Ben Klinger Case
Ben
Ben is 32 years old. He spent the last 12 years, the early years of his early young adult life incarcerated at SCI Albion State Prison, near Erie, PA — 320 miles away from his family and remaining friends.
A friends writes:
I’ve known Ben since 2008. I was 15 and he was 16 years old. We had the same group of friends in youth group and were very involved with our church community. At that time we had an incredibly strong group of friends. My first impressions of Ben when I met him was that he was a complete goofball. He loved kidding with his guy friends and loved making people laugh. Ben would go out of his way to celebrate someone’s birthday with really intentional gifts. A year after I met Ben, we ended up in the same high school and were both seniors. That’s when I noticed he was involved with the wrong crowd.
The Accident
12 years ago, Ben was driving DUI at a high rate of speed, west on route 283 near Elizabethtown. His girlfriend was in the passenger seat when the car went out of control and hit the guard rail on the right-side. She was ejected from the vehicle and lying by the guardrails when the police arrived. Ben was still in the driver’s seat with two broken legs and other injuries. Ben's girlfriend passed away at the scene.
Lancaster County Court charged Ben with 3rd degree murder. He was sentenced to 30-50 years in prison.
Twelve years later, Ben is filled with remorse for his very poor choices and all of the pain he has caused so very many people.
A letter form Ben:
God bless and good morning!
I hope all is well. I want to give you all an update on a few changes in my day to day life in here. I have been living on what is called an RTU (Residential Treatment Unit specialized housing blocks geared toward mental health needs). People in RTUs have serious mental illnesses and/or intellectual disabilities. There is a wide range of functionality throughout the group of guys here. Some present no different than you & I, while others have a very difficult time socially, hygienically, physically, emotionally or intellectually.
One of my closest friends on the unit is a paranoid schizophrenic & some days he has a hard time discerning reality from his mental health symptoms. But what is unique to this RTU is that it is a specialized RTU that will house anyone in the PADOC for those on the Autistic Spectrum. Though there will still be a mix of other guys with different diagnosis. There are only a handful of us that are fully functional and indiscernible from your standard inmate & a few of us are officially hired as an aid. But everyone tries to help each other on this unit & we view it as a community.
There is one man I have been seriously involved with & designated as his personal aid. His name is Joe. He has dementia. Joe has been in prison since 1979. He has good days & bad days. He is truly one of the most charismatic, genuine, wise, funny, witty/clever guys I have ever met. On his good days it really shines through. A man I have a lot of respect for & I am blessed to call him my friend. He does well with his long term memory & can recall his past with clarity, it is his “here & now” that is a struggle. It isn’t a burden or frustration for me to repeat the same answer to a question he'll ask a half dozen times in a day because I like Joe and want him to be happy. I don't like seeing him get upset about his dementia… It hurts my heart to see such a good guy in emotional pain from something he can't help or control.
This past week was hard for him because he didn't get his commissary order. The way it works is if you want to buy items of food, clothing, electronics, hygiene and other things from the commissary, you fill out an order and on Wednesday nights you slide it out between the door & door frame of your cell. It will just sit there, partially in your cell, partially hanging outside your cell door. Then the Night shift Corrections Officer will walk around and pick up the order slips late at night.
Another aid and myself helped Joe fill out his order and then before we locked in for the night we slid it in Joe's door for pick up. Well, at some point after we all were locked into our cells Joe must have saw a paper in his door and not remembering why it was there, how it got there or what it was (even though we filled it out together not long before), pulled it back into his cell to look at it, then never put it back in his door for the night shift to collect.
So this past Tuesday when commissary was brought to the block and his order didn't show up, Joe was really angry and couldn't see how he had no order. When we explained what we believed happened and then looked for the order slip in his cell and found it. He went over the edge, beyond being mad to sorrow. Just pure brokenness, frustration and despair because he knows he is losing himself to dementia and his ability to live a functional life.
