This year is the 30th year that New Yorker Christopher Simmons has spent in prison.
He was sentenced in the mid-1990s after a series of crimes in his early twenties. After a few anxious years inside, he was asked to volunteer to work with deaf inmates, helping them to read, write and send letters.
This experience changed his time in prison. Since then, Simmons said he has taken on many community service and leadership roles within the prisons he’s been incarcerated in.
“I enjoy what I do, helping others, and I have a lot of tolerance and patience with them, and I enjoy doing it as well,” said Simmons, currently an inmate at the Chenango County Correctional Facility. “That’s why I’ve been doing it for 24 years now, that I still do to this day, helping others with transition service.”
He’s been seeking a commutation since 2017. Despite the positive influence he’s had, this would come with a caveat.
Simmons faces an order of deportation and will be sent back to Jamaica upon his release, which he’s not contesting. Since he has a family home there, he and his wife Eva have planned a life there, but his family would prefer him to remain in New York, where they permanently live.
Once released, Simmons said he wants to work with kids and help them avoid the same actions that led to his incarceration. He said he feels it’s important for kids to hear from someone like him, who has lived experience similar to theirs.
He said he feels it would be similar to his work helping people who are newly incarcerated.
New inmates often ask about parole or life after prison. But, Simmons said, what you do with your time on the inside matters more.
“You have to take one step at a time before you get there,” said Simmons. “In order to get to parole and be successful, you have to focus on what you do in between that time, which is, if you don’t have education, get your education. And, if you do have your GED, get into a college. [When] you get into the college, get your degrees, because that’s going to make you more successful when you get back out.”
He obtained an Associate’s and a Bachelor’s degree while incarcerated. While many incarcerated people look to parole as a way out, reports show flaws in the system can keep them from getting a fair hearing.
Have all the Finger Lakes news from Finger Lakes News Radio delivered to your email every morning for FREE! Sign up by clicking here
