6. Charlie Flores vs. Charles Don Flores

I understand that people are complicated and layered, that people can do harmful things and still be perfectly pleasant to be around.

I think there's a myth that criminals are a type of person, a separate category from those of us who generally abide by the law, but every single one of us has the capacity to do harm, to break the law, whether intentionally or not.

I know that, and I think about it every single day.

But still, I'll admit, I was surprised by the Charles I met in person.

This was the same guy from the 1998 Dallas Morning News articles who was speeding through streets on police chases and fighting officers on the side of the road.

Now, he was telling me about how he deals with discomfort through laughter.

But really, that's ostensibly one of the main points of our prison system, to rehabilitate and reform people whose knee-jerk reaction is anger or violence or deceit or vice, to make someone almost unrecognizable after spending time behind bars.

You might think I'm naive.

I went in expecting coldness or wariness from Charles, and instead I was met with warmth and candor.

Of course I was gonna be disarmed.

But I'll say this.

A lot of parts of reporting this story were difficult.

I had to track down sources and haggle for documents, convince people to talk to me, drive around Dallas unsuccessfully knocking on doors.

But the easiest part by far was finding people who wanted to talk about who Charles is today.

I understand that people are complicated and layered, that people can do harmful things and still be perfectly pleasant to be around.

I think there's a myth that criminals are a type of person, a separate category from those of us who generally abide by the law, but every single one of us has the capacity to do harm, to break the law, whether intentionally or not.

I know that, and I think about it every single day.

But still, I'll admit, I was surprised by the Charles I met in person.

This was the same guy from the 1998 Dallas Morning News articles who was speeding through streets on police chases and fighting officers on the side of the road.

Now, he was telling me about how he deals with discomfort through laughter.

But really, that's ostensibly one of the main points of our prison system, to rehabilitate and reform people whose knee-jerk reaction is anger or violence or deceit or vice, to make someone almost unrecognizable after spending time behind bars.

You might think I'm naive.

I went in expecting coldness or wariness from Charles, and instead I was met with warmth and candor.

Of course I was gonna be disarmed.

But I'll say this.

A lot of parts of reporting this story were difficult.

I had to track down sources and haggle for documents, convince people to talk to me, drive around Dallas unsuccessfully knocking on doors.

But the easiest part by far was finding people who wanted to talk about who Charles is today.