Adams Louis W. - A map through the maze: a guide to surviving the criminal justice system

Copyright 2016, 1993 by V. N. Rollo, Jr. and published under license to Impact Publications. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher: IMPACT PUBLICATIONS, 9104 Manassas Drive, Suite N, Manassas Park, VA 20111, Tel. 703-361-7300, Fax 703-335-9486, or query@impactpublications.com .

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ISBN: 978-1-57023-353-1 (paperback); 978-1-57023-371-5 (eBook)

Library of Congress: 2015932907

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Dedication

Dedicated to HENRY LANGER A friend, client, benefactor, and exceptionally good man, Who paid his dues, took control, and put the past behind him. Rest in peace.

S INCE 1970, when as a young ex-convict he worked in a hostel for ex-prisoners in the Hyde Park district of Chicago where my family and I make our home, I have admired Ned Rollo and his dedication to helping those leaving prison make a useful life for themselves and for us.

In A Map Through the Maze he distills the knowledge and experience gained from his long and interesting journey of service. He knows whereof he writes, and he writes in a sprightly and compelling manner. He used his own bootstraps and a fine intelligence to pull himself up to a contributing life after five and a half years in prison; he now teaches others how to achieve five years of arrest-free behavior as the means of escape from the maze of convicthood.

Self-image is the key; but self-image is to be shaped not by wishing it were so but by behaving so that it is so. The path Rollo has cleared for others to follow is shaped both by practical realities and by a sound psychological understanding.

It is a pleasure to be associated with this book. It stands in a noble tradition of respect for human endeavor, for recognition that there is a spark in all men and women that can be fanned to help shape a good life.

Norval Morris, Ph.D.

Professor of Law and Criminology

University of Chicago - 1993

(Dr. Morris departed this world in 2004)

Ned Rollo

A COOL, RAINY night. Typical for autumn deep in the Ozark Mountains. The hummingbirds headed south last week and soon the first freeze will silence the night creatures, sending this isolated world into a deep stillness until reborn again next spring. For ten winters I have chosen to live as a forest dweller, a hermit of sorts, in the cusp of a one-mile long crescent moon valley along the banks of a quiet, crystal clear river.

Decades of commitment were required to take control of my 200 acres of raw mountain land. As with many former prisoners, it was a dream of privacy and a way to get clean which sustained me though prison and beyond. Thus I came here to create a sanctuary, building a man cave safe from the rain and wind, in tune with nature and set apart from the prying eyes of the ever shrinking world. I share this with you for one reason: as proof that it is possible to radically alter your reality for the better; to transform a heart-sustaining ambition into reality. It can be done.

Now, with another winter fast approaching, I have finally finished this 2 nd edition of A Map Through the Maze as a modest gift to all the folks of the world who greet dawn through the bars of a cage. And after a half century of closely watching people endure the soul-shattering experience of human captivity, I have but one suggestion appropriate for all: own yourself! Never surrender hope or allow the urge to dive into darkness consume you.

In a cell, on a street corner or a mountain top, we all hunger for a way to be useful, to feel fulfilled, to be worthy of trust, and be at peace. On behalf of myself and Katherine Greene, my partner and dearest friend, we sincerely hope this book may assist those called upon to endure the adversity of captivity and, ever further, achieve happiness as constructive elements in the complex world we all share. Be well!

Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. from Me and Bobby McGee

A MAP THROUGH THE MAZE is a self-change guide written to encourage and assist people locked in cages, as well as their loved ones who often suffer along with them in the free world. Before deciding to read this, you will want to know why it was created. Perhaps I can best explain this through a process of eliminationby defining who I, Ned Rollo, am not.

I am not the government or any branch thereof. I am not a puppet of any political or social agenda. Nor am I a naive do-gooder who wants to take you under my wing or fix you. I am not here to harvest souls, remold personalities, or jack with the minds and hearts of prisoners.

Last, I dont plan to bore you with theories or judgments as to how you ought to think and live. Instead, I speak directly to the mental and emotional frame of mind required to endure life in the dark heart of the punishment experience. My job is straightforward: To tell you the truth as I have grown to understand it...the good, the bad, and the ugly...and to point the way to a better path, in the event you wish to follow it.

The good news is that beauty, kindness, comfort, and peace of mind actually exist. Above all, they can be achieved! This reality represents a wellspring from which powerless people, flushed and forgotten by society, can draw hope of a better day. Underlying this book is the certainty that life after prison really is worth living . And whatever price you must pay during and following captivity, the rewards are well worth the investment required.