The Mistake Makes The Man Essay

English 28

Essay 1 Prewriting

In my twenty years of life, I had never been arrested, spent any time in jail, or been in any big trouble with the law. I never thought I would be. I always would have considered myself as being a good, law-abiding citizen. My personal belief was that only hard-core, raunchy criminals were the ones being arrested and sentenced time in jail. Nevertheless, that had all changed on December 3, 2011, when I was arrested in Riverside County for driving under the influence and ultimately had to spend a few nights in jail. This experience was eye opening for me, I had realized that you didn't necessarily have to be a hard-core criminal or even a bad person in order to be arrested and sentenced to jail time, it just takes one wrong decision, one bad choice.
It was not an outrageous night of partying. It was not a coming-of-age party or the “night to end all nights.” It was just another time after school hanging with my friends, having a few beers. I wasn’t thinking about my eventual career, college decisions, or my financial situation. I was not thinking about my criminal record. I wasn’t revolting against a troubling society. I was thinking about how the girl I liked looked when she laughed and the movie we had all just seen. I was thinking about school and how I couldn’t wait to graduate. I was thinking about what other people were thinking about me. I didn’t get black out drunk. I didn’t slam back drink after drink. I drank three beers. Three beers was nothing. Three beers was child’s play, a starter. Three beers wasn’t even drinking. But three beers were enough for the state of California.
On the way home I got pulled over for failure to use a turn signal. I wasn’t driving recklessly or speeding. I did have a beater of a car and often times I got pulled over for trivial offenses. The officer told me why I had been pulled over and asked many questions. One of them was, “Have you been drinking tonight?” I panicked; after all I was tiny bit drunk. I said, “No.” He read the lie in a moment. At the end of the day I had been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol. I ended up spending a few nights in jail. What was worse than the jail time was the mark on my record. The DUI process is tedious and costly and now insurance companies charge me different rates than they used to. The worst part of all though, is the looks I get from people who view DUIs the way that I used to.
The biggest thing I learned from my DUI arrest is how I used to think. I am not a criminal. I am just a regular guy. I am a guy who attends college. I am a guy that spent a few nights in jail. Am I a criminal? Before my DUI, I might have answered, “yes” to that question. I have been to jail, so I must be criminal. I have been arrested so I must be a criminal. Even now, when I think about someone sitting in a jail cell, I am tempted to think of him as some sort of criminal. As if he is some awful wrongdoer who deserves a bit less form society than I deserve. I once told a girl whom I’d been dating for a few weeks that I had been arrested and to spent time in jail. Instantly, her attitude toward me changed. I noticed it immediately and within days our relationship was pretty much ended. This is an extreme example, some girls even find me more attractive for it, which feels even worse. The most frustrating thing about such an interaction is that I know that I used to have the same attitude toward those in my position. I might have reacted similarly to the girl who decided to stop seeing me. Perhaps, I wouldn’t have called them out directly, but silently I’d have judged them. In my head, I’d have pictured barbed wire and maximum security prisons, instead of the small county jail cell I had actually spent time in.
Additionally, I learned that society is not forgiving. As a community, we praise forgiveness, but when it comes to action, we do not practice it well. One need only to look at the news any given day to find some celebrity or politician being slandered and villainized for a single wrongdoing, even if this person has done positive things their entire life. Take Joe Paterno for example. Paterno was viewed as one of the most morally upright coaches in the history of the NCAA. He had a reputation for punishing his own players for cheating or misbehaving before the NCAA had a chance to submit its own penalties. Paterno was the model for a coach who invests in his players’ lives and actually cares about their success outside of football. Paterno was the coach who truly loved and cared about the boys he coached. Then, his assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, did something truly horrible and sexually abused young boys in the university’s own facilities. Sandusky was rightfully sent to prison. It was found out that a few years ago, one of Paterno’s assistants had informed him that he had seen Sandusky abusing boys in the showers. Paterno alerted his superiors at the university and was told that no such behavior was happening and that the assistant had made an erroneous accusation against the respected and tenured Sandusky. Ten years later, Sandusky was proven to be guilty and Paterno, in a moment of profound regret, stated that he “should have done more” when the accusation was brought to him years ago. The media and the public alike slaughtered Paterno. It was as if he were Sandusky. A life of respect and love and good deeds did him no good when paired against a single questionable act.
Just like Paterno should have done more, I should not have been driving that night. My offense was much smaller than his, but the courts stamped my record anyway. I deeply regretted my mistake and resolved to change, but the blot stayed on my record. I act responsibly and show up to class on time and generally treat people with respect and kindness, but employers are not notified of this behavior. They are notified of my mistake. I believe punishment for bad behavior is just. What is unjust is our failure to forgive. Society is anti-forgiveness. To say that Paterno isn’t so bad is to champion the cause of child abuse. I have not been given a death sentence or sent to prison forever. I have not been denied the right to ever work again or even drive a vehicle. But, one mistake will change the way many see me for a decade and will certainly change the way I see many, for life.