God and Gratitude in Prison
It took twenty-two years of hard time in prison for me to get how deep gratitude is. I've found it to be a force in the universe spawned in the interior forests, rivers, and seas of a person's soul. It pours [...]
Hope & Change
A Cell Search Reveals Diamonds In The Rough
We were handcuffed in our boxers and shower slippers, barely awake. They, however, were ready, looking for a reason to hit the button. And to be dead honest, they would've dish-ragged us in that unit that night had we'd done or said anything.
Latinx Prisoners Take Self-Help to a New Level
I've watched countless faces pass through what seems to be a revolving door, leading out, and—all too often—right back into my home. It's rarely difficult to pinpoint who I'll see again by their behaviors while incarcerated. Some choose to believe the narrative that they're little more than animals—as evident by the cages they're locked in—while others cling to a sense of humanity with a vigor that's impossible to overlook, because it makes them a glaring minority in an environment where only ignorance and violence are praised.
My Crime: Jonathan Benson
On April 4th, 2011 I was pulled over for a taillight being burnt out. No big deal, right? Usually no, however I was “methin’ around” (high on meth) at the time and my kids were with me in the vehicle. I [...]
Asst. Editor2020-07-19T10:18:46-04:00Hope & Change, Lifers & Solitary, My Crime, Violence & Corruption|
My Life on Death Row in San Quentin
From December 17,2003 to February 9, 2004, the prison guards and administration at this modem day plantation changed me, rearranged me, oppressed me, regressed me, repressed me, depressed me and undressed me in order to murder me. They had me bend [...]
Why I Help Out the Elderly In Prison
I came up around people that lived the street life. And in that setting, you learn a set of skills that helps you survive. If you go to a jungle, you learn a set of skills. Likewise with a desert, the [...]
Five DIY Tips for Preparing for Reentry
One day I finally said to myself – “you killed someone” – a young man’s life is gone. And I wondered how my mother would feel if it had been me who had been killed. I began thinking about my victim’s mother.
A Jailhouse Lawyer Explains How it Works
“You've got a thousand men in the water and maybe three life preservers. You better be okay with watching men drown. ”
- Melvin Tunstall, when I took a job in the prison law library.
Why Prison Volunteers Change Lives
Throughout my 23 years of incarceration, many people have had a positive influence on my life, but none more so than the courageous volunteers who selflessly pour into American prisons each and every day, whether it be for religious purposes, substance [...]
Study: Police Treat Black Americans with Less Respect (Duh.)
I realize this is obvious as hell, but here's the data. Data confirms that police treat Black Americans with less respect. A Stanford University analysis of police bodycam footage from nearly 1,000 vehicle stops substantiates what Black Americans already know: police [...]
Incarcerated at 8: Growing Up Behind Bars
Growing up, I never had my mother or father in my life. I never met my father and because my mother was using drugs while she was pregnant with me, I was taken away from her as an infant, never to [...]
Writing in Solitary Saved Me From Suicide
As we know, I am currently in prison, which I have learned does one of two significant things to its occupants: brings the best out of them, or the worst...
Prisoners in College Inspire Their Kids To Work Harder
There aren't many positive prison programs available in the criminal justice system these days. But forty-years ago, college courses were offered with the possibility of achieving two and four year degrees. During the "Reagan Era," Pell Grants for prisoners was eliminated [...]
VIDEO: The Brutal Truth About A Brutal Crime
Agnes Fury is the mother and grandmother of author Leonard Scoven’s two victims. Years ago, she contacted Scovens in prison to find answers and closure. Amazingly, their relationship turned into a friendship after the two corresponded for years — before the two published a book together about restoration and forgiveness, called Wildflowers in the Median. (!)
I Spent 20 Years on Death Row
When I sat on death row for 20 years my favorite game to play was the “what if…?” This is an exercise that most people engage in, but none more so than prisoners. No inmate feels like they belong in prison. [...]
I’ve Been On Death Row Since I Was 21
My adolescence was marked by an inability to express my thoughts and emotions. I floundered with how to speak my mind and these unsaid things turned into hungry rats gnawing on my nerves. Communicating as a shy teenager is hard [...]