Photo by Karisse Carmack. Writer and former inmate R. Dwayne Betts signs his latest book, “A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison,” for Beth Baldwin, one of Betts' former English professors at PGCC.

Published on: Wednesday, March 03, 2010

By Karisse Carmack

Writer and former inmate R. Dwayne Betts returned to his alma mater, Prince George’s Community College, Feb. 19 to read and discuss his latest book, “A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison,” at the college’s main campus in Largo.

As part of the community college’s “Literally Speaking” series, Betts read several passages from his memoir and answered questions from the audience about his experience as a young man in the prison system. More than 100 people attended the event, according to an e-mail from Deidra Hill, the campus’ director of marketing and creative services.

“I’ve been encouraged; it’s been a blessing,” Betts said after the reading when asked how he felt about the public’s response to his book.

“I work in the bookstore, so I see a lot of people write books, and they put their whole hearts into it,” said Betts. The “highest compliment” for a writer is for people to pay attention to their words, even if they disagree with the author, Betts said.

A native of Suitland who was raised by his single mother, Betts was 16 when he and his friend went across the border in Virginia and participated in a carjacking. It was the first time he had committed a crime and held a gun, Betts said. He was later sentenced as an adult and spent nine years in Virginia’s prison system, and it was during his time in prison when he developed a love of reading and writing.

Betts enrolled at Prince George’s Community College shortly after his incarceration and was admitted into its honors program. The author then transferred to the University of Maryland on a full scholarship, and was the commencement speaker at his graduation last May.

He is now married with a young son, and is currently a graduate student. In the future, Betts said he hopes to teach literature as a college professor and his second book, a collection of poems, is expected to be released later this year.

“It’s really gratifying to see him come back and speak to his fellow students, the faculty, the staff and the youth of the community about his book,” said Melinda Frederick, Ph.D., the campus’ honors program coordinator. Frederick said she worked closely with Betts when he was a student in the program.

In addition to “A Question of Freedom…,” Betts’ essay, “Learning the Name Dad,” was featured in the anthology, “It’s All Love: Black Writers on Soul Mates, Family, and Friends.” In the piece, Betts writes about how, while serving time  in prison, he learned to forgive his father for not being present in his life.

“I couldn’t be who I wanted to be without recognizing that you can make a mistake and move on,” Betts said. Forgiving his father allowed Betts to accept him for who he is, he said.

Since his release from prison, Betts has used his love of words and his experience as a juvenile in the adult prison system to mentor youths. He is a staff member of the D.C. Creative Writing Workshop, which exposes children to the literary arts, and is a spokesman for Campaign for Youth Justice, an organization that supports reforms within the juvenile justice system by ending the practice of incarcerating minors in adult prisons.

One way to help prisoners successfully re-enter society is by setting aside money to reduce the recidivism rates, Betts said. He noted that the money can help inmates obtain an education during their incarceration. There is also a lack of funding to treat prisoners’ mental health issues, said Betts.

“Right now, the onus is on the person who was in prison, when often they’re not equipped … when they leave [prison] to be responsible citizens,” Betts continued. The former inmate said he feels the onus is on both the system and the person to reduce the rate of repeat offenders.

According to “Prisoners in 2008,” a report released last December by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, an estimated 1,434,800 men were sentenced in federal and state prisons as of Dec. 31, 2008. This number also includes juveniles under 18, and when broken down by race: 477,500 were white, 562,800 were black, and 295,800 were Hispanic. In Maryland alone, there were 22,749 prisoners who were sentenced in correctional facilities as of Dec. 31, 2008.

Last month, the Bureau of Justice Statistics also released data from the National Corrections Reporting Program, which obtains information on state prisoners. In 2005 alone 2,441 prisoners were under the age of 18 when they were newly admitted to state prisons.

Betts said some of the flaws within the justice system that are not being addressed are disparities in sentencing, the inmate’s difficulties in obtaining employment once they are released, and finding ways to help victims of crime become a part of the conversation in reforming the system.

Several members of the community college said they were glad that Betts came back to share his message.

“I thought it was amazing,” said Beth Baldwin about the event. Baldwin, an English professor who taught Betts in an online class at the college, said she also hoped people would buy the book, read it, and read other books as well.

Lindsey Dodson, assistant coordinator for the campus’ honors program, said Betts made a strong impression as a student.

“Energy – he had a lot of energy,” recalled Dodson. “He had purpose and a goal, and he was on a path to move forward.”

Dodson also praised Betts for introducing young audiences to the benefits of reading, and said the reason why young people are not reading books is because it’s time consuming, and is not as visually stimulating compared to other forms of media, such as cell phones and the Internet.

“Whereas books,” continued Dodson, “you’re reading words, you’re by yourself, you’re alone, and you’re not having that interaction with anyone else.”

With books, the individual is also “making a commitment” to themselves and their education, Dodson said.

“I was totally excited about it … I was entranced,” said student Erika Applewhite after the reading. Applewhite said she plans to share Betts’ message of community and responsibility to those around her.

Betts hopes that “A Question of Freedom…” will help readers begin a dialogue about the criminal justice system.

“I hope people walk away from the book feeling encouraged to continue the conversation or begin this conversation with somebody who wasn’t a part of it,” said Betts.