I'm the loyal wife of an inmate at the state prison in Huntingdon in Central Pennsylvania. My husband, Ben, was charged with arson and sentenced to three and a half to twelve years. At first he was offered 4 to 8 years, but with the advice of a stupid lawyer and a lack of knowledge (Ben was only eighteen at the time) he took the three and a half to twelve. The lawyer promised him that he'd be paroled in the three and a half years. Ben took the deal because our son was seven months old at the time and we thought Ben would be home before the boy really knew what was going on. It's been over 6 years! Ben is up for parole again in five months. I still feel that there's no hope. He's already seen the Board four times; first, a 1 year hit, second, a four month hit, third, another year hit and fourth, a nine month hit. As you know, a "hit," is a delay in granting parole. It's a kind or torment for him as well as me. They make no sense. Ben has been misconduct free now for 5 years. Just this past week, he was elevated to a Level 2 custody status. That's minimum security, the best he can get in prison. While imprisoned, he's earned his GED and at least a dozen program certificates. He's completed all the therapy groups that the prison has offered. The only excuse that the Parole Board offers (and they can't be trusted or believed) is that Ben hasn't completed the sexual offenders group! Why?! He wasn't even charged with a sexual crime. Nonetheless, he did take the group just to be on the safe side. I have a copy of the certificate. But, no, that's not good enough. The parole system is totally irrational. How this demand for the sexual offender group seemed to have materialized was that Ben confided something to the prison staff about his father raping him when he was five. I guess they think, that Ben will go out and do something because he (Ben) was raped. I had an approved home plan and everything was set for his return home. They still won't parole him. The Board told Ben that if he remained misconduct free and joined the sexual offenders group (he wouldn't have to complete it), they would let him go. That was six months ago. Ben's still on the waiting list for the group! I think that we, the voters, need to take a long look at what really is going on with this so-called parole system. It stinks! Who came up with the word justice? Probably someone who was smoking a bit too much grass! What's really heartbreaking is hearing our son telling his father that he wants his daddy home and that he misses him. As a parent, how can I explain an injustice like this to a son who cries because his father can't come home. All we as parents can do is try to comfort our child and lie to him that, hopefully, daddy will be coming home soon.