Frustration, defiance put parolee back behind bars

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Chan Hoang fought hard to get out of prison after a long, difficult journey from Vietnam to Hawai'i. But after years of freedom, crystal meth helped send him back to a cell.

Chan Hoang found himself back in Halawa prison after his parole was revoked because he tested positive for drug use, failed to attend drug recovery meetings and ignored check-in requirements. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

A convicted drug dealer and admitted parole violator, he now finds himself a man without freedom or a country to call his own.

He has seen a lot in his 37 years: Massive U.S. air strikes against his home city of Hanoi as a child in wartime. The expulsion of ethnic Chinese like himself after the communist victory. More tension in China, where he found he didn't belong. Life in a Hong Kong refugee camp. Then a chance to make a new start in Hawai'i.

"I've seen war, communism, the freedom of America, prison life, social life, business life, religious life," he said. "Maybe that's one of the reason I like to express myself in art form. Because it's too much for words to express."

Sponsored by a relative who had married a U.S. serviceman and settled in Honolulu, Hoang graduated from McKinley High School in 1985 and attended classes at Ho-nolulu Community College as a commercial art major. He worked as a printing press operator, draftsman and T-shirt designer.

But he also got into trouble, and now has a rap sheet with 24 arrests and 14 convictions in 20 years. He admits to having been a heavy cocaine user, and was convicted on charges of theft, drunken driving and trespassing, and later for robbery and assault.

He went to prison in 1993 for selling two ounces of cocaine to an undercover police officer.

"I was guilty of the charge," he said. "I couldn't support myself and buy the art supplies I needed, so I got involved in that just to help myself along. I was also working full time."

He did time in Halawa, the O'ahu Community Correctional Center, and a private prison in Texas that Hawai'i began shipping inmates to because facilities here were too crowded.

But when he completed his sentence in 1998, Hoang found he fell into a unique category: he wasn't a U.S. citizen, and a 1996 federal law allowed the deportation of immigrants convicted of drug charges and other offenses, even if they were committed before the law was passed. He was sent to a federal detention center in Seattle while authorities considered his case.

The United States had restored diplomatic relations with Vietnam only recently, and the situation was complicated. There was no deportation agreement with Vietnam or several other countries, including Laos and Cuba.

"As long as my country didn't accept me, they could hold me as long as they wanted," Hoang said. "I saw people who were locked up for five or six years in the federal penitentiary, and I was shocked because their charges were actually for drunk driving, but after they did 30 days they were sent there because they weren't American citizens" and had earlier criminal records.

He began researching the law and found legal help from groups that assist such "indefinite detainees," and was released on a form of immigration parole more than a year later. He returned in 1999 to Hawai'i, where he was still on state parole.

He found work in a fine art reproduction shop, and eventually became part-owner of a print and framing shop. But he found the stress of business ownership overwhelming.

"Every shop was closing down due to 9/11," he said. "Business wasn't good, and I couldn't pay the rent."

The business fell apart, and he met up with some old friends and started drinking heavily.

"It was just a devastation point of depression, I guess," he said. "This is an island, and if you grow up with a group of people, you always see the same people. It's bound to happen."

He moved his equipment into his apartment and a warehouse, and eventually became part-owner of a gallery and frame shop in Chinatown. He made some big mistakes along the way, however.

Hoang admits that he "rebelled" against parole requirements. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

"I'm so busy trying to get my life back together and create a family of my own, and here I am trying to do these requirements ... life is just hard enough," he said. "I was angry, and I told myself I'm not going to comply to that. It is hard enough for me to even manage a shop, sometimes working 24 hours a day around the clock. I rebelled. That's exactly what happened."

But there were reasons for the strict check-in requirements that officials say couldn't be ignored.

Hoang had tested positive for crystal meth use and failed to attend drug-abuse recovery meetings he was sent to in lieu of incarceration for violating parole. He said he has tried many drugs over the years, but he insists he "was only using once in a while" when he tested dirty for ice.

"They believe I have a problem, but I don't have a problem," he said, adding that he has little respect for treatment programs because he's seen so many inmates return to prison after completing them.

But he admits that he lied when parole officials asked about the test results. And he couldn't come to grips with the fact that parole requirements can't be ignored, even if they may seem unfair.

"For three years, I never got myself involved in any trouble, I got myself working, and I became a business owner," he said with visible frustration. "When I do good, they even make it harder for me. After a while, I just can't handle no more."

But parolees don't have much choice when it comes to the requirements they agree to in writing upon release.

"Parole in the state of Hawai'i is a privilege, not a right," said Paroling Authority administrator Tommy Johnson. "The terms and conditions of parole must be met."

The reason is simple, Johnson said: "So we can provide adequate supervision to them so their release does not pose a risk to public safety. He was given an opportunity to remain free; however he continued to knowingly and willingly violate the terms of parole, and as a result he was appropriately returned to custody."

Hoang has been back in prison for three months. He was sentenced to two years for the parole violations. He could be returned to a federal prison to await deportation after that.

"I don't have a country that accepts me. I have practically nowhere to go," he said. "When I look back, I really can't change it right now. I really should have found a better way to resolve the problem. But it's too late for me to give any explanation now. All I can do is try to change what's going to happen tomorrow."

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.