Incarceration Is …

Incarceration is the plight of every inner-city youth who succumbed to the impoverished afflictions and temptation of monetary gains. And financial freedom by any means necessary while betwixt the throes of drugs, hate, violence, misery, betrayal, and death.

Incarceration is every adolescent who thought that a criminal lifestyle was the norm for their conditions and habitat.

Incarceration is hearing the judge’s sentence, and although you can’t read, you can count on all 10 fingers and toes how long it will be until you are free.

Incarceration is getting forever and you aren’t even in your twenties.

Incarceration is catching cases because you’re trying to help your mom pay the bills and rent.

Incarceration is turning around and asking her for commissary and lawyer money. (SMH)

Incarceration is watching your children grow up in pictures.

Incarceration is your daughter asking, “Who’s this?” when you call home, and your son calling you by your first name when he does feel like talking to you.

Incarceration is days, weeks, months, years, and decades of heartbreaks and losses.

Don’t Miss Long-Term Incarceration: When The Time Hits You

Incarceration is anger, toughness, and composure by day that turn into a face full of tears by night.

Incarceration is mothers praying for their sons and daughters until their knees become callous.

Incarceration is based on conviction not justice.

Incarceration is telling on another (even lies) for leniency or standing firm and face a prison term.

Incarceration is a plea to 10 years but just because you chose to prove your innocence at trial with the odds greatly stacked against you. You are now serving 40-plus years.

Incarceration is ineffective assistance of counsels and unscrupulous D.A.s.

Incarceration is losing your mind, and being told to just take deep breaths.

Incarceration is laughing to keep from crying.

Incarceration is crying to keep from killing.

Incarceration is forgetting how to truly smile.

Incarceration is trying to remember what love is.

Incarceration is realizing you had a favorite color, food, relative, and musician.

Incarceration is America’s way of dealing with its misguided, rebellious, antisocial, misunderstood, and damaged citizens.

Incarceration is amended to the 13th Constitutional wrong of legalized slavery.

Incarceration is people with promise turned into prisoners.

Incarceration is the next Michael Jordan in Big Sandy, the next Elon Musk in Butner, the next Spike Lee in Florence, the next Jay-Z in Beaumont, and the next Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Kamala Harris left unknown in the penal system.

Incarceration is wasted talent.

Incarceration is not rehabilitation.

Incarceration is working out, reading, writing, and becoming a coffee addict.

Incarceration is “When I get out, I’m never coming back.”

Incarceration is this is your second, third, fourth, fifth time saying that.

Incarceration is recidivism.

Incarceration is being released after decades in a hostile, untrustworthy, antisocial, and insane setting, and being expected to live, thrive, associate, trust, and make sane choices in a world that has left you, your ways, your norms and outlooks in the past.

Incarceration is a setup for failure.

Incarceration turns boys to men, and most men towards God.

Incarceration is finding faith in the fault.

Incarceration is being beaten by numerous C.O.s then being the one charged with assault.

Incarceration is being placed in inhumane and unsanitary restraints, chains, and cuffs that are so tight they cut and scar your ankles, wrists, neck, stomach, and back to the point of swelling and disability.

Incarceration is voicing your complaints, then being targeted, and facing retaliation because you know your rights.

Incarceration is “Inmate, you have no rights.”

Incarceration is destruction and manipulation of your mail, property, body, and mind.

Incarceration is cutting a knife from metal bunks and lockers, because being the only person without one could be a potentially fatal slip.

Incarceration is nearly killing or being killed over a postage stamp, or unfamiliar slang.

Incarceration is self-educated jailhouse lawyers.

Incarceration is so many prisoners that simply gave up.

Incarceration is being on your last appeal, and being pessimistic.

Incarceration is knowing if you were rich or white you’d get a lesser sentence.

Incarceration is living in a bathroom 24 hours a day with another person year after year.

Incarceration is the death of most family ties.

Incarceration is Michelle Alexander’s famous analysis and Mandela’s long walk to freedom.

Incarceration is every collect call not expected or accepted.

Incarceration is every promise broken.

Incarceration is every commissary missed.

Incarceration is every mail call that your name isn’t called.

Incarceration is every loved one, brother, sister, child, friend, parent that you lose doing time.

Incarceration is every night you wish you could do it all again.

Incarceration is every tattoo you get to cover stab wounds.

Incarceration is every suicide attempt, unsuccessful or otherwise.

Incarceration is a diagnosis of PTSD, anxiety, depression, paranoia, and every other mental illness.

Incarceration is every standup count.

Incarceration is every memory that fades.

Incarceration is not having one good night’s sleep since you’ve been in.

Incarceration is fearing that your son will follow in your footsteps, or that your daughter will be attracted to guys like you.

Incarceration is 300 phone minutes a month, when there are 1,440 in a day.

Incarceration is your call ending before you can say“I love you.”

Incarceration is hearing, “They’re no longer with us” on your next call.

Incarceration is trying to stay out of trouble.

Incarceration is always being in trouble’s way.

Incarceration is time to reflect, plan, and change.

Incarceration is time to regret, destroy, and become worse.

Incarceration is never committing a crime until you were incarcerated.

Incarceration is wanting a good home-cooked meal, and a slice of pecan pie with Breyer’s vanilla bean ice cream.

Incarceration is “not for human consumption” marked meals.

Incarceration is finding out the only girl you ever loved, who swore she would wait, has moved on.

Incarceration is every court date that no one was in court to support you.

Incarceration is getting dressed for a visit for the third week in a row, and no one shows up.

Incarceration seems longer the shorter it gets.

Incarceration is trying to sound strong so the family won’t worry.

Incarceration is wishing you had a family to hold you up when you’re weak.

Incarceration is viewing suicide as a brave act of cowardliness.

Incarceration is love and hate.

Incarceration is hope and despair.

Incarceration is strength and weakness.

Incarceration is trust and suspicion.

Incarceration is loyalty and betrayal.

Incarceration is determination and disappointments.

Incarceration is death and life sentences.

Incarceration is lonely and burdensome.

Incarceration is shame and dishonor.

Incarceration is persecution and damning.

Incarceration is dependency and guilt.

Incarceration is targeted and prejudicial.

Incarceration is loss and more losses.

Incarceration is a cyclical curse.

Incarceration is generational.

Incarceration is the hate they gave us.

Incarceration is contemporary slavery.

Incarceration is unlawful and much more.

This is incarceration.

Tai Todd #55905054
U.S.P. Canaan
P.O. Box 300
Waymart, PA 18472