A reflection on past choices from inmate Donovan Buckner

by Judy Williams

Dear Readers,

In the January edition, the Stockbridge Community News printed a letter sent to the editor from Donovan Buckner. This young man’s correspondence gave rise to questions as to how his life devolved to a lengthy prison sentence. When SCN asked, Buckner agreed to share aspects of his life with readers and to reflect on the choices he has made. The article below represents the first of a three-part series, part one to appear here and in the March print edition. The April print edition will feature a day in the life of Buckner as a prisoner; May’s edition will discuss his hopes for the future.

Buckner has granted permission to print his address (Donovan Buckner 981139, Oaks Correctional Facility, 1500 Caberfae Hwy, Manistee, MI 49660), and he has indicated a willingness to correspond with those with questions. Prison regulations require all correspondence to be made in black ink, blue ink or a graphite pencil and to include contact information. Below are SCN’s questions and Buckner’s responses:

Prisoner Donovan Buckner said, “I feel I had a very good childhood growing up. I was raised by my great-grandmother. There were minor problems. The occasional shortage of money, but I was never neglected.”

Q: Tell us about your early life. Do you feel you had a good childhood, or were there problems in your early life?

A: “I feel I had a very good childhood growing up. I was raised by my great-grandmother. There were minor problems. The occasional shortage of money, but I was never neglected. I have a wonderful family that has stood behind me through every struggle that I have endured. Honestly, I could not have asked for a better family! But, it was hard with my mother being in prison until I was five and my dad in prison for 11½ years and not in my life until September of 2016. I missed out on the Mom/Dad family experience.”

Q: Did you like school? Did you always feel the same way about school?

A: “I did and didn’t like school. The fourth grade I had Mr. Cotter, I believe his name was, and in fifth grade I had Mr. Rehman. Those were my best years academically. Never did I feel the same way about school. School was a new experience every day while attending Stockbridge, thanks to Ms. Kay and other wonderful staff.”

Q: What type of student were you?

A: “To be honest I was more of the rebellious student. Never could I follow the rules. Thinking about it now, I always thought I was too good for school. I was and am smart, but I never applied myself. If I put as much effort into my work as I did [to] getting out of it, I would be a straight 4.0 student. “

Q: How would you describe your friends? Did they try to not get in trouble or were they troublemakers?

A: “I had loyal friends. They were more like family to me than friends. All my friends were mixed, some got in trouble and others veered away from trouble. I wish I would have hung around with them [the ones that stayed out of trouble].”

Q: How would you describe yourself as a child? Were you always getting into trouble from a young age or did trouble start later? If later, when?

A: “To describe myself, I was always on the move and always in some mischief. For a funny story, ask my grandma about the time I decided to play in the roofing tar when I was young, “The Tar Baby.” At a young age I was always ready to fight. You could say I was a ‘wild child.’”

Q: Do you feel that you were a leader or a follower when it came to trouble or did you get into trouble by yourself?

A: “To be honest, I was a little bit of both when it came to getting into trouble. It all depended on what kind of trouble. A lot of the time I was the person telling them what to do.”

Q: What type of trouble did you get into as a young kid?

A: “What kind of trouble doesn’t a young kid not get into? With me, it varied [with] how I felt that day. Most of the time it was petty stuff, but as I grew up, it got more serious and brought [up] on charges.”

Q: When did you start getting in trouble with the police and what type of trouble?

A: “The age I started getting trouble with the police was around the age of 11 or 12 years old. Since then, it just has never stopped. You could say I was a career criminal. My first charges were larceny in a building I believe, but I was convicted of larceny under $200. It varied. I was all over the board.”

Q: Have you ever been sent to a juvenile facility for trouble? If yes, what did you do and how long were you in the facility?

A: “Multiple times! I’ve been sent to Washtenaw County Juvenile Detention and Genesee Valley Regional Center in Flint. I was sent once for violation of my probation and other times for fighting. It varied from one week to one year. I was also in Eagle Village in Hersey, Michigan, for one year.”

Q: In your letter, you stated many people “may dislike me because of what I have done.” What did you do to end up in prison?

A: “I hurt an innocent person whom I loved. I was living a crazy life with some crazy people! My charges are count 1, assault by strangulation, and count 2, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. This sent me to prison for a term of 4 to 10 years.

Oaks Correctional Facility where Donovan Buckner is incarcerated.

Q: Do you have anything you want to add about the justice system (police, courts, jail, prison)?

A: “Well that’s a very touchy subject with all that’s going on around the country. But yes, [in my opinion] the legal system is very racial and prejudiced against people because of race, sex, sexual preference, age and crime. Know your rights and always do research, even if you have a lawyer.”