The Understanding That Motivated Me
Before I came to jail I was a mother and wife of a state inmate of 8yrs. I was indicted for aiding and abetting armed bank robbery and given 14yrs in prison for not agreeing to cooperate although I was never at a bank or held a gun. I remember when I came to prison and I had been here a few weeks, I dove into the law library to study for my own case. I used to lay in my bed at night and sometimes through the day and study my out of date resources supplied by the prison and the cases i had printed from the law library and I would also watch all these other women from my top bunk.
I would watch these women daily only worry about things like gossip, relationships on prison, what’s new on commissary and idle things of that nature and I couldn’t understand how they could not be more worried about that stuff than their cases and the years of their lives that Courts had taken from them and their time with their children. Then one day I asked a young lady why….I asked “Denise” “Why are so many of you women not working on your cases with all the changes that are being made daily in the Courts?” Her answer was simple and made the biggest impact in my life, she said “Because we don’t know how.” That statement changed the course of my life. I now am a Paralegal Student and am going to study Criminal Justice and Law. I am going to educate and advocate for inmates and plan to open my own Legal Service when released. I currently have been studying and writing motions for inmates here at Tallahassee FCI and in fact have been successful to the point that a case manager, unit secretary, re-entry coordinator and as of lately the CMC have been referring people from their case loads that need legal assistance to me. I also was recently successful in my own case having got my codefendants’ Writ For Certiorari granted in the Supreme Court.
Previously, I was a nurse and I chose that profession because I wanted to help people and make a change on peoples lives. Now I will be helping people that I feel society has turned a blind eye to and who feel lost and oppressed. They say God does everything for a reason, and I am proof that its true. I feel a sense of great self worth and success every time i have someone comes to me and says “Hey we did it they dismissed my state charges I can sign for halfway house now!” or “Hey I wanna thank you because they assigned me a lawyer from the CR/RIS petition you wrote” I believe the Lord led me through this experience to find my true calling and to be the voice and advocate that is needed in this system.
I am interested in any and all suggestions or maybe mentorship that anyone would like to offer, and i am also more than happy to help anyone why may have questions or just needs a friend and you can message me @ (518) 703-6835 or write me @ Tallahassee FCI
Tanya M. Legg #72776-018
PO BOX 5000
Tallahassee, FL 32314
