A Life Wasted

Today - April 2021 - Federal Prison

Recently I had a series of significant denials in court. Denials that make things crystal clear: the United States Attorney's Office will use their full power and authority to keep me in prison for the rest of my life; and all four Federal District Judges on my cases agree with the Government. I had been under the illusion that the system was fair and that I would be treated justly. I was mistaken. It is painful when illusions shatter, but liberating. Illusions destroyed, I stop pretending. Legal issues releasing others, have been and always will be denied me. This clarity allows me to focus. Denied equal treatment under the law, I'll not waste time on legal challenges destine to fail. The system failed me. The system has attacked me. I'm a counterpuncher, so my response is predetermined. I fight back.

I'm 65 years old, and have served 21 years on this sentence. My release date is in 2045. If I live that long I'll be 89 years old on my release date in 2045. In 2011 I had a heart attack followed by open-heart surgery: a quadruple by-pass. I have sleep apnea and high cholesterol that medicine can't control. Prison food isn't exactly healthy so nothing I can do about the high cholesterol. A combination of medical history and current conditions practically guarantee I'll have another heart attack. In 2011 my heart surgeon warned me of another heart attack in ten years if I didn't get my cholesterol under control. This November will be ten years. According to actuary tables, an America born in 1956 will live 74.3 years. I'm not likely to see my 89 year-old release date.

After my last court denial I understood my 50 year sentence is actually a Life Sentence. Society wouldn't survive without rules and consequences for breaking those rules. I broke the law and deserve punishment. I get that. I agree with it. What I don't agree with is the degree of punishment. My case in Harrisburg is for bank robbery and car-jacking, all while an escaped fugitive. For those crimes I have a 20 year, 10 month sentence. You serve 85% of all federal sentences, so I'll serve eighteen years for those crimes, followed by five years of supervised release. That is far from a light sentence, but I'd be hard pressed to call it overboard. This is not the sentence that sets me apart.

The time I've received for possessing a firearm is what's excessive. I am serving 46 years and 11 months for possessing firearms. Not exotic weapons, not even assault weapons, just a bolt action rifle and five hand guns. I could even argue that I'm serving 47 years and 11 months for something that isn't a crime. Americans have a Constitutionally guaranteed right to possess a firearm. I understand that as a convicted felon this right has been taken from me. I'm not arguing that point. What I am saying is that as a convicted felon I have lost a Constitutional Right everyone else has, and as such it is against the law. It is a violation for me to possess a firearm. But does this violation raise to the level of such a serious crime that I would be given the same sentence as a murderer? In many cases a murderer will receive a lighter sentence and do less time.

My sentence is excessive. My sentence is unfair. I've failed fighting on a personal level, so I'll spend the rest of my Life Sentence fighting the unjust system. I've begun writing a book titled "Enough!" In it I will expose the injustice of the Federal Criminal Justice System. I promise it will be interesting. You can start reading it soon on Wattpad.

Clayton Lee WaagnerReg. No. 17258-039Federal Correctional CenterP.O. Box 1000Cumberland, MD 21501