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Drifting Between Worlds
Right now, life feels like chaos. It is not the kind of chaos where you can grab the pieces and start putting them together. It is the kind where the pieces are swirling in the air, and you are not even sure what the puzzle looks like anymore. Honestly, I have never felt quite like…
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Lost and Searching: A Reflection on Life’s Crossroads
Life feels chaotic right now. Honestly, it is one of those moments where I am standing on a bridge surrounded by thick fog, unable to see where it leads or what waits on the other side. For the first time in years, I feel completely disconnected, like everything I thought I knew has been stripped…
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The Iron Shackles of Mandatory Minimums: A Florida Ex-Felon’s Plea for Reform
Introduction: I recently walked out of a Florida prison, a free man after serving a sentence that was far longer than it should have been. Not because the judge deemed it necessary, but because Florida’s draconian mandatory minimum sentencing laws tied his hands. I’m not here to debate the crimes I committed; I own those.…
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The Florida Prison-to-School Pipeline: A Personal Account
This morning, as I sat in front of my computer, a chilling realization washed over me. I had always known about the Florida Prison-to-School Pipeline, a disturbing trend where the school system seems to funnel students towards incarceration rather than education. But today, it hit me on a personal level: I am a product of…
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Finding My Place: The Post-Prison Struggle
It’s been a long time since I’ve shared my thoughts here. Life after prison has been a whirlwind, a constant struggle to find my footing in a world that feels both familiar and alien. There’s a question that haunts many of us who’ve done time, a question that gnaws at us day and night: how…
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A Second Chance: Out Again and Facing the Stigma
When I saw that paperwork from my P.O., my stomach dropped. Eight years? Are you kidding me? Before I got locked up, I thought I was headed right back down the same path I’d seen so many others take – a revolving door of prison sentences. It seemed like that was my destiny. After five…