The Last Time
Connie Went to Prison
Connie was riding in a car containing drug scales, fake IDs, and many other felony charges. When they were pulled over and the car searched, police were preparing to arrest the driver of the car, who was not responsible for its contents. The officers were going to let Connie go.
She describes looking at the driver in handcuffs, and hearing her voice as if it was coming from someone else…
‘Officer, that’s not me in that [driver’s license] picture. My name is Connie Laney Golden and I have multiple warrants for my arrest.’
I was like ‘who said that?!’ I wasn’t raised like that. You never admit anything. At that moment, there was fear, confusion and relief. I looked at [the driver of the car] and his lips moved the words ‘thank you’ as tears rolled down his face. I don’t know the last time I felt inside a little happy, something pleasing, something that was good.
I went in to jail and I felt rescued. Because coming from the streets, from where I came from and how deep I was in there, you can’t sleep nowhere. You can’t… There’s nowhere to be safe. You’ll be violated even while you sleep.
So going to jail, I thought, how blessed I was. I thought, ‘this is just great.’ I knew I was going to eat and I knew I would be warm. At night, I could lay down and go to sleep. You know that wool blanket was like a plush comforter.
Jail was a safety net. It was just, ‘okay, this is where I want to be.’
”It was a big changing point in my life.
Rhonda had seen me come in and out of those gates. She cared. When I walked into the chapel at Eddie Warrior [Correctional Center] and saw Rhonda Bear, that day changed my life. There’s a waiting list to get into [Stand in the Gap’s] Women in Transition class. Rhonda said, ‘For you, Connie, I will make arrangements for you to come to this class.’ When she said that, it was like a whole body experience. For me?!
I didn’t know what I was getting into but I knew I needed something different. That’s when I got into Stand in the Gap’s Women in Transition class. And I was right there in them classes. I couldn’t wait for the next one.
I had my first sign of hope.
Learn more about Women in Transition
Stand in the Gap’s small group mentorship program for women like Connie.
