I know a lot of you are asking to yourselves: What suddenly makes this guy an expert on life, change and the solutions to our problems when he’s nothing more than a prisoner himself? Now ask yourself this: If I was on fire and someone came with the water I needed to put the fire out, would it matter to me who they were or what qualifies them to be throwing water on me? I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure you would thank Charles Manson for throwing water on you if he was the...READ MORE
Wake UP Call Recently, I watched my comrade die in front of me from a heart attack at the early age of 41. I’m holding back tears as I write this because real men BULLSHIT!! I’m holding back tears because it was told to us at sentencing that none of us in prison with over ten year sentences would see the streets again. I watch their words become reality. Just a wake up call to all of you throwing bricks at the penitentiary. Rest In Peace Brother Portel. Continuation from last post...READ MORE
Somewhere after the creation of man, sacrificing your life for a cause, what you believe in or for you loved one’s became the ultimate act of true commitment, loyalty, and honor. History tells us about the many great men who sacrificed there lives unselfishly for others. On the top of my list of those great men, would be men like Jesus, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stanley Tookie Williams. Now I know many of you are saying “Stanley Tookie Williams didn’t sacrifice his life for...READ MORE
Adjusting to the surroundings that make up this prison environment, can be a painful, and most of all, deadly experience. For decades, the “We” also known as “walking numbers” have been bursting, fuming with youthful vigor, fervor and the overwhelming feeling that something’s gotta give. Being without a GED or high school diploma is only an excuse to describe this inflated aggregate of lost souls. Fortunately, for some, the quest for guidance translated into an almost famine-like...READ MORE
It seems just yesterday I had the joys of freedom and the pleasures of unrestrained physical motion. This day I’m pigeon-holed in one of the dark and murky coffin-like cells that hold hostage millions of men and women who aspired to be but instead found themselves dreading the realities of reality. This can’t be life. The passing hours from that day to this one has brought about a change so drastic that at times I find it nearly impossible to breathe. What’s suffocating is...READ MORE
World, what’s good? My name is Terrell Forth Bey. I’m a former/reformed gangbanger of New Jersey and founder of F.A.M.I.L.Y. Ties, which is a non-profit organization. Our goal is to raise awareness among at-risk youth to the potential of individual choice and creative freedom. Our values address the issues of environmental influence and circumstantial disadvantages. F.A.M.I.L.Y. Ties is a sister organization of Arlene’s Arms, a non-profit organization for teen mothers. Our...READ MORE
The name of the program was changed by the administration from Inmates Embracing Better Choices to The Mentoring Project. The first class of what is now known as The Mentoring Project was held on 2/3/2012 at Northern State Prison in Newark, NJ. This concept is copyrighted. Just as there are inmates here at Northern state Prison who on a daily basis assist the Education Department by sometimes volunteering or offering their time in an effort to help other inmates with G.E.D. prep, math, reading,...READ MORE
There are over 2 Million people incarcerated in the U.S. and recent Department of Justice numbers indicate that there are over 21,000 street gangs in the U.S. with over 700,000 active members, numbers we cannot afford to ignore. Street gangs, the War on Drugs and mass incarceration weigh heavily on American culture, mainly its cities, and impose an enormous fiscal burden upon government and taxpayers, threatening to stall the engines of American prosperity. For far too long, law enforcement’s...READ MORE
My name is Angel Deleon, I’m 41 years old and a father of four. I’m currently serving a 27 month sentence at a federal prison, for illegal re-entry to the United States. I was born in Monterrey Mexico and raised in Houston, Texas. At the age of nine, my parents brought me and seven of my brothers and sisters to this country to live a better life. To live the American Dream. The dream so many people want and die trying to get here for. At first it was hard to adapt to the culture,...READ MORE
Life in itself is hard, fighting to overcome the struggles and hardships that come with life is even harder. This is why PERSEVERANCE is of great importance. There never must be a time when we fall weak and give up on overcoming life’s many adversities. Strength comes from the mind, a conscious mind. Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are the core elements that make up “that” which needs to be alive in order to succeed in life. Easy it is to give up, to see failing as a...READ MORE
![](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8081/8295260150_7ec366c9ab.jpg "Tewhan "G-Mass" Butler")
