I’m a retired public defender. By the end of my career most of my clients were the hardest or most violent men. All of them loved a good story and many of them regaled me with well-paced, intriguing or hilarious anecdotes. I always encouraged them to write. Most of them had no one to write to, or worried that their tales would be viewed as snitching. They wrote to me for years. Finally I quit, so sad and overwhelmed by the absolute waste of their lives and the agony they inflicted on family and strangers. When a brother father sister mother goes to prison, the family goes, too. Many men broke contact with family when they got long sentences, because they did not want their family to have to do time with them. I know for a fact that there are many bad mad and dangerous men who cannot live with us, but they don’t have to live in misery forever.
This was very interesting and brought up some intense memories also.
I have family and several friends in prison. My father-in-law is doing life in Angola. He's been there for over 40 years. Me and my wife took our two teenage boys to visit him last October, and that was the first time he had seen his daughter since she was a newborn. My wife is 48. I'm confident that him getting to know her and then, to finally be able to give her a hug, has been one of the best things that has ever happened in that man's life, and I'm not just saying that because he says it all the time, it's not hard to tell.
She's been visiting with him through phone and video visits for around 10 years now and it was scary when COVID hit. We didn't know what would happen in a prison like that with so many inmates and COs.
I had never heard of the "Jimmy's World" story until now, or at least I didn't notice at the time, I was a slightly older Jimmy in the 80's, but that article image made me think about just how much people and institutions have profited from the war on drugs. The willingness to fabricate a story like that just to ride that wave says a lot about human nature.
I'm glad this showed up in my Substack recommendations, I'm looking forward to reading more. Thank you.
So well written--they are fortunate to have you as their teacher. I also taught years ago at a women's jail in Seattle--though I'm sure the women inside taught me more than I ever taught them.
I’m a retired public defender. By the end of my career most of my clients were the hardest or most violent men. All of them loved a good story and many of them regaled me with well-paced, intriguing or hilarious anecdotes. I always encouraged them to write. Most of them had no one to write to, or worried that their tales would be viewed as snitching. They wrote to me for years. Finally I quit, so sad and overwhelmed by the absolute waste of their lives and the agony they inflicted on family and strangers. When a brother father sister mother goes to prison, the family goes, too. Many men broke contact with family when they got long sentences, because they did not want their family to have to do time with them. I know for a fact that there are many bad mad and dangerous men who cannot live with us, but they don’t have to live in misery forever.
This was very interesting and brought up some intense memories also.
I have family and several friends in prison. My father-in-law is doing life in Angola. He's been there for over 40 years. Me and my wife took our two teenage boys to visit him last October, and that was the first time he had seen his daughter since she was a newborn. My wife is 48. I'm confident that him getting to know her and then, to finally be able to give her a hug, has been one of the best things that has ever happened in that man's life, and I'm not just saying that because he says it all the time, it's not hard to tell.
She's been visiting with him through phone and video visits for around 10 years now and it was scary when COVID hit. We didn't know what would happen in a prison like that with so many inmates and COs.
I had never heard of the "Jimmy's World" story until now, or at least I didn't notice at the time, I was a slightly older Jimmy in the 80's, but that article image made me think about just how much people and institutions have profited from the war on drugs. The willingness to fabricate a story like that just to ride that wave says a lot about human nature.
I'm glad this showed up in my Substack recommendations, I'm looking forward to reading more. Thank you.
what a strong essay. thank you for posting
Fascinating read. Subscribed.
Thank you for writing this. I taught creative writing in a women's prison in Florida. Sad is how I went home each time.
After reading this I realized that I haven't appreciated the freedom I enjoyed that much 🥲
Thank you for sharing....
So much humanity in a story where a system allows decay of the human spirit.
Thank you for reflecting the humanity of those who are incarcerated.
So well written--they are fortunate to have you as their teacher. I also taught years ago at a women's jail in Seattle--though I'm sure the women inside taught me more than I ever taught them.
I feel the exact same way - always learn more than I teach.