Behind the Walls Talk

Being incarcerated for 20 years, I have had the pleasure of meeting many individuals. Seen some come and go, while still being here. And then there is the ones who are here with life sentences. A few of them have been in prison since their youth. These men are not who society think they are, they have grown, changed, and are different from when they first entered the prison system. To be given life without the possibility of parole started after Clinton passed the 1994 Crime Bill the largest-ever crime bill in the history of this country. This bill fueled massed incarceration by providing incentive grants to build and expand prisons to qualifying states that enforced mandatory sentencing of 85% of someone’s sentence. If you were incarcerated before the 1994 crime bill you may be eligible for what is called a MAPP, Mutual Agreement Parole Program. Life imprisonment without parole raises issues of cruel, inhumane, and degrading punishment, and undermines the right to human dignity by taking away any hope of release and the rehabilitation aspect of imprisonment meaningless. I decided to help open the minds of society to the people who have life sentences. Showing that they too deserve a second chance. Below are questions that I asked different individuals, and they answered from their hearts and minds. The hope is that this will be an eye-opening, mind changing, and most importantly a door opening experience reading their testimonies. What do I think about guys with life sentences or life sentence period? To be given a life sentence for any crime in America is absurd to me when America itself has committed the most vicious acts against human life. It does not take a lifetime for someone to realize the mistake they have made and from my personal dealings with guys that have life sentences, many of them are all good fellas and I can see them being productive citizens in society. One question that I have always asked myself when dealing with these guys behind the walls is, “would I want this guy around my family?” There have been some that I have said to myself that I would not want him around my family, but those individuals were not the ones with life sentences. It is hard to recognize the ones with life sentences because they are the humblest and most enjoyable ones to be around, because they are so full of life and energy. They mostly are the ones that exercise regularly and that mostly are in hopes of getting out one day. So, they do their best to stay in shape, to be healthy and strong, they teach themselves a multitude of subjects, and they meditate to find peace. I have come to admire the lifers and strength they have to endure these struggles we face behind these walls and knowing they have been deemed to die behind these walls. Salute to all those doing life behind these walls. This is “Life Behind the Walls!”

Life questions Name Opus number location picture (visitation or old pictures) How long have you been incarcerated? Year and age? Do you have a life sentence? Do you have children? Age then and now? When you heard, your sentence being given to you, what went through your mind? How did you prepare yourself for facing the life sentence? What did you do to comfort your family? And how did they aid and assist you during that time? If you answered yes to having a child or children, how has it been for your relationship with them? How did they take hearing that you have a life sentence? How do you remain positive? What was the first year like in prison knowing that you have a long time? How do you feel at this moment in your sentence? What keeps you going? Do you have a good support system? Have you taken any classes or have a job right now? Are there any bills that are on the table that you are hoping to get passed that will help you to be able to come home? What changes in the system (laws and prisons) have you seen throughout your time good or bad? What would you like to see change? Do you get visits often? What do you do to stay motivated mentally, physically, and spiritually? What would you do with your second chance?? Lastly feel free to tell the readers about you, who you are, what you stand for and what you would like them to know. This is a chance to bring awareness to those who have life sentences and enlighten society on the inhumane structure of the system.