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Photo by Sheldon Liu on Unsplash

I overheard another prisoner
in solitary confinement say
that he had drawn portraits
on his walls to keep him company.
He went on to say that any time they
became argumentative or he
just didn’t like what they had to say,
he would just erase them.

Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer’s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.

J.D. Allen is a writer incarcerated in California. He holds a GED and has completed 24 college units. He finds creativity to be his lifeline and source of self worth. J.D. has asked for his first name to be withheld.