Stories of Healing

Dear District Attorney, I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for the mercy you extended to me during my plea agreement. Your decision reflected a rare blend of justice and humanity. I do not take it lightly. Your ability to see beyond my offense -- to...

I've always loved coloring since I was a child. I can remember coloring any cartoon-themed coloring book that was available, especially the Care Bears themed ones. Whatever sadness I felt at the time was forgotten while coloring. Decades later—in my Art Therapy...

Before I came to prison, and for sometime in prison, I was afraid. The reason for my fear was that I haven’t matured yet. My low self-esteem as as child and my lack of confidence left me vulnerable, feeling withdrawn and repressed. So I ran from my problems and the...

I came from a place of deep darkness. Things felt hopeless. I felt hopeless. Violence surrounded me in my home and outside the house. The feeling of oppression kept me down so that I couldn't move. I finally exploded in violence, landed in prison, and rightly so. By...

As children sometimes we were taught by people that were broken themselves. So we adopted their ways and narratives that were not truly our own. Being told I was worthless, stupid, that I would always be a failure left me believing I was. I believed it and it...

I just wanted to be like him. I spent many years trying to imitate my father. I would wear his fatigues around the house and hammer nails into pieces of wood because he was a construction worker. Unfortunately, my father was an alcoholic, and a drug addict. He never...

Growing up I wasn't taught self-value or self-worth. I saw myself as someone the world could do without. I had no hope, and a person who has no hope, has nothing to lose. Still, I have no excuse for hurting others. I was wrong. And not only did I hurt my victim...

Losing my brother to gun violence while in prison has been the hardest and most challenging thing I've ever had to do. Usually I know all the right words to say, but my constant crying, the insurmountable pain, and the distance from my family make words hard to find....