Barred, -ut not
plrlt bound
> trol. .
"I am what I am and I'm not Prison Chaplain the Rev.
here to impress anyone", says Raymmond Swierenga is not
teverson. "I'm here because I surprised by Steverson's honor
did wrong an I don't ever fool privileges. He says Steverson has
myself about t at." a study relationship with God
Dunes officials say that and a healthy attitude which has
Steverson is one of the few men ha� a positive impact on other
who has learned how to recon- pnsoners.
cilehis past and find forgiveness He lives out what he believes,
from God, from his friends and says Swierenga.
from himself. Steverson has also earned the
"I thank God for prison, be- respect of the prison's Chaplain-
cause when you take something, cy Board, a group of ministers
you can't giv it back," says from around West Michigan
Steverson. "H do you justify who develop religious program-
it? I suppose if you stick some- ming in the prison. He was
one up and take $1,500, you can recently named vice chairman of .
give back the money, but a life - the Chaplaincy Board, the first
only ct;od can give that back." prisoner at the Dunes named to
He says, I'm not denying the board. .
anything that I did. But I want to With that sort of attitude,
forget all the past. I want to be Makel says there is little the sys- _
judged for being what I am . tem can offer Steverson.
today. And I t ink I've proved "Rehabilitation is not aD issue
the kind of person I am while I've for him," sayS Maker. Here is a
been in prison." case where retribution is the
Others agree. only reason he's in prison. TUne
Martin Markel, warden of the i the only thing we can offer
Dunes Prison, says Steverson him."
has distinguished himself by Steverson spends much of his
maintaining a perfect discipline day sortin� through stacks of
record since entering prisoin in paper and various office sup-
March 1981. plies. As a prison clerk, he
"He hasn't been cited for even delivers upplies to different
the most minor of violations departments and keeps the
since he's been in the prison sys- supply locker in good order. His
tem," says Makel. "job" pays the premium prison
Steverson's efforts toward salary of $1.20 per day. He says
rhabilitation have delivered .. im it's basically hassle-free com-
from maximum security prisons pared to other chores he could
in Jackson and Ypsilanti to be doing in the kitchen or
medium security life at the laundry room. .
Dunes. After three years in When he's not working,
Saugatuck, he has been elevated Steverson is a very private per-
from quarters in the 24-man bar- son, spending time in his room
racks to the "eight-man honor reading or drawing pictures with
.dorm", reserved for 'prisoners , pastel chalk.
who show maturity and self con- The honor dorm offers each
prisoner an 8-bv-l0 foot room
By Ilia Up n
Portions reprinted from th«
April 3, 1988 issue of the
Grand Rapids Press
Jewell teverson is an inmate
at Michigan Dunes Correction­
al Facility at Saugatuc . He is
there for killing a Benton Har­
bor garag mechanic, which he
doesn't deny. .
When wal ing through the
halls of the bric and barbed
wire building, Jewell Steverson
usually elicits a nod and a "hello
Mister Steverson", from the men
tanding gainst the wall.
Steverson states that he
thinks it's because he carries
himself that way and they tend to
respec him for it.
There is dignity in his stride.
Deliberate measured steps.
Head tilted back slightly. A'
toothpick resting on his lower
lip.
He spends little time kidding
around with the guys he passes
. in the halls and when he speaks,
his words are clean and careful­
. ly chosen. The words float up
from a studied view of himself.
Tho e w rds have weight. •
Stever on, 51, is not a bad
. person. His is honest. Maybe
that's where the respect comes
from.
The man who never broke the
law before the crime that put
him behind bar doesn't spend
time commparing himself to
thers. He doesn't make excuses
. for hi past. He doesn't ponder
how or why h fired a bulle into
another man or why Berrien Cir­
cuit Court Judge Julian E.
Hughes made a decision "to keep
him in prison until Social
'ecurity ge.
KIDS
1st
B nton Harbor Ar
School B rei
Voe
June 13
yR ItyG p
"Everything We Touch, Tums to SOLD" ·
A Ident I * Comm c I * Lo Do peym nt
Rentals * Inv ment * FHA-VA S� II
LEASI
• Pool Tab es • Cranes
Ju e Boxes
Pinball • Latest i� V· eo Games
AI llin to t public or h m u
Cannady Amu ement Co
BI GO
Mpnd.ya·
8:30 P.M. I
ERCHANTS HALL
F rpl n Ptaza
Young c.o.o.c.
Fridays
8:30 P. .
EACHANTS HALL
F rp In P za
4th Cong. Oist. Oem. Com.
F irpl n Plaza
Exec. Comm. B.C.O.P.
F 'rplain Ptaza
Ber. Cnty. Oem. Party
I I
MayU-21,l
JEWELL STEVERSON
containing a sink, bed, cup­
board, and a desk. The wall. in
Steverson's room are decorated
with at least a dozen baseball
caps, which he collect from
friends or one of his eight
children. He is the father of four
boys and four girls.
Hi friends and family visit
with greater frequency the e
day.
A bo filled with cassette
tape of gospel c oir r on a
shelf and photographs of
Steverson's children are pinned
to a bulletin board. A news clip- .
ping is al 0 tacked to the board,
heralding another victory by his
son Todd, a track star at the
University of Michigan.
Being imprisoned means
reading the Bible alone in his
room. It is the most important
boo in Steverson's life.
I
. �
His introduction to the Bible
and religion came from his
grandmother, who raised himin
Memphis, Tennessee. His
moth r w only 14 when he was
born in 1937.
. Hi gr ndmother pu hed
Stcv r on througb high sch 01
and read him the Bible. She
brought him to the 10 I Baptist
church each Sunday to hear the
word f the Lord and the soulful
rhythms 0 the go pel choi .
That ame go pel music has
been a factor in his life since
childhood. He sang in several
gospel choirs and group before
he we t to prison. He is DOW a
vo . in the 121-man "Dune
Go pel Choir", singing Christian
melodies from within the prison
walls.
When tever on was 14, his
grandmother moved to Eau
Clair , Michigan. He graduated
fr mE u Claire High chool in
19 6 where he wa Art Editor of
the chr 01 ne paper.
t vcr n's grandmother
wanted him t go on to college,
but he m rried during his eni r
year in high chool and got COD­
struction w r inste d. He be­
came a cement mason for the
next 20 years in the Benton Har­
bor area.
Those were mostly stable
yar , filled with steady, hard
wor ,and unday spent t
church ingi in the ch ir.
But th e were the old d ys
- well before what lev rson
call hi "drifting". Whatever
religion or good intentions
g verned hi life during t�e e
P 14
B W
Charta
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