"The implicit question - ‘Why fight, if the bad guys have already won? The answer, of course, is that you should fight because it’s the right thing to do, and because even the promise of justice is slim, it’s a public service of a more diminished kind to show people how broken the system is.”

 Matt Zoller Seitz-

I am sharing the framework,and highlights of my personal story, while exposing vulnerabilities. Why? I think it illustrates my masterful resilience yet again for the millionth time. In addition, if there is but one person, I can help in the revealing, I have accomplished my purpose.

My story began approximately when I was 13 years old, recognizing that perhaps ‘something was a bit different for me.’

Irrespective of the fact that I was born with a permanent disability, and spent much of my childhood having surgeries for two separate and distinct problems. I pretty much ignored it, attending to other aspects of life.

According to several credible news sources, there has been a significant change following the controversy over the 'unfettered power' exercised by a former police officer and head of the Connecticut Board of Pardons & Parole, Carlton Giles, who commuted 71 inmates in 2022, including 44 with murder convictions. In contrast, between 2015 and 2019, only five inmates were commuted, with just one commutation in 2021. During the pandemic, commutations were frozen, and this practice continued when Giles was demoted.

I had a tension headache but listened intently to the twelve cases the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Parole presented and took notes. The list of inmates included candidates from two adult correctional institutions, a youth correctional facility, and two halfway houses around Connecticut. For the majority of hearings, the virtual observer, including victim families, can view the inmate during the live hearing.