Interview with a Convicted Felon

Criminology 360

May 4, 2010

Interview with a convicted Felon - Drugs

By: Linda Parker

Introduction

My interview was with a forty-one year old African American female named Loria Wiggins known as “LoLo”. She was one of the biggest drug dealers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She was convicted of possession of crack cocaine with the intent to sell. She actually spent her time in a Federal Women’s Prison in Tallahassee, Florida. Her sentence was one hundred-eight(108) months, she served over eighty-five percent of her time. She is now on five-year probation with supervision.

Miss Wiggins had been selling drugs for approximately four (4) year when she received a call from a high school friend that worked in the Federal building, who informed her that the Feds were coming for her. Instead of turning herself in, she ran. The friend contacted her family and told them to tell her to turn herself in, after six months on the run she self surrendered to the U.S Marshalls in Biloxi, Mississippi. There was more to the story that she’s not allowed to talk about. But she did say that once she surrendered she went from Biloxi, Mississippi to New Orleans, Louisiana to a halfway house for sixty days for a drug program. Then there was a pretrial and she was released to take care of her affairs. Then she went to a hearing where she pleaded guilty to charges. Then two months later she caught a bus to Tallahassee, Florida to self surrender to Florida Federal agents. She spent her most of her time in the Florida Federal “Correctional” Institution for Women and the rest in a halfway house due to the “Crack Law Bill”.

1. What were you convicted of? Possession with the intent to sell “Crack Cocaine”. Did you do it? Yes, I was one of the biggest Crack Cocaine dealers on the Gulf coast.

2. What was the sentence? 108 Months (nine Years). And did you get off for good behavior? Yes. 170 days (approximately five months).

3. How do you feel about the fact that you...