My name is Randy. I am in long-term recovery from a 35-year addiction. I am a recovery coach, advocate and mentor. I’m writing today to share my personal experience and to highlight why L.D. 1175, which would lower the cost of phone calls and provide two free calls a week in county and state jails, must be passed.
The last time I was arrested I had no money on me. I couldn’t call my daughter for months to let her know what had happened. This wouldn’t be an issue for most people, but in my case, I was homeless, living in a tent in the woods. I was at the height of my addiction.
The night I got arrested, I was supposed to meet my daughter for her birthday. Instead, I went to jail. I couldn’t contact her at all that night. Worse still, it was three months before my daughter figured out where I was. She thought I had overdosed in the woods and that no one would ever find my body!
My daughter should have never had to come to terms with the false assumption that I had died, only to find out I was alive months after and just couldn’t get hold of her. I feel very strongly about the importance of L.D. 1175. I hope my story will help show why it is critical to vote in support of it.
Randy Beard
Westbrook
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.