Penzeys One Magazine

Restorative Justice

Janice Little

"I'm proud of my husband... I am. He's made some poor choices but he readily accepts the responsibility for them. He doesn't put it off on anybody else. He takes full responsibility." says Janice Little about her husband Eric. They have been married for 17 years yet he has spent most of that time behind bars. "He was convicted of armed robbery although he did not have a gun. He had a Black and Decker drill." Janice has kidded Eric about that and it has been her sense of humor, and even Eric's, which has helped this couple stay together and raise their son Andrew.

Eric and Janice had known each other for a long time. Janice is the daughter of a Baptist minister and began teaching Sunday school at the age of 15. She first met Eric when teaching Sunday school near Fresno, California. Years later when they met again, Eric had custody of his six month-old baby boy Andrew. Janice had been engaged before but never married and at that time was medically not able to have children. "I had made peace with that. It was God's will. Then here came Andrew. I looked at it from this perspective, God knew I always wanted kids and I couldn't. And God knew Andrew would need a mother. So He met both of our needs. Andrew is the joy of my life."

Soon she would be needed more than she imagined. Two years after they married Eric fell off the wagon and began doing drugs, which led to his power-tool armed robbery. He was convicted and sent to prison for 11 years. His incarceration eventually led Janice to a new career path. "When Eric went in the first time I found myself helping people out around the prison." She was well dressed, spoke English and was able to get her questions answered. But others were having a hard time. "I stood there and thought -- there is such a need here. I'm able to ask and get my questions answered but many of these people are not. They are really in need of a support group for women going through the system." She started a support group for women with incarcerated family members. Soon she had over 40 people in her group so she started a second group. "I would not let the women talk about the crime. The crime was not the important issue. The issue was we were all in the same boat dealing with the system and dealing with emotional issues."

She hosted these groups while raising Andrew and working her full-time job when Prison Fellowship Ministries opened an office in the Fresno area. Part of their mission was to create support groups similar to Janice's. Eventually they were brought under the Prison Fellowship umbrella and Janice was working full time for them as a field director. Janice says Eric jokes with her about it: "I'm so glad my incarceration can enhance your ministry."

Yet her most important job is raising Andrew. She knew that Eric's childhood was not good. His father was killed in San Quentin during the riots that eventually led to the San Quentin Six trials. His stepfather was physically and emotionally abusive. It was important for her to break this chain. Though much of the time she is raising him alone, Eric still helps, "My son and husband have a wonderful relationship. He is one of the best long distance dads. I remind him that he is a better dad sometimes in there than many of the dads that live at home." And she has support from her family. Her parents always treat Andrew like their own flesh and blood.

Janice says her mom and dad are both good cooks but "Dad's mom was phenomenal. There was nothing she could not make." Her grandmother taught her to make cornbread dressing which she served to Eric's family one holiday. She took the leftovers to her grandmother to try and Grandma told her, "I really think it's not too good!" Janice's aunt was there and told Grandma not to hurt her feelings. "Well she needs to know the truth," she said. "She's got to improve. It's not too good." She proceeded to explain to Janice how to fix it. Janice adds, "We are a big loving family, very forgiving, but we pretty much tell it like it is. I think that's part of why it's been easy for Andrew and all of us to deal with Eric's situation, because we are so up front."

Andrew is enrolling in college this fall and plans on following his father Eric's footsteps only so far. Eric fought in the "little war" in Grenada, which isn't considered "little" if you fought in it. Andrew will join the Air Force ROTC at Fresno State. His mother couldn't be happier. "I'm very proud of Andrew and the young man he is turning out to be... against some pretty tough odds."

Tough odds indeed. Eric was released in 2002 but 10 months later got mixed up in drugs again and pulled another robbery. He was sent away for another 20 years. Janice says they have learned a lot about aftercare. As Eric says, "If they were to let me out today, I would go straight to an inpatient drug program. Even though it had been 11 years, what did they really do to help me in here?" Janice goes on, "Drugs and alcohol are really at the root of why most people are in prison. To me it would make far more sense economically and socially if we spent the money putting these men and women into intense programs rather than spending all of it incarcerating them forever." And Andrew, speaking of his dad, summed up the plight of many who are released from prison, "I loved having Dad home but it was almost like he was an alien. As hard as he tried, he just didn't quite fit in."

Helping those men and women fit in will be Janice's life work. "I firmly believe that every person coming out of prison needs someone, who is not their family member, to help hold them accountable, to be there to encourage, and to walk them through things. It's hard for a man or woman to have been gone for so long and come out and say ‘I don't know how to do this, I don't know how to do that.' They need someone to bounce things off of. We are finding how helpful it is if a mentor can be assigned to an inmate a year before they get ready to get out so the mentor can develop that relationship with the individual and be there when they get out. Then continue that relationship at least for a year after release."

Janice has much to be proud of - her family, her son, sticking with her marriage. She makes a difference in people's lives. "What a shame it would be to go through something like this and not use it," says Janice. "I believe God allows us to go through things and then He expects us to use it to help somebody else. Part of my healing is being able to help somebody else because of what I've gone through."

vol1 issue5, 2006

Janice Little