Blog
The Bubble Effect
The United States of America, land of the free and home of the brave, often feels more like the land of the isolated and home of the cowardly tweet. We are more divided than at any point in my lifetime. It seems to be more than a mere lack of unity as an expression of...
Social Needia
When I came to prison, it was commonplace for people to meet up at someone's house for a get-together to watch the Super Bowl or simply hang out and converse. When it was someone's birthday and they lived quite a distance away, it was standard practice to call and...
Strength of Character
Being incarcerated for any length of time can be a brutal, psychologically taxing experience. As of this writing, I am 40-years-old, and I have been incarcerated for 19 years, roughly 48% of my life. And while that may be eye-popping, it is important to remember that...
Texas Prisons Are Not Cool – Summertime Blues
Texas prisons are not cool 'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone We're setting fire to our insides for fun - Daughter - Youth Texas prisons are not cool in the summertime. The first year I spent in a Texas prison was in 2015 and I began my stay...
Why Long Prison Sentences Don’t Help
Mary Ann MgGivern writes in the National Catholic Reporter: [...]I was on the elevator with one of the governor's aides, who said, "Oh, yes, the governor is committed to addressing mandatory minimums." I said, "For violent crimes?" He said, "Oh, not violent crimes,...
Don’t React – Respond!
This past week came with one of the biggest shocks of my fifteen years of incarceration. My unit ('incentive housing' with extra privileges for those of us who have exhibited at least 18 months of clear conduct) was inspected by the administration. We had been duly...