I was pondering whether or not it is true that people age out of crime. Does serving a lengthy prison sentence make people stop committing crimes once they get out? Continue reading
Monthly Archives: June 2015
Life on Parole
Imagine what it would be like if you had to account to someone regarding every aspect of your life, forever. What if you had to send someone proof of employment once a month? Imagine how it would feel to have someone visit your home monthly to verify that you live there and observe your surroundings. What if you had to ask for permission every time you wanted to travel across state lines and you couldn’t go unless you received a travel permit with your picture plastered across it? Continue reading
Abandoning My Children When I Was Incarcerated
Sometimes I wonder if I will ever get over the grief and shame of abandoning my children for 18 years when I was incarcerated. When I went away, my son was 10 months old and my daughter was three years old. By the time I was released, they were young adults. My daughter had a child of her own. Continue reading
Prison Families: A Survival Strategy for Incarcerated Women
Last weekend I stayed in a vacation rental in the Poconos with 10 women I had served time with. In total, we served over 140 years in prison. Being with them brought so much joy to my heart. I was so excited I barely slept because I didn’t want to miss anything. Continue reading
Love Inside and Outside of Prison
For the past six months I have been in a long distance relationship with the man of my dreams. I only get to see him every three to four weeks. Either I fly to his city, or he flies to mine. Sometimes we drive and meet one another at a halfway point. It’s an 11-hour drive one way. Continue reading
How Supporting Inmates Can Be A Coping Strategy for the Formerly Incarcerated
It is critical to understand your history and then be true to one self in such a way that one’s connection to the suffering of others is an integral part of understanding yourself. Dr. Cornel West Continue reading
Should Pell Educational Grants be reinstated for Prisoners?
It’s possible that educational Pell grants will be given to prisoners again on a limited basis. They were awarded in the past, but during the Clinton administration there was a change in policy and those grants to inmates were eliminated. I was recently speaking with a friend about how the education of an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person can change the direction of that person’s life for the better. Continue reading