Wilson concludes that he was lucky in every way: lucky to have been sentenced to Patuxent instead of one of Maryland’s other and more notorious maximum-security prisons; lucky to have gained entrance into the youth program; lucky to have been sentenced before 2004, when the state required all sentence-modification hearings to occur within five years of conviction; lucky to have met Keith Showstack; lucky to have been granted a hearing after multiple rejections; and lucky to have had a favorable judge. He says that door is “too narrow for most good people to make it through” (233). He believes that young bammas deserve harsh sentences, but he opposes life sentences for juveniles. He cites Steve and Tooky as examples of men whom he believes earned redemption and deserve a chance at freedom.

Patuxent’s administrators resist implementing Judge Serrette’s sentence reduction for Wilson. The administrators change rules to prevent Wilson from getting work release. Mr. Mee, no doubt on the administration’s orders, refuses to give Wilson the necessary evaluation for a hearing that could lead to work release. A new associate warden revokes privileges such as extra study time. Inmates are angry.