My heart physically ached for Joe. Myself and this other aid went around trying to get some things for him so he would have food, coffee and one of those Vape pens that delivers vaporized nicotine that Joe likes. This was something special I was able to do for him though that made him happier than I've ever seen him.
Right before Joe arrived here to Albion, The administration had a special Subway sale. We were given the opportunity to buy two Subs from Subway. I purchased a Roast beef and cheese, and a Turkey club both loaded up with condiments. The Subway sub's were delivered that night after we locked into our cells (we ordered and paid for these sub's well in advance of delivery). Well, I spoke to a guard and he let me take Joe one of my Sub's.
This Subway sale was the first bite of "street food" (That is what you call any restaurant food that is brought into a prison. It comes from the free world, out there "in the streets" haha) we had in many years – my second in ten years. Joe was so happy about it that he remembered to talk about it with me the next day and express his appreciation. That never happens. He forgets things that happen five minutes ago, so this sub clearly made a big impression. I'm smiling typing this. Joe is a good man & I enjoy seeing him happy.
Another more recent development is that the unit management team (Three DOC staff post on my Housing Unit: counselor, psych and the overall unit manager) needed someone to move into a cell with a guy who had attempted suicide two weeks prior. I like living by myself and for the most part, overall my mental, emotional and physical health is at its best when I am living alone without a cell mate. This is a huge benefit to living on the housing unit I am on. There are so few people (44/128 open beds) we don't have to take a cellmate. But… this guy needed someone to live in with him to keep his spirits up and make sure he doesn't try and hurt himself. I was asked and though it was about as far out of my comfort zone as you could put me, it was needed so I accepted.
My cellmate is named John. He is in his late 30s, has autism & struggles with daily hygiene practices, a severe depressive disorder, anti-social personality disorder, and is quite brilliant in several areas and has a severe competency deficit in others. I'm told most of this is not uncommon with Autism. I have never had any regular contact with someone on the autistic spectrum so this is all new to me.
My Dad sent me a couple books on the subject…which has helped tremendously with how he and I communicate. I've read our neural pathways are different and the way he processes things is unlike my own. To encourage him to shower or change or wash his clothes I cant tell him “you need to go shower” or “your clothes smell like body oder. Wash them.” He won’t receive it well at all. I have to instead point out the cell smells badly and the benefits that come from finding and eliminating the odor and that together we should try to figure out what it is that's making it smell that way & then try to fix it. This leads us to pinpointing his dirty clothes or bed sheets and he will then declare that he needs to wash his clothes. He isn't slow at all, but he is stubborn. Taking this around about tact/approach has really made a difference. The understanding of trying to explain the WHY we should do something before asking to do it has been invaluable.
And that is just one among a dozen or more insights gleaned from reading into Autism, and being with John. This all has been a test of my forbearance and social acumen for sure but I'm glad I did it now. John is a good person & once he warms up to you, a true friend. His loyalty and thoughtfulness humbles me daily. It is a dual blessing though, John is very much into loving Jesus and I'm thankful to have a celly that shares that love. We have a Hymnal we like to sing/read a hymn from every morning. I greatly enjoy sharing these moments with him.
I felt apprehension about making this cell change but am now sure it was the right move. The Unit team said it isn't a permanent placement though. I'm not sure how long I'll be in here but I'll make, take and enjoy the most of every single day.
Well, this has been a rather long update! I'll wrap this one up. Thanks for taking the time to hear all I had to say. I appreciate having people to share my thoughts with. :-)
Praying always for your daily joy and peacefulness.
Your friend and Brother in Christ,
~Ben
“God often works miracles and I suggest that we keep working at it, because I believe there is a miracle waiting. I have hope that if we keep working on this case something good will come. One thing is for certain that if we don’t keep working at it, nothing will happen. Let's get people talking, have meetings with any of Ben’s friends and family that are willing to discuss the concept of bringing Ben home early — start with a small group, and prayerfully it will grow to over 100.”
Tom Zeager
President
Justice & Mercy, Inc.
