True Beginnings

08/22/2026

She embraced me and cried. Not light-sensitive tears, but the kind that take your breath away. I held her tight, consoling her and telling her that she was not alone.

It wasn't being incarcerated that scared her; it was going home that had a stronghold. How could she stop using drugs and have a future if everyone in her home was using? National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls

08/21/2026

08/20/2026

Who would've thought taking a ride with your friends could get you five to ten years in prison with no prior offenses?

What she thought was a fun joy ride with friends turned out not to be so fun after all. Who do you trust if you can't trust your friends?

08/19/2026

Does getting the job require more than a well-crafted resume and good interviewing skills?

08/17/2026

It breaks my heart to watch fearmongering in action. Don't be a victim of someone else's experiences.

All these years, I thought my mother was doing it wrong. She raised me with fear rather than respect: respect for the law, respect for her, respect for others. When I thought it was her personality, I found that it was more a byproduct of the system that raised her.

How could she do better if she didn't know better?

08/15/2026

FEAR IN ACTION: WHEN THE POLICE ARRIVE AT THE END OF THE STORY

She saw her partner in danger and ran to help.
Now it's a man fighting two women. Them trying to protect themselves and each other. But he was stronger.

In the chaos, one of the women grabbed an object and struck him several times. Someone called the police.

They didn't see how the altercation started. They didn't see who was afraid. They didn't see the moment she believed someone she loved was in danger. They saw what was in front of them:

The man bleeding.
The women teamed up.

She went to jail, taking all the blame.