Family often is not what our body enters this world with. Adoption and adaptation occur in life-cycles daily. Mine at 45 became the cast-offs and castaways of culture I have learned volumes through and beside. Those I often call brothers. Diversity people behind devices and divisions of social media war over daily we live and breathe. I sleep in a house full of rooms with Asian, Black, White, Mexican, Straight, Transgender, Bisexual, Gay, Christian, Wiccan, Satanic, Muslim, Amish, and numerous other occupant divisions. Rarely snarling over pronouns, we have generally harmonious accord internet loudmouthed faction-eers would experience inconvenience in the face of.

     One member of my immediate family performed poorly lately. Finally dropping the “N” word at one of our Black cousins playing hoops last week, a strong sock to his nose followed by two weeks in a room alone settles that. Nobody canceling, threatening, demanding, or provoking - everyone feels justice was delivered. Attempted redemption will likely be lonely. Racism was not the impetus, to be clear, the offending party was a homosexual preferring the companionship of Black men. African American inmates use that word literally hundreds of times daily. Our culture is lawyer-free the most part. Many papers I produce point to that profession projecting chaos and ruin upon America. Winning arguments without value drags us down depressing depths.

     Trajectory-wise the impact my life has experienced entering this dynasty is complete. Exiting next year, I am marrying a convict. Furthering my education pursuing a Master’s the conclusion is bringing Journalism as a major to the Incarcerated. Between I want work within entertainment as a consultant in diversity/inclusion of intellectual property. Experience not only with racial and ideological groups, knowing criminals intimately from sex offenders to gang members combined with a body of public works on a prisoner’s website I launched, lending observations behind cameras or comics on plots and characters would be a labor of love. Realistic representation without sacrificing entertainment or sales by proselytism, alienating swaths of perspective audiences and allies is my goal. Prison and the bodies inside brought me to a place that is tenable.

     Lots of anger, hatred, and distrust occur. Experience says that is 100% family. Individuals together for years sleeping alongside each other sharing sinks, toilets, microwaves, and cleaning responsibilities? Love happens too. Plentiful gracious fellowship maybe not trendy true crime front row material, people should know the covalence of inmate bonds sometimes instant lasts years, and sometimes burning loath is familial. Subjectivism in a prior assignment in Sociology of Childhood and Family: “you can love family but never trust them”. No difference here, except a lot of these individuals never recognize the love dichotomy and family analogy themselves even submerged in it. It is impossible to feel a certain level of hostility without the prior antonym.

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ORIGINS & CULTURAL SIGNFICANCE -

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     From Man’s beginning we know that isolation of bad actors became necessary beyond execution. The Holy Bible teaches us Daniel, King David, Jesus, and the Apostles all were inmate ancestors. Q’aran says Mohammed also spent time incarcerated. Through time luminaries have served from famous felons like Al Capone and John Gotti to celebrities like Martha Stewart, Lori Laughlin, Robert Downey Junior, the Chrisleys, Tim Allen, Danny Trejo, and Michael Vick.

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ADAPTATION AND CHANGE-

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     America obsesses on our culture with myriad books, TV shows, cookbooks, art, websites, and ephemera from lockdown. Example: a bracelet made from the inner lace of State-issued boots barters on the yard for two dollars (three ramen noodles). That exact folk jewelry retailed recently on Facebook Marketplace for 100.00.

     Our face is changing as the ethical cadence moves more to moral relativism. Anti-heroes dominate common imagination, and “misunderstood” has replaced “dangerous” for better or worse in the ethos. Today’s inmate is more apt to find desirable employment than prior generations, with demonstrative levels of skill and work ethic. Those with fortitude, aptitude, or acumen stand gains with reentry.

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SOCIALIZATION FUNCTION-

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     With the moral flow favoring our lot, advantages came with. Red and Blue governments funded and reloaded inmate education with Pell Grants and vocational programs. Treating the cause rather than attacking symptoms, the Medicine Treatment Program ushered free opioid-replacing Suboxone daily to qualifiers. Favors to remove impetuses for felonious behavior and encourage better lives are here for those wise enough to choose it.

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SOCIAL GLUE ANALYSIS-

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     Myself abandoned by my supposedly close-knit family, the disowning was completed when my beloved mother died in 2023. Her siblings and their offspring were my kin, being an only child. Envying her home with four siblings and its bustle, once I moved beyond the nervousness of beings “fish”, sublime moments of fellowship and a busy house opened me in ways a lone existence never did before.

     Four folks comprise my outside life with my inmate family being the rest. Doubtful my original tribe will refit my future, I am building a new one with a felon at another compound.

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SOCIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE-

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     Wealthy in details for the sociological community, prison’s microcosm is the ultimate societal experiment. All demographics - races, religions, political parties, sexual identities, classes, and age groups, veterans included, humans all alive in a warehouse full of bunks.

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CONCLUSION:

 

The unfortunate aspect of prison is its unavailability to masses needing what it can offer. Shelter from the race, a reboot, precious time to hone and redefine the mind, body, and spirit. Additionally, meeting hundreds of men with internal depths worthy of exploration. Anyone pining my life’s cruel turn can stop, because I often count myself lucky even after forty I found the way home. What is more worth celebration than that?