The system is there to house, to feed, to delegate and to govern. It is there not to befriend, but to guard. There are businesses willing to hire inmates and former inmates. It is my hope that the Arkansas Inmate Collective helps improve and empower the men and women who contribute to it, whether they must live and die in prison, or whether they will someday walk outside its walls as free men and women. It is impossible to be introspective without taking into account your past, present and future.
Writing is, in effect, a self-examination.
It is my sincere belief that an inmate's time spent behind bars is a chance for his or her U-turn. It is a chance to improve the body, mind and soul by hard physical and mental work. Publication in the Arkansas Inmate Collective is a validation of an inmate's effort in writing.