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a friend is serving time
A friend of mine was sentenced to 6 years (parole in 5, maybe) in federal prison on Monday for a non-violent crime. He doesn't have to report until after Thanksgiving. He didn't tell me about his legal troubles until he was convicted about a month ago, when he lost his job (he was convicted in another state). He's married with two little boys, younger than mine. He's one sorry dude lately -- he looks like death, he's scared, and he thinks he's going to lose his wife and kids (which isn't likely to happen). If he's scared about anything happening to him personally in prison, he hasn't told me about it (he's a big, big man). Nonetheless, for all his troubles, I find myself to be at a loss of what to say to him. He's wealthy and healthy and smart, but he feels like his life is over. He got caught, and we both knows he deserves his sentence. I feel for him to some extent, but I'm surprised at how little sympathy I have for him (almost none, which is very unlike me). I've never known a close friend or family member who's looking at hard time. More than anything, I've got the strong feeling of "I'm glad it's not me in that shitty situation".
Has anyone out there had a friend or family member serve serious prison time, and if so, what did it do to you? What was your reaction?
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less I say, smarter I am
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