Last week I participated in a panel discussion following the screening of a film called Evolution of a Criminal, by Darius Clark Monroe. The film was a self-made documentary about Darius Clark’s decision to rob a bank where he held several of its customers at gunpoint, and it tracks his life as an aspiring filmmaker as he confronts his criminal past, faces the victims of the robbery, and comes face to face with resentment, forgiveness, redemption and uncertainty. I thought it was a compelling, heart wrenching film. Continue reading
Tag Archives: After Being Released
After Prison, How Much Help Is Too Little or Too Much?
I spent some time talking to a dear friend who spent 20 years in prison. When he became incarcerated he was 20 years old. He has been home for five years. We spoke at length about how long it takes a person to reintegrate after incarceration. It was difficult for him to give me a clear-cut answer to this complex question. Continue reading
Helping A Repeat Offender Reintegrate and Break the Cycle of Recidivism
(When That Offender is Your Family Member)
My younger brother was released from prison last week. Since he was 13 years old he had been in and out of prison for minor violations until he committed a crime that was serious enough to land him in prison for 12 years. Continue reading
How City Revitalization Impacts Returning Citizens After Prison
Would you believe it if I told you I’m still trying to find my way around the city where I was born and raised, even though I was released two and a half years ago? Continue reading
Staying Sane With Exercise After Prison
When I was incarcerated I had moments when I was overwhelmed with anxiety, and despair. I went to prison when I was 19 years old. I was released 18 years later. Growing up in prison I had moments when I use to think my turmoil would never end. Continue reading
Now That I am Out Of Prison, When Will I Stop Feeling Caged?
It’s a new year, and I’ve been home for two years now, yet I still find myself unable to sit with myself. I still don’t go home until I know I’m exhausted and ready for bed. I still feel like an energizer bunny every time my feet hit the floor in the morning. When is it gonna end? I keep telling myself that this will change when I move into a larger space. Right now the space I’m living in is small. It’s cozy, but there’s not much space to move around. In fact, it’s one room. When I move, I plan to create an oasis in my “living room.” I want candles burning, fresh flowers permeating, soft music playing, and Continue reading
I’m Not Who I Use To Be
On Christmas Day I had the opportunity to see one of my sisters for the first time in over two decades. She lives three hours away from where I am based in Washington, DC. I never saw her while I was incarcerated, and even though I was released in 2011, she was not able to come to see me until now. When she walked into my mom’s house, I screamed, hugged her and asked jokingly, “Where have you been all my life?” She replied Continue reading