Help Fund my Incarcerated Pen Pal's College Course

Long Story Short:

Hi everyone, I am fundraising on behalf of my incarcerated pen pal, Julio Maldonado, who has been in exchanging letters with me for almost three years now. Julio is seeking $450 to cover the cost of a college-level automotive mechanics course at his Texas correctional facility. My pen pal is a talented handy-man when it comes to fixing his fellow inmates’ radios, and he is eager to build his technical skill set in this class. Upon his release, he hopes to pursue an associates degree and become a diesel mechanic. Any additional funds raised beyond the $450 will go towards his commissary needs, tablet, and book requests. On behalf of Julio, thank you so much for your kind donations.

 

The Full Story:

I started writing to Julio in the late spring of 2021. Through his very first letter, I could tell how genuine his heart was. He told me that he deeply missed his three daughters and five (now six) grandkids, sending them cards and handmade gifts to celebrate big milestones despite the distance. In the next letter, he described his daydreams about fishing in the outdoors, eating restaurant food again, and traveling to Puerto Rico and Brooklyn where his extended family lives. By the third letter, he admitted that he was initially hesitant to write to Abolition Apostles, the organization that connected us; he didn’t want to be disappointed by a non-response or a rejection. Still, his desire for meaningful outside connections won out, and we were both pleasantly surprised when he decided to share the details of his case early on in our friendship.

Within the first few letters, I learned that Julio was wrongfully convicted in 2004 over a conflict related to his ex-girlfriend’s daughter. While his ex initially pressed charges against him, she later recanted her statement and confessed to fabricating the accusation. Still, when he went to court, his guilt was already pre-determined by CPS's involvement, and his court-issued attorney was not well-prepared to defend his case. He was sentenced to 50 years, on top of an existing 20-year and 5-year sentence. While he showed remorse and acceptance about his shorter sentences, he was justifiably outraged by the 50-year sentence because it was: 1) a wrongful conviction and 2) stacked instead of concurrent, meaning he now has a total of 75 years to serve. At 44 years old, he has served 20 out of those 75 years so far.

Even when faced with essentially a life sentence, Julio maintains an astounding amount of hope and humor. During our weekly Tuesday calls, he updates me on the self-help books he’s reading, the drama between inmates and correctional officers, the art projects he’s creating (which never fail to impress me).

He also holds space to answer my questions about the policies and treatments at his facility, which to anyone in the outside would sound cruel but to him is his daily lived experience. Julio’s hope is largely grounded in his Christianity, which he practices regularly. Leaning on his faith, he is confident that he will rejoin his family and friends before his sentence is over. Not only is he determined to fight for his release, but he has intentional plans for reintegration. Once free, he wants earn an associates degree and become a diesel mechanic. He has also talked about becoming a motivational speaker/counselor for youth who have been harmed by the criminal justice system. I personally think he would make a great children’s book artist given his incredible drawing talent. But regardless how he reintegrates, he, like many of his fellow inmates, deserves to be in and with his community.

One tangible way to assist Julio in realizing these goals is to help pay for a college-level automotive mechanics course at his correctional facility, which would count for credit at Trinity Valley College upon completion. The cost of the course is $450. All additional funds raised will go towards his commissary needs, tablet, and book requests.

Ultimately though, our goal is to spread his story widely and find legal aid (ideally pro bono) to help him unstack his sentences. If they are unstacked, he would be up for parole in four years, and from there he would be able to fight his 50-year sentence from the outside instead of within the system.

Any contribution to this GoFundMe is greatly appreciated. On behalf of my dear pen pal, thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Claire