When Jason Howell Sr. was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for heroin distribution, his incarceration upended the lives of his four children. Our Brief But Spectacular team first spoke with the Howell family in 2019. Seven years later, they return to reflect on the toll of that separation, the years they lost and how they’ve rebuilt their lives together.
Geoff Bennett:
Finally, tonight, when Jasson Howell Sr. was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for heroin distribution, his incarceration upended the lives of his four children.
Our Brief But Spectacular team first spoke with the Howell family in 2019. Seven years later, they returned to reflect on the toll of that separation, the years they lost, and how they have rebuilt their lives together.
Man:
I’m going to hit play.
Jasson Howell Sr., Former Inmate:
OK.
Man:
My son was snorting pain pills. Basically, heroin was cheaper, and that became his drug of choice. He got sentenced to a mandatory federal prison sentence of 10 years. Their mother had overdosed and was being taken to the hospital.
Woman:
We were planning on getting all four of the children, and when the courts decided to split them up between grandparents, that was a really hard situation.
Marcus Howell, Son:
When I learned my dad was going away, it was — it was hard for all of us. Most challenging part, I’d say, was just learning how long he was going to be gone.
Man:
The joy that comes to our hearts knowing he’s going to get out is also a mixed bag, because that drug is a tough one. You hear about people relapsing all the time. We hope that he will have this licked forever. But also in the back of our mind, Kim and I both still kind of worry.
Are we — do we have it? Do we get to stop worrying now? Are things going to be OK now? Is he telling the truth now? And I guess — I guess time will tell.
Jasson Howell Sr.:
To watch that back, it hurts more than anything. It hurts to see the pain in my children’s eyes and in my parents’ eyes. I have I have apologized to my children so many times, and I have broke down so many times and apologized to them, because I never wanted to leave them like that.
And when I left them, their life diminished, and it was hard.
Jasson Howell Jr., Son:
I’m looking forward to spending time with my dad and just, like, messing around and goofing around.
He just — I can tell he feels a lot of guilt for not being around for us. It’s something that he will never be able to get back.
Marcus Howell:
And I just want to be able to do things with him and see him and not have any restrictions to that.
It will never be what I expected it to be and what it was before he went in. But I’m slowly coming to terms with that.
Jasson Howell Sr.:
So I got released from Milan Federal Correctional Institution September 9, 2021. I had went to a halfway house in Janesville.
I stayed there for six months, but they did really help me there, help me get on my feet. I had a counselor. I got a job at All Metals Recycling, where we broke down TVs. It was only $15 an hour, but it was nice just to get out and be able to work.
Then I did my six months on home confinement. I got back to work in the painters union, Oak Ladle (ph) 2 painters union. Got my son on as my apprentice. I got back to making great money. I had my own house. My credit was good from being gone so long, so I had a nice vehicle.
As I get out into the world, I realize that there’s a lot of setbacks.
Jasson Howell Jr.:
When my father was released, it was overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. You have all of these thoughts about what you want to do with your dad right when he gets out and all of these experiences you want to go through, but it has to be a very gradual take on it.
And so, right away, you can’t accomplish all these things. You realize that he hasn’t adjusted to society yet.
Jasson Howell Sr.:
I didn’t make a lot of good choices. I went to the bar and drank at times. I started using methamphetamine for the first time in my life at 40 years old, and slowly things started to crack. I did have a lot of run-ins with the law, and I almost got sent back.
I just go back in front of the federal judge. He gave me a chance to go to a sober living house, and that situation, that really helped me start to build my life back.
Marcus Howell:
I don’t feel like I need a lot from him, other than just to stay clean, stay out of trouble, just be productive member of society.
Jasson Howell Sr.:
I’m still trying to prove to them that I can do this and be a father. It’s hard. Life’s hard. I feel like I have let both my parents down, try to stay clean, fall again. This has been the biggest rise that I have had right now.
I probably have the best relationship with my dad that I have ever had in my entire life. What scares me now is possibly being done with probation, what life’s going to be like when I don’t have to be held accountable by anybody else, when I just have to hold myself accountable, so I got to make sure I’m strong enough.
Marcus Howell:
He can’t get back the time that was wasted. But he’s making up for things now, and he’s building himself back up again, which is really important to me.
Jasson Howell Jr.:
Yes, if I had a message for my dad, I’d definitely tell him thank you for just trying to be present in all of our lives, regardless of the circumstances. I’d also tell him that he has all of our support.
Jasson Howell Sr.:
My name is Jasson Howell, and this is my Brief But Spectacular take on my journey through life.
Geoff Bennett:
You can watch more Brief But Spectacular videos online at PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief.
