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Memory of Daniel McCauley We have learned that 26-year-old Ohio State Penitentiary prisoner, Daniel McCauley, committed suicide in May 2007. Daniel was a contributing author to Prisonersolidarity. Fellow inmates described him as a decent and generous person who cared about others. Daniel's crime was committed at the age of 16. Deeply and sincerely regretful, this young man dreamt of a society that would give youth offenders a second chance, rather than allowing them to "rot" behind bars, at a supermaximum security facility. We are re-posting Daniel McCauley's Prisonersolidarity essay, in honor of his memory and his dream. Please circulate widely. -
Prisonersolidarity My name is Daniel McCauley and I'm a lifer at Ohio's only "super-max prison," the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown. I started my sentence at the young age of 16 after the youthful mistake of drinking beer, doing drugs, and running with the wrong crowd. One fateful night I was with a couple of childhood friends when someone came up with the idea of breaking into an unoccupied house. "Just some troubled youths being troubled youths." Someone ended up being in that supposedly unoccupied house, and the intended "breaking in and entering" became much more. It led to the aggravated crimes of burglary, robbery and murder. To make matters worse, while my co-defendant and I awaited our hearing (to be bound over and tried as adults), we escaped from the Juvenile Justice Center. We were so out of control and homesick that we ran. We were captured and re-arrested three hours later. During my short and troubled lifespan I've made mistakes that I've come to regret deeply. But the greatest mistake, which I'm forced to live with day after day, is the knowledge that I was involved in the taking of another human being's life. This is something I will not be able to compensate for as long as I live. I mourn daily the death of that innocent victim and can only imagine the loss and pain that the victim's family has had to endure. No matter what side you view it from it is and always will be an incredibly tragic event for all who were involved. But the youth that I was yesterday is not the man that I have become. Today I find myself in control of my thoughts and actions. Still, I am not perfect and have gotten into minor trouble while serving my time. But when you throw a kid into a rainstorm, he is bound to get wet. As I sit here today, at the age of 25, and take the time to repent and think about the senseless pain I've caused others (my family included), I find myself wanting to make things right. Now that I've grown up and become wise enough to think for myself, I want to give something back to humanity. In fact, I feel it is my obligation. I've lost a lot through thoughtless action, so hopefully I can somehow use my voice/pen to stop someone else from making the same mistakes - mistakes that would cost him and others a great deal of unwarranted grief. I
see kids every day, coming to prison at age 16 and younger, making
their own costly mistakes, and then doing 15, 20 even 30 years to
life. Speaking from experience, I can understand how some of our
youth can get out of control and have no sense of positive direction.
And that's only the surface of the problem. What I can't understand,
however, is how society can so easily give up on its youth. Why
do we pin such outrageous sentences on them, with the intention
of supposedly teaching them a lesson? It's plain to see that this
vindictive method is not solving youth crime. Prison should be about
reform, and not mere punishment, at least for its youth. Our youth
need to be given the proper tools, to think rationally for themselves,
so they can become productive members of this same society that
has allowed them to be thrown away. In my opinion the best tool
you can give a prisoner is a good education. Unfortunately, instead
of adopting education as a rehabilitative approach for our youth,
our leaders spend hundreds of thousands of dollars locking up juvenile
offenders for almost an eternity. If the courts and politicians
would spend that money on our troubled youths' educations, they
could change the lives of many lost souls. Daniel
McCauley #355-364 I
appreciate your taking the time to read my testimony and hope that
I may help at least one person to learn from the mistakes that I've
made, and not end up where I am. If you would like to correspond
with me or if there is anything else I can tell you that may help,
please feel free to write to me. If you'd like to receive a response,
just include a pre-stamped envelope with your return address on
it. Again thank you for listening to what I have to say, and don't
ever give up. Angela Jancius ***
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