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Every day, every hour, offers the opportunity to make a decision
A book ‘found me’ in the dark of prison and changed my life
From Pam Bailey, Rob’s editor and publisher: This is the second in a series of periodic interviews with D.C. men who were imprisoned in their early teens and, essentially, grew up in America’s “gulags.” Our goal is to explore how communities could prevent these young men from being funneled into the mass-incarceration system, as well as how prisons could be transformed to better facilitate rehabilitation and thus release.
The first in this series was with Roy Middleton, now living in the “free world.” This interview is with Anthony (Pete) Petty, who has been incarcerated for 29 years, since the age of 16. He is currently in the D.C. jail with Rob, where he is awaiting a hearing on his petition for early release under the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act.
What is the right age to try to intervene to “save” kids and why, based on your own childhood?
I would intervene starting at the age 10 or so, because that’s when kids are most impressionable. The things they see in their neighborhoods are what gives them their idea of what they want to become in life.
I remember telling one of my instructors (in prison) that I didn’t have positive role models when I was growing up. She replied, “No. You had positive ones. You just didn’t pay them any attention.” When I think about it, she’s right in one respect. There were teachers, police officers, mailmen in my crime-ridden neighborhood who had decent jobs and went to work every day.
(Reacting to my question about a police officer who was a role model:) Yes, there actually was a police officer who lived in my neighborhood who we all liked. He knew everybody. If there was a problem in the neighborhood, he would come out and solve the problem. And if other officers came in, he would stop them from causing any problems. I think it’s important for officers to live in the neighborhood they police.
But he wasn’t always accessible like the pimps and drug dealers. My mother had drug problems, so I knew…