Ben is 32 years old. He spent the last 12 years, the early years of his early young adult life incarcerated at SCI Albion State Prison, near Erie, PA — 320 miles away from his family and remaining friends.
A friends writes:
I’ve known Ben since 2008. I was 15 and he was 16 years old. We had the same group of friends in youth group and were very involved with our church community. At that time we had an incredibly strong group of friends. My first impressions of Ben when I met him was that he was a complete goofball. He loved kidding with his guy friends and loved making people laugh. Ben would go out of his way to celebrate someone’s birthday with really intentional gifts. A year after I met Ben, we ended up in the same high school and were both seniors. That’s when I noticed he was involved with the wrong crowd.
The Accident
12 years ago, Ben was driving DUI at a high rate of speed, west on route 283 near Elizabethtown. His girlfriend was in the passenger seat when the car went out of control and hit the guard rail on the right-side. She was ejected from the vehicle and lying by the guardrails when the police arrived. Ben was still in the driver’s seat with two broken legs and other injuries. Ben's girlfriend passed away at the scene.
Lancaster County Court charged Ben with 3rd degree murder. He was sentenced to 30-50 years in prison.
Twelve years later, Ben is filled with remorse for his very poor choices and all of the pain he has caused so very many people.
A letter form Ben:
God bless and good morning!
I hope all is well. I want to give you all an update on a few changes in my day to day life in here. I have been living on what is called an RTU (Residential Treatment Unit specialized housing blocks geared toward mental health needs). People in RTUs have serious mental illnesses and/or intellectual disabilities. There is a wide range of functionality throughout the group of guys here. Some present no different than you & I, while others have a very difficult time socially, hygienically, physically, emotionally or intellectually.
One of my closest friends on the unit is a paranoid schizophrenic & some days he has a hard time discerning reality from his mental health symptoms. But what is unique to this RTU is that it is a specialized RTU that will house anyone in the PADOC for those on the Autistic Spectrum. Though there will still be a mix of other guys with different diagnosis. There are only a handful of us that are fully functional and indiscernible from your standard inmate & a few of us are officially hired as an aid. But everyone tries to help each other on this unit & we view it as a community.
There is one man I have been seriously involved with & designated as his personal aid. His name is Joe. He has dementia. Joe has been in prison since 1979. He has good days & bad days. He is truly one of the most charismatic, genuine, wise, funny, witty/clever guys I have ever met. On his good days it really shines through. A man I have a lot of respect for & I am blessed to call him my friend. He does well with his long term memory & can recall his past with clarity, it is his “here & now” that is a struggle. It isn’t a burden or frustration for me to repeat the same answer to a question he'll ask a half dozen times in a day because I like Joe and want him to be happy. I don't like seeing him get upset about his dementia… It hurts my heart to see such a good guy in emotional pain from something he can't help or control.
This past week was hard for him because he didn't get his commissary order. The way it works is if you want to buy items of food, clothing, electronics, hygiene and other things from the commissary, you fill out an order and on Wednesday nights you slide it out between the door & door frame of your cell. It will just sit there, partially in your cell, partially hanging outside your cell door. Then the Night shift Corrections Officer will walk around and pick up the order slips late at night.
Another aid and myself helped Joe fill out his order and then before we locked in for the night we slid it in Joe's door for pick up. Well, at some point after we all were locked into our cells Joe must have saw a paper in his door and not remembering why it was there, how it got there or what it was (even though we filled it out together not long before), pulled it back into his cell to look at it, then never put it back in his door for the night shift to collect.
So this past Tuesday when commissary was brought to the block and his order didn't show up, Joe was really angry and couldn't see how he had no order. When we explained what we believed happened and then looked for the order slip in his cell and found it. He went over the edge, beyond being mad to sorrow. Just pure brokenness, frustration and despair because he knows he is losing himself to dementia and his ability to live a functional life.
