| Frequently Asked Questions |
How do I contact you?
Write me via snail-mail. Unless you want your letter returned, please be sure to follow prison mail rules:
1. No more than four pieces of paper in your envelope;
2. No Polaroid photos; no more than five regular photos;
3. No cash, checks or stamps; only money orders (U.S.) or bank checks (Europe) are allowed; or use www.jpay.com.
Address at the bottom of the page.
Who gets the royalties from my books?
All royalties from The Way of the Prisoner will go to charity and to help defray the expenses associated with writing - if I am allowed to control income from this book, that is (see the next Question, re: "Son-of-Sam laws"). The Way of the Prisoner contains a small section about my trial, and this may lead to an attempt to apply the "Son-of-Sam" law to its royalties. My second book, An Expensive Way to Make Bad People Worse, makes no reference to my criminal case at all and thus should not be impacted. At the time of this writing, I also have a third book, The Convict Christ; this too does not mention my trial. I have not yet decided what to do with the royalties from these books - apart from tithing them to charity, of course, as I do with all my income, including my prison pay check.
You may be interested to know that my only regular source of income is my prison pay check: $54.00 per month (top pay). However, I am currently spending over $100.00 per month on stamps alone, to mail out manuscripts of articles, etc. - incredible but true!
Isn't there a "Son-of-Sam" law that prohibits prisoners from making money from their books?
Several states, including Virginia, do indeed have "Son-of-Sam" laws, and I think it is quite possible that the authorities in this state will attempt to confiscate royalties from my first book, The Way of the Prisoner, because it contains a small section on my trial. That would be a shame, though, since - as I said above - I intend to use any possible income for charitable purposes and to help defray the expenses associated with writing.
The original "Son-of-Sam" law was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991; the case citation is Simon & Schuster v. State Crime Victims Board, 502 U.S. 105 (1991). At issue was a book called Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family, by N. Pileggi and H. Hill. The court ruled that the law violated the First Amendment (guaranteeing freedom of speech) because it "singled out speech on a particular subject for a financial burden that it places on no other speech and no other income" (at 123). Under this law, St. Augustine's Confessions and Thoreau's Civil Disobedience would have been subject to confiscation of royalties.
Since 1991, other states' "Son-of-Sam" laws have been overturned, including most recently in California (Keenan v. Superior Court, 02 S.O.S. 925 (2002)) and Massachusetts (Opinion of the Justices to the Senate, 264 N.E.2d. 343 (2002)), as well as Rhode Island and Washington state.
Virginia has never used its own "Son-of-Sam" law. It provides for the confiscation of royalties if a description of the crime forms an "integral part" of the book (Va. Code § 19.2-368.20). Of course the description of the crime of which I was convicted is not an "integral part" of The Way of the Prisoner:
· My case is discussed in a section (the first "Intermezzo") which is separate from the rest of the book.
· This section takes up less than 10% of the total length of the book.
· The reader is warned explicitly that he or she can skip the material on my trial without losing continuity.
I think it is important to remember that The Way of the Prisoner is about Centering Prayer and prison reform. It is definitely not a "tell all" book that glorifies crime. In fact, I express remorse for the suffering I have caused by my actions and inactions; although I did not murder the Haysoms, I covered up the killings and arguably failed to prevent the crime. If I had not discussed my trial in this book, I would have been criticized - and rightly so! - for trying to dodge my past misdeeds.
My hope is that my readers will benefit from and perhaps even be inspired by the way God allowed me to grow out of my sins and into a closer relationship with Him.
What is your daily routine?
4:45 a.m. - Wake up.
5:00 to 5:45 a.m. - Centering Prayer and reading of Psalms.
6:00 to 7:00 a.m. - Breakfast.
7:00 to 7:20 a.m. - Today show, while doing sit-ups.
7:20 to 10:00 a.m. - Working on my current writing project.
10:00 to 11:00 a.m. - Alternatively jogging (4 to 5 miles) or weightlifting.
11:15 to 12:00 p.m. - Centering Prayer and reading of Old Testament.
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. - Lunch.
1:00 to 3:00 p.m. - Working at my current prison job, "inmate advisor." I assist fellow prisoners who have been charged with breaking prison rules at their disciplinary hearings, a kind of penitentiary public defender.
3:15 to 4:00 p.m. - Centering Prayer and reading of Gospel.
4:00 to 5:00 p.m. - Dinner.
5:00 to 6:00 p.m. - Shower and shave.
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. - The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, PBS.
7:00 to 7:30 p.m. - Centering Prayer and reading of New Testament Epistle.
7:30 to 8:15 p.m. - Writing letters and reading.
8:15 p.m. - Intercessory prayer and sleep (a.k.a. "shut-eye furlough").
Are you eligible for parole?
Since my trial took place before the official abolition of parole in Virginia, I fall under the "old law" and thus am technically eligible for parole. However, less than 2% of "old law" inmates convicted of violent crimes are actually granted parole, so in practice (though not in law) parole has been abolished for prisoners like me, too.
My parole eligibility date is November 23, 2003; I received my first "turn down" in September, 2003. The parole board chairperson, Ms. Helen F. Fahey, told my former appellate attorney, Ms. Gail Starling Marshall, that it was not a question of rehabilitation but of the seriousness of the crime.
As I explained in The Way of the Prisoner, I am sure that the publicity surrounding the book makes my release even more unlikely. I expect to die in prison.
By the way, if I were to be paroled, I would not be released in the U.S. but would be deported to my native country of Germany. I could never return to America, even if I wanted to.
The Way of the Prisoner ends with a plea to the Governor of Virginia to grant parole to Elizabeth Haysom and to deport her to Canada, her native country. Have you heard from her?
No. I have had no direct contact with Elizabeth since 1986. According to the newspapers, however, Elizabeth became a Christian years ago, so perhaps she will read my book.
Why is your name spelled differently in different places?
My last name is spelled Söring, öring, but since English does not use the o-umlaut (ö), the spelling is usually changed to Soering in the United States. Some magazines have published my articles under Soring, too.
Can I send you a copy of your book so you can autograph it and return it to me?
No, that is not allowed under prison mail rules - even if I could afford the postage. Sorry
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