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Changes within: a prison story

RIVERVIEW - The young man walks in, posture straight and sharp. His clothes are neatly pressed, accented by a glimmering belt buckle and shiny black shoes. He gives a reporter a firm handshake, looks him in the eye, smiles.

He is 20 and projects the confidence of a sought-after job applicant who shows up for an interview knowing he holds all the cards.

It's not the image one expects from an inmate doing hard time for manslaughter. And it's certainly not the image the public has of Steven Moschella: drug user, loser, the punk who killed his best friend while carelessly handling a stolen gun.

But Moschella says he's a new man now, and he attributes his transformation to one thing: prison.

"I thank the Lord every day," he says, "for putting me in here."

His crime - the January 2000 accidental shooting of his best friend in the Ridgewood High School parking lot - made him a public figure. School shootings, even accidental ones, tend to do that. A judge cut him a break, sparing him from state prison. But Moschella quickly reverted to old habits: the drugs, the fighting, the need to fit in and be cool.

The result: He violated his probation last March by testing positive for cocaine and got four years in prison.

Fast forward to today.

"I feel like I'm a totally different person," he said in an interview last week at HCI, a prison for 333 youthful offenders in Riverview. "I'm clean, not on drugs. My mind is working a lot better. I feel so confident.

"I believe in myself."

So do plenty of others, including officials at the Florida Department of Corrections. They're so impressed with Moschella's development that they are recommending that he be released from prison as soon as possible and transferred to a boot camp. Pasco Circuit Judge Michael Andrews has the final say.

If Moschella successfully completes the rigorous four-month boot camp, he would be released from custody and allowed to serve out the remainder of his sentence on probation.

"It's obvious he just doesn't belong (in prison) anymore," said Lisa Hoffman, a systems analyst with Citigroup who, as a volunteer at the prison, has become a mentor for Moschella. "I have no doubt he will be extremely successful in life."

Moschella recently wrote an essay describing his transformation in prison. It took him a month to get it just right. A reporter asked him to read it aloud.

Moschella cleared his throat, stuck out his chest, took a moment to gather his focus, and in a strong voice, began:

"Did you ever wonder what your life would be like if you were never put in prison? Unfortunately, I do all the time. Contrary to what some people think, I am proof that being locked up can lead to positive behavior and personal improvement."

People who have watched Moschella's development over the past year say they saw potential from the moment the withdrawn 18-year-old first walked through the prison gates.

"You could tell right away he was different," said Chris Dennard, assistant warden at the prison. "There was a level of intelligence and awareness we don't see very often."

The tough part was convincing Moschella, who describes his mind-set back then as "confused" and "juvenile."

HCI is a tough place, full of some of the state's worst young offenders, including murderers, kidnappers and carjackers, all between the ages of 14 and 20.

But it is also a place of opportunities. HCI is the only prison in the United States that offers a Junior Achievement program for inmates. The program, common in high schools, teaches resume writing, public speaking and money management. It also helps students focus on goals and stresses self-confidence.

Once Moschella decided to give it a shot, he never looked back, his teachers said.

"Right away, we saw a difference between Steven and the other inmates," said Robyn Gomez, a Citigroup executive who volunteers as a Junior Achievement teacher at the prison. "We knew we could challenge Steven beyond the rest of the class. We started to push him. We wouldn't let him get away with easy answers.

"And then you could see Steven pushing himself. He really blossomed."

He completed the program, then was hand-picked for an advanced class called Head Start For Success. Head Start instructor Pat Harmon challenged Moschella to build a detailed blueprint for his life. What kind of education would he pursue? What talents did he have, and how could he best use them?

Moschella responded to the challenge. He plans to go to college, then the National Aviation Academy. He wants to be an aviation engineer.

"After you get Steven going, it's hard to slow him down," said Harmon, a Cargill executive who has been a volunteer teacher at the prison for six years.

Said Moschella: "I kept wanting more. I didn't want to stop learning."

Moschella attributes his newfound discipline and focus to a strong faith. He lives in the prison's faith dorm, attends daily prayer sessions, draws strength from his well-worn, underlined Bible.

"I believe the Lord wanted me to go to prison," he said. "Without him, I wouldn't be as together as I am now."

Prison officials and the volunteer teachers have taken advantage of Moschella's enthusiasm. They asked him to help teach the Junior Achievement program. They wanted him to be a mentor to other inmates, to be a leader.

Moschella didn't disappoint.

"He's become a role model to the other inmates," said Gomez. "They really look up to him. And it gave Steven something to be proud of."

