwave ovens and the various food items sold in the commissary, such as instant rice, canned goods, and vegetables, to cook my meals which far exceeds the bland taste of the prison cooked food. Over the years, I have acquired a skill to make all sorts of Korean, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and American dishes through these means, and I cook these meals daily for my fellow Korean inmates and myself.

As these Korean youths look upon me as their "hyung" (older brother), and I look upon them as my "dong-seng (younger brother), I do not abuse this relationship, like most Koreans do, just because of the fact that I am "older". I always believed that a true "hyung" earns their respect as they give it, and does not force others to respect him because of our Korean customs. I also believed that a good "hyung" must guide their "dong-seng" by sharing their knowledge and experiences to guide them in the right direction, rather than using them for their own needs.

Therefore, I try to give them guidance through my past and present experiences and give them advice about surviving within these prison walls and on the streets. I teach them to utilize this time efficiently to learn things that will help them in their futures, but most of all, to use this time to refocus their lives on God, family and loved ones. I invite them to Protestant services on Sunday hoping and praying that they will reform
their lives and become faithful men of God. I try to teach them that their lives on this earth and everything in the world will someday pass away, and that the only thing that will go on for eternity is their relationship with God.

However, this can only be achieved through discipline, continuous prayer, reading and studying the Bible, and having fellowship with other Christians. Most of all, there is the need of God’s guidance and intervention as we completely submit ourselves to Him.

Upon learning to apply this way of living, it keeps them, including myself, to live according to God’s standards and not the world’s. Thus, it enables us to overcome the pressures and temptations which has caused our downfall and the downfall of mankind.

In the meantime, many Korean youths are gradually entering the U.S. prison system, and are also being deported back to Korea for committing crimes that are deportable. Many of them are prosecuted and convicted by the city, state, and federal governments, and then sent off to INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services), where they would have to fight deportation in an immigration court.

Many of these Korean youths and their families speak little or no English, and cannot fully comprehend these strict and complex laws being charged against them. Therefore, they hire and rely on many ineffective attorneys that charge them a bundle for representing them, but do not fully represent them or defend them to the best of their ability. For those who cannot afford an attorney, the court provides these youths with a court-appointed attorney, and many of them are no better than the high-priced attorneys.

As only one who personally experiences the criminal justice system may know, the laws have become more strict, where parole is no longer available and mandatory minimums are created for many crimes. Many of these offenses are also categorized as being deportable crimes. Also, whatever the sentence may be, an inmate has to serve 85% of their time in prison before being released.

With this factor in play, zealous prosecutors use their broad discretion to indict and prosecute individuals to the stiffest penalties, not to serve in the interests of justice or society, but rather to build a reputation for themselves to increase their chances of being political candidates as judges or politicians in the near future. Their objective is to have no mercy and to win at all costs. Any attempt to challenge a prosecutor in court many times will only lead to further persecution as well as prosecution. To most prosecutors, it is about winning in court rather than serving justice.

Finally, the judges are limited in power to sentence an individual on a case by case basis, and is forced at times to sentence an individual to a mandatory minimum sentence. In cases that judges do have the power to fit the appropriate sentence to the crime, very few are motivated to give a lenient sentence due to scrutiny from the public for being soft on crime or due to their mentalities as former prosecutors. I believe if all judges and prosecutors were to live in prison for experience for a year, they wouldn’t give out 10 to 20 year sentences as they regularly do today.

In many cases in New York, Korean youths under the age of 18 are convicted by the state and then sent to federal prison for the same or alike offense, and afterwards sent off to INS to be deported back to Korea. In all aspects, you could say that it’s a "no-win" situation.

After calling home, reading a Korean newspaper, and seeing these Korean youths behind these prison walls, I have noticed that many of these Korean youths, like many other minorities that get caught up with the prison system, have become victims or political pawns of this criminal justice system that focuses more on money and politics rather than focusing on the interests of justice and society.

The fact that these U.S. prisons are getting overcrowded, the prison system no longer focuses on rehabilitation, and that the majority of inmates are made up of minorities clearly shows enough evidence that getting tough on crime has been a lost cause, biased, and expensive. Inmates are serving sentences anywhere from 10 years to life in prison and are not being rehabilitated during their incarceration. Upon release, they have no family to help them because they have all passed away, or they face the common stereotypes of being a former "convict" from society and have no opportunity to find a decent job to make ends meet.

The U.S. prison population has toppled to over 2 million people, and it continues to increase yearly. The cost to keep up with federal prisons alone costs the taxpayers billions of dollars, and recently President George Bush is requesting Congress for an increase in the budget to the amount of 4.66 billion dollars just to accommodate the overcrowded federal prison population, which is all at the taxpayer’s expense. As the average citizen works 4 hard months of the year just to cover the cost of paying taxes, part of this money is used to cover this prison bill.

In the meantime, I reach out and minister to the Korean youths within this prison system and those that are at-risk out on the streets either in person, through letters and phonecalls, or through third parties.

I try my best to reach out to those who need help, advice, or guidance. Some of these Korean youths may receive the message and advice that I give, and others may take advantage of my kindness and not reform their lives in the right direction. However, all I can do is to try to be a good "hyung", but most of all, a light unto others, so that, one day, they will also do the same to help others in need.

In retrospect, the Korean youths that are in prison may be your own children, someone you know, or a relative. Nevertheless, with the newest trend of this generation like ecstacy, computers, and gang violence, the laws are only getting stricter because the government believes that getting tougher on crime is the only solution, whereas legal scholars, professors, former judges, and former prosecutors have researched and concluded time after time that rehabilitation programs and treatment is most cost-effective and successful compared to lengthy prison sentences.

I want to clarify that although all these Korean youths and I have made mistakes and used bad judgement in our past that have led us to this road, I acknowledge that punishment is proper and necessary to correct our mistakes. However, it does not justify the fact that all prosecutors, judges, and those in government to capitalize on inmates, such as ourselves, to promote their careers, their political futures, or their ego. In many cases, the truth is distorted to make the situation worse for the inmate, and there is no mercy. In other words, the punishment we receive should fit the crime on a case by case basis, where the laws today penalize an individual with more time to a minimal participant who has sold drugs than that of a person who may have killed someone or may have committed a sex crime against a minor.

Therefore, I kindly urge you to consider these matters around you because someday, it might affect your children or someone you know. It is best to address these issues to the politicians in your district and community and lobby for reform in this criminal justice system or any other issue that needs to be addressed. If you choose not to stand up for your rights in this day and age, you will lose them one by one. So, I urge all of you to utilize your rights as the people of this country.


For any comments or questions, please write to: David Yi, Reg. No. 36535-054, P.O. Box 10, Lisbon, Ohio 44432.


Opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Korea Times.