My name is Mary Buffaloe and I’m 65 years old. I live in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and I’m a customer service representative for the University of Pennsylvania Heath System. My brother is Raymond Calliman, and he’s serving a life sentence for first-degree murder in Pennsylvania state prison.
When he was 32, Raymond shot a man in an argument over money. He’d never been in any trouble in his life, never had any prior arrest. It was the worst mistake my big brother ever made, and he regrets it every single day. He feels deep remorse for what he did, and not a day passes that he doesn’t think of that man’s family.
Now Raymond is 68 years old. He’s been living in prison for 36 years.
Life has passed him by. His children have grown up without a father. Every year I post his picture on Facebook to wish him a happy birthday, and to remind the family that he’s still with us.
I’d like to tell you a little bit about my brother. You can read all the documents about him, but I can tell you what he’s really like. As a young child, Raymond loved music, and at the age of seven, he saved every little bit of money he could to purchase a guitar. If any of you remember, there was something called a Tiger Guitar, and it was an electric guitar with a little amplifier, and it really did make great music.
Raymond loved that guitar so much! He taught himself how to read music and play, and then he started a boy band – a band that continued into his adulthood. The family followed him around to all his gigs and cheered him on. He was so vibrant and lively, and we were his fan club.
He played his guitar in prison until he was no longer able to remember how to play. Remember, he went to prison when he was 32, and he’s now 68.
If medical co-pays were eliminated, people in prison could have easier access to vital medical care, and what happened to Raymond and so many others could be prevented.
Raymond went to prison a healthy man, and over all these years he’s developed multiple health issues. His weight dropped from 250 pounds down to 110 pounds, due to the lack of medical attention. He suffered tremendously from constipation and numerous urinary tract infections – all of which went untreated for so long that the toxins his body that normally would flush out leached into his bloodstream and have affected his brain.
It’s really hard for me to tell this story because it’s so painful. But I’m telling you because I need you to recognize the need for second chances, geriatric medical release, and to impress upon you why co-pays for inmates should be eliminated.
Many people don’t know about co-pays. When a prisoner in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections goes for medical attention, it costs them $5. If they can’t afford it, they get a negative balance on their books. Do you know how long it takes an inmate to earn $5, working at a rate of 19 cents an hour? Tons of people don’t go to medical because they know they can’t afford it. These costs are falling on people like me and other families. I’m an average person advocating for him. The co-pays are a burden to my family and for other inmates’ families. It is stressful.
If medical co-pays were eliminated, people in prison could have easier access to vital medical care, and what happened to Raymond and so many others could be prevented.
Beyond the co-pay issue, does it even make sense that Pennsylvania is paying to keep my brother locked up to keep the public safe? Raymond weighs 110 pounds. He needs help even making a phone call. Yet the only release option for him, Pennsylvania’s version of compassionate release for the sick and dying, is so narrowly written that only 31 people have successfully petitioned for it in 13 years.
I will never forget that little kid in the boy band, playing his heart out on that guitar. And I will never forget the man Raymond is now, after decades behind bars. I’m not asking anyone to forgive him his crime. I am asking for compassion and common sense. Please give Raymond and people like him a second chance. Eliminate the medical co-pay and fix our state’s broken compassionate release rule.
We need your help to fight for Raymond and other incarcerated people in Pennsylvania. Here’s how.
