The Human Toll of Jail

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  In 2023 I contributed to a project The Human Toll of Jail, which was a collaboration between Vera and PEN America. Both of these organizations advocate for incarcerated people in different ways, and since I was already familiar with their work I jumped at the chance to contribute. My essay can be found at the link below:
https://www.vera.org/the-human-toll-of-jail-2023/the-pretrial-pressure-cooker

  When I first read the prompt, I felt somewhat discouraged that they were especially interested in Black, indigenous, and LGBT writers. To make up for not fitting these categories, I got the idea to interview men of color who lived in prison with me. In exchange, I offered them a share of the prize money if the article got published.
 
  This task ended up showing me a different side of people I thought I knew. People want to tell their stories. In fact, most of the men who agreed to help me didn't even want anything in return. The desire to be seen and heard is essentially human. When a prison holds a person, they lose their voice and become forgotten. It creates an invisible wall that causes invisibility. 

  It's easy to forget that everyone has a story, or that each person in this world has a depth only they can truly know. Thinking of humans in this way should change the conversation about incarceration. When people commit crimes society starts to assume the worst about them. Incarcerated people are not seen, and get replaced with an unsavory caricature. Because this is rarely even considered, because the general assumption is that people in prison deserve to be in prison, the problem is not addressed with any real urgency or rationality.

  All these silent assumptions and attitudes about incarceration, including the tendency not to think about it at all, create a glass ceiling to rehabilitation. Earnest attempts to show growth, change, and remorse are met with suspicion. This could change by seeing incarcerated people as humans, no different from anyone else. Remove all the myths that surround accusation and conviction, and the tough road back to society becomes a little bit easier.

  Many people will ask why this is even necessary. If people chose to commit crimes, why should anyone advocate to change the system in their favor? Without knowing the humans behind the walls, this seems like a valid question. But I have seen them, I got to know them, and I was one of them. The hunger to start over and live with purpose is everywhere in this population. Behind the behavioral scars and barriers exists a rare appreciation for every miracle in life, down to a blade of grass and a breath of fresh air.

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