My heart physically ached for Joe. Myself and this other aid went around trying to get some things for him so he would have food, coffee and one of those Vape pens that delivers vaporized nicotine that Joe likes. This was something special I was able to do for him though that made him happier than I've ever seen him.
Right before Joe arrived here to Albion, The administration had a special Subway sale. We were given the opportunity to buy two Subs from Subway. I purchased a Roast beef and cheese, and a Turkey club both loaded up with condiments. The Subway sub's were delivered that night after we locked into our cells (we ordered and paid for these sub's well in advance of delivery). Well, I spoke to a guard and he let me take Joe one of my Sub's.
This Subway sale was the first bite of "street food" (That is what you call any restaurant food that is brought into a prison. It comes from the free world, out there "in the streets" haha) we had in many years – my second in ten years. Joe was so happy about it that he remembered to talk about it with me the next day and express his appreciation. That never happens. He forgets things that happen five minutes ago, so this sub clearly made a big impression. I'm smiling typing this. Joe is a good man & I enjoy seeing him happy.
Another more recent development is that the unit management team (Three DOC staff post on my Housing Unit: counselor, psych and the overall unit manager) needed someone to move into a cell with a guy who had attempted suicide two weeks prior. I like living by myself and for the most part, overall my mental, emotional and physical health is at its best when I am living alone without a cell mate. This is a huge benefit to living on the housing unit I am on. There are so few people (44/128 open beds) we don't have to take a cellmate. But… this guy needed someone to live in with him to keep his spirits up and make sure he doesn't try and hurt himself. I was asked and though it was about as far out of my comfort zone as you could put me, it was needed so I accepted.
My cellmate is named John. He is in his late 30s, has autism & struggles with daily hygiene practices, a severe depressive disorder, anti-social personality disorder, and is quite brilliant in several areas and has a severe competency deficit in others. I'm told most of this is not uncommon with Autism. I have never had any regular contact with someone on the autistic spectrum so this is all new to me.
My Dad sent me a couple books on the subject…which has helped tremendously with how he and I communicate. I've read our neural pathways are different and the way he processes things is unlike my own. To encourage him to shower or change or wash his clothes I cant tell him “you need to go shower” or “your clothes smell like body oder. Wash them.” He won’t receive it well at all. I have to instead point out the cell smells badly and the benefits that come from finding and eliminating the odor and that together we should try to figure out what it is that's making it smell that way & then try to fix it. This leads us to pinpointing his dirty clothes or bed sheets and he will then declare that he needs to wash his clothes. He isn't slow at all, but he is stubborn. Taking this around about tact/approach has really made a difference. The understanding of trying to explain the WHY we should do something before asking to do it has been invaluable.
And that is just one among a dozen or more insights gleaned from reading into Autism, and being with John. This all has been a test of my forbearance and social acumen for sure but I'm glad I did it now. John is a good person & once he warms up to you, a true friend. His loyalty and thoughtfulness humbles me daily. It is a dual blessing though, John is very much into loving Jesus and I'm thankful to have a celly that shares that love. We have a Hymnal we like to sing/read a hymn from every morning. I greatly enjoy sharing these moments with him.
I felt apprehension about making this cell change but am now sure it was the right move. The Unit team said it isn't a permanent placement though. I'm not sure how long I'll be in here but I'll make, take and enjoy the most of every single day.
Well, this has been a rather long update! I'll wrap this one up. Thanks for taking the time to hear all I had to say. I appreciate having people to share my thoughts with. :-)
Praying always for your daily joy and peacefulness.
Your friend and Brother in Christ,
~Ben
“God often works miracles and I suggest that we keep working at it, because I believe there is a miracle waiting. I have hope that if we keep working on this case something good will come. One thing is for certain that if we don’t keep working at it, nothing will happen. Let's get people talking, have meetings with any of Ben’s friends and family that are willing to discuss the concept of bringing Ben home early — start with a small group, and prayerfully it will grow to over 100.”
Tom Zeager
President
Justice & Mercy, Inc.