December 2014 Philadelphia Chapter of Pax Christi U.S.A.
Echoes in Purgatory I, SCI Huntington
Echoes in Purgatory is a collection of writings by men who are serving a Life Sentence Without Parole. Read their words, then listen quietly and you will hear their cry for their God given “Right to Redemption.” … Life without the possibility of parole is the other death sentence …
We now begin a series of reflections from men serving Life Without the Possibility of Parole in SCI Huntington …
“Life Without the Possibility of Parole is a Death Sentence.” My life sentence has been a nightmare, I have lost my past and can’t see a future, and now I wonder when will I die? There is ‘No Parole’ in Pennsylvania for a lifer … My life sentence has turned me into a ‘Dead Man Walking’.
The law does not recognize or accept responsibility for the reality that life in many neighborhoods, in this state, is so violent and predatory that the decision to kill or be killed are decisions that one may have to make on a daily basis. A
person growing up under these conditions can never be held completely and solely responsible for the horror such an
environment produces. The state has to accept its own level of responsibility for allowing such war zones to exist. People living in such an environment should be given the same level of consideration as soldiers or police get.
If you would like to comment or respond to a reflection, the envelope needs to include: the man’s name, number,
SCI Huntington, 1100 Pike Street,
Huntington, PA 16654-1112
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