Today I crossed a pretty crazy thing off of my currently non-existent bucket list. I met someone who had killed others. Now, I don't currently have a bucket list, but if I did, I am sure this would be on it. Having my undergraduate degree in criminal justice, things like this interest me. Let me start at the beginning.
Two times per week I hold a Court Ordered Community Service orientation at my office. This orientation is for individuals who have been ordered to perform community service instead of having to pay a fine or go to jail. After a short explanation of all of the paperwork, I let each person fill out the documents and then go around to meet with each of them and give them their assignment. When I got around to this woman's paperwork, I saw that she had not one, but two, manslaughter charges.
I was a little worried at first, but I did eventually get the words out of my mouth to let her know we probably wouldn't be a good site for her service. Where I work, we do not accept anyone with violent charges. After talking with her a bit, I realized the true sadness of her story. She had been charged with vehicular manslaughter.
Not all too long ago, this woman decided to get into her car after a night of heavy drinking, and she ended up causing an accident that killed two people. I can't even imagine having to live with that for the rest of my life. This caused a split within me. On one side, I was terribly sad for this woman who made one mistake that caused the death of others; a decision she could never undo. On the other side, I was very angry at her for making such a dumb decision.
Anyway, I allowed her to start her service with us, as her crime wasn't so much violent as it was pure stupidity and selfishness. Now I can say that I have met someone who has killed others. It's kind of a weird feeling and not many people can say they have done the same, but that is for sure a good thing.
Moral of the story: please, please don't drink and drive
(PS: Maybe I should think about starting a bucket list...hmmm...)
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