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...
What is the most effective approach to dealing with crime and punishment? Should the criminal justice system primarily be used to punish those who violate the law by sending them to prison for lengthy terms? Or should it rather serve as a mechanism for rehabilitation?...
For a peek inside the Restorative Justice process, see CNN's original series The Redemption Project with Van Jones. For the first twelve years of my incarceration I was convinced I had done everything I could to atone for my crime â then I was proven wrong. Although...
Dear Twin Brother, I love you. I know you know that, but I feel it's important to explicitly reaffirm it from time to time. Where do I begin? I don't quite know, but there is so much in me that I want to express to you, so you'll know exactly what's in my heart....
If you are the type of person who doesnât dwell on dreary details, you rarely consider prison unless it is to wish that an infamous cretin be sent there. Until I came to prison, I hardly thought anything of it. Bad people are stored in prisons until they achieve the...
We are pleased to share this Opinion Piece in The Oregonian by guest columnist and frequent AI blogger Martin Lockett. I had been drinking all day on New Yearâs Eve of 2003 and then, had gone to a party to celebrate more. Later, as I drove my twin brother home, he...
Christmas is a festive time of year, when family members get together to enjoy robust meals, open presents, and share good ole' rare quality time. During the holidays, people tend to let bygones be bygones, differences become trivial, and allow their love for one...
Being in prison for now fifteen years, it's pretty obvious that I have spent countless hours, days, and nights waiting: waiting for what will be my eventual release. On a daily basis, I'm forced â well, conditioned is more accurate â to wait for more mundane things...
It's not too often that we take time in our day to reflect on the many good things we have: a job, healthy kids, a home in a safe neighborhood, food on the table, and the list could obviously go on for pages. After all, we are so preoccupied with the hustle and bustle...
We are no doubt in a time where evil has been on the rise, public discourse has turned hostile, demagoguery appears to be a winning recipe for political office, and the divides among demographics in our melting pot are as pronounced as I can remember in all of my...