I’ve spent the past eleven and a half years in multiple maximum security prisons, and I’ve seen this place from just about every angle. So when I hear the glorification of prison, quite frankly, it doesn’t sit right with me. The crazy part is that the issue isn’t always people speaking on prison, although some of the conversation does come from within. Some of those conversations matter, and there are real things happening in here that deserve to be recognized. I’ve seen men step up and mentor others. I’ve watched people try to shift the culture away from violence and drug use. I’ve seen programs built from nothing, people commit to education, and others turn to writing to make sense of their realities. That part is very real, and it should absolutely be acknowledged.

I believe the disconnect, and what often gets lost, is the truth about the environment itself. When prison is glorified, it starts to sound as though this is a place you can come to and grow, like the conditions somehow help shape something good. They don’t. Anything positive that comes out of here happens in spite of this place, not because of it. This environment takes much more than it gives. It breaks people down and forces them into survival mode every day. The growth people see is real, but it comes from individuals pushing against all of that, not from the place itself. So if you’re going to talk about prison, please just be honest about it. Don’t conflate the strength of the people with the nature of where they’re standing.