By Ann Manley
A few days ago, I visited my husband’s grave to honor the second anniversary of his death at the age of 94. Jim was a decorated WWII combat veteran who fought in the Battle of Bulge. His greatest hope before he died was to see our son walk free from the Alabama prison system.
Although Jim’s wish did not come true, it’s not too late for me. But I’m 88 so the clock is ticking. Our son, John Manley, has been incarcerated 37 years for property crimes. Although he never physically harmed anyone, never even saw any victims, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. But a bill currently in the Legislature would create a way for John to finally come home to me. HB29, the Second Chance bill, would give a judge right here in our hometown of Montgomery a chance to review John’s case and decide if it still makes sense to keep him locked inside St. Clair prison.
For years, Jim and I made the long drive up I-65 at least once a month to see our son. In prison, John began to make amends for his crimes. He worked hard to earn an associate degree in science from Gadsden State Community College. He completed a course in furniture building from Gadsden State. He learned to be a barber. Through numerous courses on alcohol and drug dependence, John has sought to ensure he would never succumb to addiction if he were eventually released.
What I’m most proud of is that John became a devout Christian while in custody. He has completed so many courses on the Bible and Christian faith that I’ve lost count, including programs offered by Samford University. As a lifelong Baptist, that warms my heart.
John’s transformation even caught the attention of former Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus. He met John while serving in a prison ministry and has become one of his strongest advocates for release and for the passage of HB29.
You might be reading this and thinking, “of course this man’s mother believes her son is ready to get out, but what about the victim?”
Of course the victim deserves a say. When John’s attorneys contacted him and shared the story of John’s rehabilitation, the victim was relieved John had used his time in prison wisely and signed an affidavit supporting his release.
The last time I saw my son was December 8, 2023. When he walked into the visitation yard at St. Clair, all I could say was, “Lord, I didn’t know you were that good looking.” He blushed and just said. “Mama.”
At least we can talk on the phone every evening when he calls after work. John works in the kitchen and is determined to get that nasty, institutional prison kitchen in better shape. He tells me all about the rats he kills and the floors he scrubs. John needed some punishment; he broke into empty houses and stole a lot of things when he was a teenager and young man. But nearly four decades of prison is enough. And I cannot understand how continuing to lock up a 61-year-old man with arthritis is making Alabama safer. I know I would feel safer if he was home with me at night.
Our home is full of pictures and framed news articles of my late husband and his Army honors. His name was James Windom Manley, and I still miss him every day. But I have to believe that he did not trek through Europe under General Patton to help liberate France, only to have his only son die in an Alabama prison for nonviolent property crimes.
I may be 88 years old, but I am not finished fighting for my son. I urge the Alabama Legislature to please pass HB29 this session. I want my son to visit his Daddy’s grave and to sit in his Mama’s kitchen, where you better believe there are no rats for him to kill.
Ann Manley is a lifelong Alabamian who lives in Montgomery. She is the mother of three children, grandmother of five and great-grandmother of five. She is a member of Yarbrough Street Baptist Church.