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Sons separated from mothers,
Fathers serving jail time with their sons —
The only opportunity for them to spend time together.
Two brothers with their great uncle in the same penitentiary.
Relatives developing bonds through long-distance interaction,
Undersupervised inmates left to themselves to maintain their own peace and order,
Inadequate medical, food, and supplies.
Due to the overwhelming number of inmates accessing these resources,
Inmates can only be controlled through their
Voluntary surrendering, proning out on the ground.
Relatives unfamiliar with each other due to continued
Lives of those in society, and the confinement of those within.
Cost in the trillions of dollars to provide and care for those on the inside,
Underperformed schools, vocational trades, and rehabilitation
Due to the limited staff to supervise,
Neutral treatment due to the large demand of the General Population.
Large salaries due to multiple people under their supervision,
People reuniting with their childhood friends,
Men never enjoying their childhood, or their youth,
Not experiencing real relationships, nor amusement parks,
Not wanting to take advantage of rehabilitation efforts,
Forced unions of different personalities,
This situation is a Big Business opportunity.
Lonesome, desperate, and needy men,
Due to their lack of attachment, bonding.
Many men being spared, and their youth preserved
Due to long confinement,
And growing into men in these penitentiaries.
Men inside educational levels far exceeding
Those in society. Comfort zones being created
After being here for so long.
Can’t be grateful for much due to where things
Are being received (in prison).
Same mundane, stale routine,
Uneducated, ill-equipped parental figures letting kids
run wild, doing grownup things,
Leading to large numbers in the prison population.
Poverty, drugs, and no self-control leading to mass incarceration,
Tough on crime, scare tactics leading to mass incarceration.

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.

Kenneth Moore is an African-American writer and poet. He is the author of the book “Subconscious Poetry” (available at www.PrisonsFoundation.org) and has had one of his poems published in the book “Silent Screams: Poems from Uncharted Territory” by Dr. Unique Shaw-Smith. He is incarcerated in California.