Moschella doesn't tolerate failure from the inmates he takes under his wing, Gomez said. "When they don't do their assignments," she said, "he hunts them down and makes them do their work."

When he gets out of prison, Moschella plans to return to HCI as a volunteer teacher.

Ridgewood High had just let out for the day. Moschella, then 16, climbed into the backseat of a Toyota 4-Runner. His best friend, Teddy Niziol, also 16, was behind the wheel.

In the SUV, Niziol had a .22-caliber handgun that was stolen days earlier during a string of burglaries in St. Pete Beach. Niziol handed the gun to Moschella. Moschella was handling the gun when the weapon discharged, sending a bullet through the driver's seat and into Niziol's back. Moschella told authorities he didn't mean to fire the weapon.

Niziol opened the door and collapsed onto the pavement of the crowded parking lot, where he died.

Moschella pleaded guilty to manslaughter by culpable negligence. Circuit Judge Craig C. Villanti sentenced him to 60 days in jail, to be served on weekends and school holidays. Moschella also was ordered to serve six years of house arrest and probation.

Moschella said the sentence was a "vacation."

"It didn't really harm me at all," he said. "I let myself get back into bad situations. Things weren't going well for me. I started doing the cocaine."

A random drug test caught Moschella. Circuit Judge W. Lowell Bray sent him to prison.

"Before prison," Moschella said. "I didn't grasp the concept of responsibility. I was immature. These days, I know what responsibility is."

Moschella now accepts responsibility for Niziol's death. He understands, he says, how his poor decisions led to the tragic accident.

Still, he knows life on the outside will not be easy for a man with a manslaughter conviction on his record.

"It's going to take a lot of hard work," he said. "But I really believe in myself. Even with this felony charge, I'm going to get out and make something of myself."

Niziol's father hopes Moschella succeeds.

"I pray for the young man every day," said Ted Niziol Sr. "I wish nothing but the best for Steven Moschella."

Did you ever have to wonder what your life would be like if you were never put in prison? Unfortunately, I do all the time. Contrary to what some people think, I am proof that being locked up can lead to positive behavior and personal improvement.

My name is Steven Moschella. I am 20 years old and today reside in Hillsborough Correctional Institution in Riverview, Florida. This prison houses approximately 300 juvenile inmates - all convicted felons. I was a very good student in High School graduating with a 3.6 GPA and even made the Honor Roll. Unfortunately, I hung around the wrong people, got into drugs, wouldn't listen to my Mom and really wasn't serious about moving on with my life. At one point I was, or thought I was, invincible. Today, I know these things led to some very poor decisions and I am paying the consequences.

Entering prison, I was depressed, angry and stressed out. Soon I realized that if anything was going to change, it was up to Steven Moschella to make it happen. The conclusion was to get serious about improvements and act smarter. My focus was to become stronger both physically and mentally. The physical part was easy because I have lots of time for exercise. Realizing the importance of believing in yourself and building self-confidence was a big step. I also realized that you get out of life precisely what you put into it. This led me to understand the importance of good friends and to define people who could help. The result was maturity and proving I can be a responsible young man. It was not easy and probably is the hardest thing I will ever have to do.

Here at Hillsborough Correctional there are two programs that focus on confidence building, defining your skills, building resumes, public speaking and ultimately planning for life after prison. The first is a ten-week course called Junior Achievement. It is a classroom with about 15 inmates. The second is Head Start for Success, which is much more individually focused. The volunteers who facilitate these courses really make us focus on improving ourselves and getting ahead. Prison Management supports this program. Not only did I graduate from these courses, but I also was allowed to help other inmates just starting in the process. One night I was interviewed in front of a group of students. It went well, but I confess being nervous.

Today, I am one of two inmates in charge of all the laundry & uniform preparation for the prison. We clean uniforms, put names on them and make sure they are ready for new inmates. Back in High School I would have laughed at this type of job. Today, I know the role my work fulfills and how getting the job done is important to my supervisor.

I am working on my plan after release, which includes college and the National Aviation Academy. I am a good mechanic and want to work on aircraft engines.

All this has taught me that challenges will always be part of my life and probably this one is the most important. Believing in myself, having trust in people to help me and with the never ending support of my Mom, I know things will continue to improve. I thank God every day.

If I could pass on advice to kids who might be going the way Steven Moschella did, it would be to recognize our strengths and weaknesses, avoid trouble - especially people who tend to get into trouble, stay away from drugs, focus on family and school, build a productive career and therefore, create a happy life. You just need to choose the right path to go down. If I can do it, anyone can.