My name is Dedrick Germond Smith. I am lifer serving time in the BOP FCI Williamsburg Salters, SC. I am a first time offender charged with Aiding & abetting to the murder of a DEA Agent. Thirty-two years ago I dropped off my codefendant who committed a murder during a robbery, well actually a carjacking that went wrong. I knew that I was guilty but, rather than accepting responsibility I fooled myself into believing that since I just dropped him off and I wasn’t there that the prosecutor wouldn’t be able to prove anything and the jury wouldn’t convict me. Although I am not the shooter in this case I am remorseful for the act that took place. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about the life that was taken. I am regretful for the pain and the suffering I have caused the victim and his family and my family!
Although, I have been in trouble a time or two but, it was never to this magnitude. I have never been to prison. The only time I was arrested it was for mistaken identity the case was Noelle process. The second time, assault, which was Noelle process. So, I have no record although I have been arrested.
Since my incarceration which started in June of 1992 I have journeyed through several prisons. Within those institutions I have always tried to further my education and work ethnics. I was already working in Unicor which is a factory within the institutions that allows adults in custody to learn certain skills like sewing, making mail bags, making mattress, making Battle Dress Uniforms. I was working in the business office as an orderly until I got my GED. I didn’t obtain that until later on. I was caught up into the prison life.
After a couple of years behind the wall(USP Atlanta) I was given the opportunity to go to an FCI which was unheard of. My unit team recommended it since I was a first time offender, so I was transferred to FCI Estill. It was culture shock for me because people were actually going home & had foreseeable release dates. My stay there as cut short due to the 1995 Crack riot. Although I wasn’t a part of the riot the prison administration gave the unit team the opportunity to send back prisoners who they felt was a threat & who were serving 40-50 or life sentences. The funny thing is the 40, 50 , & lifers wasn’t the ones participating but, we were the ones that were sent back behind the wall.
A few years later I was sent to FCI Edgefield. I was one many men that was a part of outreach program called “Juvenile Awareness.” It was At Risk program for troubled youth.
My third FCI was FCI McKean. I took a 4 month course called “Victims Impact” which gave me some critical and vital tools I needed to effectively address and understand the impact my crime had on my victims and his family and its ripple effect on society. Before that I thought just because I dropped a person off and that person committed a crime and I wasn’t there that I was the victim. But as the information was learned I understood how my friends and I were all victimizers. I understand that there is no such thing as victimless crime. When your are committing a crime everybody loses.
After FCI McKean I was sent to USP Atwater. I was sent there out of spite. I had inquired to my unit team about FCI Terminal Island of Victorville & was sent to USP Atwater. I was housed there for 18 -months and sent to FCI Victorville.
There at Victorville I enrolled at Coastline Community College the last few months of my stay there. I was majoring in Sociology and Psychology.
FCI Fairton, another institution I was housed at allowed me to learn how to build cables. In doing so I had to learn how to solder whole components, wires and terminals. I was there from 2006-09.
In 2009, I was transferred to FCI Yazoo. I asked to be transferred because my grandparents were old and sickly to travel. When I was in Yazoo I was introduced to few people who were interested in making positive changes on the yard. I was part of a group of men that came up with a program called “Challenge 2 Change”. This program allowed Adults in custody to challenge themselves in making prison life uncomfortable by doing the right things. The program was about solving problems being pro-active instead of reactive. While there i was employed in Unicor as a Quality Assurance Inspector. This was a different factory than the one I just left but, I was familiar what they were producing (Battle Dress Uniforms and jumpers). The later started produce the OTV (Outer Tactile vest) made for the military. I wanted to improve my computer skills so I enrolled in a 4 month Microsoft apprenticeship class. I later stopped QA and became the Stock clerk for Unicor. My job description was to handle all the material and information coming in and out of unicor. In my leisure time I was a wellness instructor which led me seriously becoming a certified Fitness trainer. I ready and study past the the test and became certified in 2016. I started teaching yoga to others and training them how to workout. I also became interested in public speaking so I joined Toast Masters which gave the opportunity to enhance my communication skills. I volunteered to become a suicide companion cadre. Its a program where adults in custody train to visually supervise and record written notes on those who are on suicide watch. We are trained quarterly.
I am currently incarcerated in FCI Williamsburg Salters SC. I have been here for the last 6 years. When I first got to here I immediately enrolled in the L.E.A.D program which is a 12-month cognitive behavior skilled building program designed to help adults in custody enhance their leadership, problem solving, communication,decision making, and other necessary skills that engage in a critical role in re-entry into the community. I am currently working in Unicor where I am the production leader the whole factory. My responsibilities entail make sure equipment is working, train employee’s on work ethics, place them on jobs, I also put out small fires(arguments disputes,etc.). I am the A &O Unicor representative which encourages individuals to seek employment in Unicor. I also give them a brief overview of my experience being incarcerated for 32 years. I am also business office clerk in Unicor where I am learning how to use SAP!
I am one of the first 11 people here that was chosen to be Peer Specialist in Psychology which is an apprenticeship program which consist of 100 hours of suicide prevention, 100 hours of recognizing mental health symptoms, 100 of Interpersonal Boundaries, 500 hours of individual listening/communication skills and 200 hours of Group communication. I help facilitate Drug education, NR-Dap for the Psychology Dept.. In the housing Units I volunteer with NA/AA, K2 Awareness, and Parenting for Reentry. I am ACE Tutor in Education where I teach Rational thinking. I work with FEMA which is a crew of men that volunteer when there is a storm to place sandbags around the doorways and openings of the institution where it may flood. I have numerous of classes from education, psychology, religious service, recreation and the unit. These include NA/AA , Leather craft, Anger management, Trauma, Cognitive behavior, Victims Impact, Money smart, Threshold, Ready $ redemption, Setting boundaries, Decoding recidivism, Health seminars, Dumping debt, Work readiness (silver)Spanish, Effective planning, Servsafe, I am presently enrolled in Roots of Success and Culinary arts.
I know that right now I am not FSA eligible due to my sentence and crime but my primary reason for doing any of this is so I can help make better people now versus trying to wait until the get out. I am using every tool I get as an asset in order to better understand my challenges I will face whenever I am released from prison. Teaching, speaking, listening and inspiring plan to use this to help my community now and when I return to society. I’ve learned that the very first prison I must get free from is the imprisonment of the mind!
