A couple of days ago, the chow hall seating was full, so I sat next to a guy I had seen around, but never met. He came in a couple months ago, (3 months before me) and within 5 minutes of sitting down, I wished I had chosen another seat. The level of negativity was profound. He was constantly saying “I was screwed by my lawyers, screwed by the judge, the mayor was on the take, etc).
At no time, was there any acceptance of responsibility for his crime. While I may have trouble accepting 100% of the responsibility for my crime, I still know that I broke the law and that I should be punished for it. I don’t think I have ever said I was screwed by the judge or attorneys. I may have said that there should be more mercy for first time offenders, but I am still the one at fault – like someone caught for speeding may have any number of reasons why he exceeded the speed limit, but they alone had their foot on the accelerator.
I have seen this guy several times since this incident and he still spills forth the same mantra. My thought is that accepting responsibility is the first step to recovery and to getting a positive attitude. I hope that happens sometime during the rest of his 6-year sentence.
