Student Work Wednesday

I Am by Jacob D.

I am a loyal and humble person
I wonder if I’ll ever win at this game called life
I hear the harsh, loud, clink sound that chills  my nerves multiple times a day
I see all kinds of races and nations come together in harmony following the way
I want to break this cycle of insanity sooner than later
I am a loyal and humble person

I pretend these walls of containment don’t bother me
I feel more sincere about becoming the solution rather than the problem for the first time in my life
I worry that if I don’t change now I never will and my evil deeds will outweigh the good
I cry when I think of the people I’ve lost and the older I get the more I can’t stand this shit
I am a loyal and humble person

I understand God is good and he is not one to wheel and deal
I say if everyone believed as me no matter what circumstance they face they’d be free
I dream about walking out the front door as if I had a key
I try to strengthen my faith everyday and be an example
I hope life gets better because I try and for the first time I can say I deserve it
I am a loyal and humble person.

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Thursday Thoughts

Martin-Luther-King-Injustice

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Guest Blog

Recently our founder, Esley Stahl, wrote a guest blog for No Offence! CIC, an international criminal justice network based in the United Kingdom. In it, Stahl discusses the detrimental effects of the pervasive stereotyping of inmates, which largely goes ignored in our society. We encourage you to check out the blog and explore the other news and work No Offence! highlights.

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Student Work Wednesday

To whom it may concern by Jason B.

Sobriety seems a possibility.
Time does not heal all wounds,
it mostly deepens them.

Time does open the mind.
My time was always about selfish pleasures.
Now those pleasures are like daggers.
Constant reminders of an evil past.

Memories of you hurt the most.
Knowing what was lost is a hard pill to swallow.
Reality hurts most when sober.

My whole world crumbled in an instant.
Things lost that I will never get back.
All I have are memories now.
And memories of you hurt the most…

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Prison Arts + Activism Conference

making_time

The Rutger’s University Institute for Research on Women will be hosting Marking Time: Prison Arts and Activism Conference at Rutgers University at the beginning of October. The agenda is full of exciting events we wish we could attend! Despite not being able to, it is encouraging that Prison Arts will be the focus of this conference, which is the first of its kind. The conference has gathered programs and program leaders from across the country who focus their efforts on inmate expression through the arts. The event will also include an art exhibit of work from currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. This sharing of dynamic experiences and stories is close to our hearts here at WTR. Even if, like us, you cannot attend the event, you can view some of the art here.

Lead conference organizer, Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood, captures the spirit of the event, (and similarly our mission) best by saying:

“There is a huge gap between the dominant public perception of prisoners—as lacking in value—and their humanity and productivity, as individuals who dream and envision brighter futures and as cherished ones whose families love and care for them.

Prison art helps to challenge the dehumanization of the incarcerated.”

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