Patricia Watkins - North Carolina# 0426771
State: North Carolina
Sentence: 8 ½ to 11 years
Offense: Forgery and uttering; Habitual felon
Court: Rockingham County
Date of Sentencing: 9/7/2004
Date of Birth: 5/16/1971
Projected Release Date: 12/14/2012
Habitual felonies: Patricia’s three triggering felonies were all nonviolent credit card fraud and theft charges (6/14/1994; 4/30/1997; 9/23/1997) that resulted in probation and short periods of incarceration.
Nature of offense: In December of 2003 Patricia forged $400 worth of checks to support her crack cocaine addiction. Of the twelve checks she stole from the mother of an acquaintance, eleven were used in Almance County and Patricia received a 12 to 15 month sentence for the forgery of these checks. However, the twelfth check, for $50, was used in Rockingham County where Patricia was charged as a habitual felon for the offense.
Other priors: Patricia’s other forgery charges (9/17/1993, 6/14/1994, 9/3/1996, 9/1/2000) were all committed to finance her crack cocaine addiction.
Guideline sentence: In North Carolina one count of forgery is a class I felony and warrants a maximum penalty of 12 months. However, the habitual felon status elevated Patricia to a class C felony. With a prior record level of V in the mitigated range, Patricia was sentenced to 90-117 months to be served consecutively to her additional 12-15 month sentence.
Personal background: Growing up, neither Patricia nor her family fathomed that she would eventually develop a debilitating drug addiction. She and her two brothers were raised in a very supportive, close knit family and while her father was tragically killed in a car accident when Patricia was just three years old, she remembers her childhood as happy. Since neither of her parents drank or used drugs, Patricia was never exposed to drugs or alcohol in the home. She attributes her initial experimentation with drugs to peer pressure and low self-esteem. Patricia battled weight problems for much of her life and believes that her negative self-image compounded with her desire to be accepted by peers compelled her to try drugs. She started using cocaine, pot, and alcohol at fifteen. She later tried crack, which “took her by the hand and wouldn’t let go” and became her drug of choice. Patricia now wishes that she could return to the age of 15 and start over again.
Because of her addiction, Patricia did not complete high school, but did go on to obtain her GED. As an adult she periodically held cashier and factory positions, but had difficulty maintaining a job due to her addiction. Like many addicts, she resorted to committing crimes to obtain money for drugs and was arrested several times. She attended a short-term inpatient treatment program twice in an attempt to overcome her addiction, but returned to using crack each time. Patricia has one daughter who was six when she was sentenced and will be almost fifteen when she is released. Her mother is now raising her daughter and they both visit with Patricia as often as possible, but are only able to see her about twice a month since they live over two hours away.
Sadly, Patricia suffered another loss in her twenties when her 29-year-old brother was killed. The man responsible for her brother’s death pled to a manslaughter charge and received a 19-38 month sentence—a sentence that now seems grossly unjust to her family in comparison to the sentence Patricia received. Patricia knows she deserves to be punished for her crimes, but believes that her sentence is excessive and states that she is “a drug addict who needs help, not a decade behind bars”. She attends weekly Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in prison, but feels that also needs to enroll in a long-term treatment program to successfully conquer her addiction. Unfortunately, her chances to receive additional treatment in prison are slim. She was sentenced to complete the program at the Mary Francis Drug Center before her release, but is ineligible to participate because she is an insulin dependent diabetic. However, Patricia is hopeful that she will eventually be able to participate in the 90 day DART program offered by the NCDOC. Without extensive treatment, Patricia is concerned about her ability to abstain from crack cocaine upon her release and writes, “What happens when I am released? No treatment, no rehabilitation—Will I return to the same lifestyle?”
Compiled from inmate information, Judgment and Commitment form, Prior Record Worksheet, and NC DOC Public Access Information System.
BA 4/6/06