Year: 2019

by Larry Hernandez Not long ago walking back to our housing unit, fresh from a lifer group meeting, a friend of mine asked a very serious question. He wanted to know, “How do you do it? I mean forgive after that?!” You see, we’ve all got a past. Unfortunately, mine defined me for most my life. But not anymore. In response to the homie’s questions, I had to first understand where he’s coming from. Like me he’s been incarcerated for nearly 25 years, was arrested as a teenager and spent the majority of the years on level IV prison yards. We share

by Morgan DeLange Second chances, at one point or another we’ve all been given a second chance. The question is, did we utilize it or abuse the generosity of it? Generally, regardless of the answer, we are given a second chance, eventually anyways. Whether it be a second chance at life, a second chance at freedom, or a second chance with a friend’s/family members’ trust is still a second chance we generally do not deserve.  My first second chance, a memorable one not just something small, happened when I was fifteen. I ended up in juvie for assaulting my step-father and causing a serious

by J We live in a world of chances. Day by day, we all make mistakes. Nobody in this world was born to be perfect. Our mistakes are what makes us the strongest. We learn from our experiences, failures, and our past. We also have the power and choice to use the knowledge of our experiences to better equip ourselves to face the present and the future. The real challenge is change and adjustment. Some become so used to living a certain way and can’t change, and won’t change. We must learn to do our best, no matter where we

by Nephew  We give second chances in hopes that one would get it together. That piece of humanity within us seeks to pull it out of others. With tough love that shouts louder than for those whose team is losing, we yell:  “God, if you give me a second chance I promise I won’t do it no more!” And if not yelled, then whispered to yourself… For a second I ask that you imagine, using your imagination will take you there and beyond.  The youngest of eight boys, no father figure, so I mimicked everything that I found to be

by Matthew Feeney Restorative Justice is an age-old philosophy which is more recently being applied to the Criminal Justice System.  Based on traditions of the Original Peoples, Restorative Justice is the belief that harm was done, so healing must happen in order to restore things closer to where they were.  Restorative Justice also takes into account that there is always more than one person affected by a single crime.  Friends, families and people in the community are all affected and need to be involved in the healing process.  One of the amazing components of Restorative Justice involves a “Healing Circle.”

by Jazper Everyone has that one person they wish they could forgive, but they don’t know how to do it, so they never bring it up until it’s too late. For me, the was my Uncle Polo.  When I was younger, my uncle would buy my cousins candy or ice cream and buy me nothing just to make me upset. He would pick on me all the time when we were around each other — even when I was with my family or by myself. He would also call me names like sissy, snitch and cry baby. That made me feel like everyone was better than