A Girl Named Callie

<Callie> A Girl Who Gave Him Back His Family

Chapter 35

<Callie Stevens>

I cross and uncross my legs as I shift in my seat outside courtroom 1B of the county courthouse. Julio is on the other side of the door while lawyers argue for and against his release. I am patiently waiting to be called in to give my testimony. I smooth my pencil skirt and fidget with a bracelet on my wrist as I strain to hear what point in the trial we're at. I lean back over when the doors open, and a bailiff comes to take me into the court room. I follow close behind and make my way up to the stand. I smile at Julio as I place my right hand on the Bible, the judge swearing me in. I take a seat and smooth my skirt as I look at the representative of the state.

"Please state your full name for the court." Julio's representative looks directly at me.

"Callie Elizabeth Stevens."

"And what is your connection to Julio Cortez?"

"I work with him through the prison ministry, trying to bring him closer to God."

"And how long have you been working with him?"

"A little over five months."

"And what do your meetings consist of?"

"We usually read some Bible passages and discuss them. We also talk about Julio's past, how he ended up in prison, and how he plans to do better when he gets out."

"And how would you categorize his progress in the five months that you have worked with him?"

"He has definitely improved in the five months I've been with him. In the beginning, he was very closed off and angry. He wasn't receptive originally, but as we spent an hour together every day he came to trust me and opened up to me. He seemed to be relieved to tell someone about his life and to hear another perspective on what he was going through. As we continued to study different passages, he began to share that he wanted to better his life, especially for his girlfriend and his young daughter. He got a job in the prison cafeteria and he's been going to classes to help him get his GED, so he can get a job when he comes out. He's been trying his hardest to improve himself. He just wants to move past his mistakes."

"Has he told you about his specific plans for after prison?"

"He wants to get a job, possibly as a recovery counselor for drug addicts or working with a charity for underprivileged children, helping them get an education and stay off the streets."

"And, character-wise, have you noticed any changes in Mr. Cortez?"

"He is more open and vulnerable. He is learning to trust again, and he is learning to be accountable for his mistakes. He is driven by a need to be better."

"Thank you, Ms. Stevens, no further questions." Julio's representative sits down as the judge releases me and calls for the state's representative.

I sit down on a bench behind Julio, next to Vanessa and Luciana while the state's representative, Mrs. Roberts, makes her case. I squeeze her hand and give Luciana a smile as we turn back to look at the judge's panel and the state's representative.

"Your honor, we cannot in good faith release this man from prison. Since beginning his sentence, he has gotten in more than fifty fights, half of which have ended in his opponent being sent to the hospital for weeks of recovery. These fights continued to occur even after Ms. Stevens began talking with him. He has been in gangs since he was ten years old and he has strong gang ties in his immediate community, and it will be hard for him to avoid falling into those same traps."

Mrs. Roberts exhales and unbuttons her suit jacket.

"Before his arrest, he violently assaulted drug runners, members and families of rival gangs, and community professionals. Those people, many of whom could not be here today, deserve to have their rights taken into account, deserve to feel safe in their own communities, and the only way they'll feel safe is if the man responsible for their injuries is behind bars. The state rests, your honor."