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Local writer seeks to understand criminal mind
By Derek Hodges
A few years ago Woody Woodring found himself in a bad situation.
He had spent several years as a Marine, fighting in the first Gulf War, after what he calls a “very rough childhood.”
Before his military service he had gotten into trouble with the law several times. After his discharge he moved to Webster, but still had what he describes as an “unstable” life. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated and assault, and was later jailed for assault at the Cherokee Indian Reservation.
As Woodring did his time behind bars, observing the other criminals that surrounded him, he began to ponder what motivates a person to live outside the law.
“When I was in jail, I got curious about why people do the things they do,” he said.
When Woodring got out, he decided to put his curiosity to positive use.
He began attending Southwestern Community College, studying in the school’s human services and substance abuse counseling department.
After graduating from SCC with two associate’s degrees, Woodring transferred to Western Carolina University, where he majored in sociology, focusing on deviant behavior. He is scheduled to graduate in May and plans to continue his studies to earn a master’s degree in counseling.
As his education increased, so did his curiosity about the criminal mind. He watched every true crime story he could find on television. It was this obsession that led him to start writing letters to some of the criminals featured in the stories.
“I wanted to know what the real story was, without the Hollywood spin on it,” he said.
He began penning letters to some of the nation’s most notorious criminals, including the man known as the “Son of Sam,” Winston-Salem’s “Dungeons and Dragons” murderer, and even Eric Rudolph.
Woodring said he found a connection between many of the criminals.
“There’s always a few out there who are just wired wrong, but most of the people I talked to had rough childhoods,” he said.
Children need a strong support network, he said, something he tries to give his own sons.
“I don’t want them to make the same mistakes I made,” he said.
Woodring’s correspondence with the felons also taught him about the effect prison can have on people.
“Prison really changes a person,” he said.
Most of the people Woodring wrote to immediately requested a photo of Woodring and his family. Woodring said he suspects that request was a test of his trustworthiness.
“They’ve learned not to trust anybody, so they just wanted to see that I was a real person, I think. They want to know there’s someone out there with genuine concern for them,” he said.
He also learned about how desperate for human contact those serving long-term prison sentences become.
One man, who admits in his letter to being part of several murders, told Woodring, “I want you to know that I welcome your friendship. As I have said, I have few friends, so I do enjoy talking to someone. It has been so long since I got mail from a person other than hate mail.”
Several of the men and women asked for more information about Woodring and his family, even birthdates and other personal information, as they attempted to build a relationship with him.
Despite what might seem like some very touching exchanges, Woodring said he never forgot that the people he was dealing with were criminals convicted of horrible crimes.
“A lot of times I’d think they were trying to be my friend, but then I’d realize they were being manipulative. A lot of these guys are just so manipulative, but you can read between the lines and know if they’re lying to you a lot of times,” Woodring said.
In one letter, a man who had killed one woman and attempted to murder another, wrote to say he hated the woman who survived and wished he had killed her. In the next, the felon changed his story, saying he held no hard feelings toward the woman.
“He was trying to manipulate me. It was amazing how good at it he was,” Woodring said.
Woodring was also impressed with how intelligent many of the convicts were.
“They’re some of the smartest people you’d ever meet. They just made some bad choices,” he said.
Woodring has compiled his correspondences into a self-published book titled “The Convict Speaks.”
In the book Woodring prefaces each set of letters with a description of the crimes that person committed. He includes an unedited transcript of his correspondences with the inmates and, in some cases, includes an actual photocopy of the letters themselves.
“It was really exciting, getting to talk to these people who have had movies made about them,” he said.
With the excitement, though, came fear. Some of the criminals asked Woodring to do them favors, like vouching for them on parole board forms. One even asked if, after he was released from prison, he could come live with Woodring and his family.
“Yeah, that one really scared me, because these men always want to believe they’re getting out,” Woodring said.
The main lesson Woodring got from the men, he said, is summed up in the final chapter.
“I have gotten to know some of the nation’s worst people, (and) there have been few that I would want to have a second chance in society. However, I found one or two that I truly think would learn from what they have done to become a good citizen,” he wrote.
Woodring’s book is available at City Lights and the SCC and WCU bookstores.
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