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Beyond Bars

Behind Bars: A little support can go a long way

It’s interesting to see the varied levels of support prisoners receive. I have observed general patterns in family and friends support depending on what walk of life an offender comes from or which crimes they committed.Levels of outside support vary, but the extremes of the spectrum are ...

Behind Bars: When you lose almost everything, the only way to go is up

I imagine few people experience as dramatic a change in life as has transpired in mine. I have lost family, friends, home, career, dignity and almost everything else I once had in a very short time. This isn’t rock bottom. That was 4 years ago when I was sneaking into empty houses to spend ...

Tolerating those with offensive viewpoints a test of patience in prison

I consider myself fairly thick skinned but today I found myself getting offended.I had discovered one of my neighbors keeps a picture of Osama Bin Laden and says the Al Queda leader is his hero. He believes Osama Bin Laden was inspired by God when he masterminded plans to kill thousands of ...

Behind Bars: Perspective is everything when doing time

When I was first sent to prison I remember wishing that I could just slip into a coma and wake up years later when it was time to go home.Those first three months in prison are kind of a blur now, not because I was in shock or anything like that, but because I don’t have many unique ...

Behind Bars: The relationship between prison inmates and their jailers

The relationship between prisoners and their jailers is a unique one. There exists an “us versus them” mentality that is not likely to change any time soon, especially when you take into account the parties involved. I am hard-pressed to think of another situation in which the balance of ...

Behind Bars: Abysmal recidivism rate points to a broken system

There has been a lot of talk about Adult Probation and Parole, halfway houses, fugitives, etc., as of late. This recent attention was most likely sparked by the tragic death of an officer at the hands of a fugitive.Watching the news in prison is an odd thing. It’s really interesting being on ...

Make the most of your time inside, but don’t bite off more than you can chew

While trying to take advantage of every possible opportunity here, I found myself stretched a little too thin. Between culinary school, my continued work in the education department, writing, and my other classes, I had bitten off more than I could chew. When you think about possible issues and ...