Artwork by David Galaviz

This piece represents the self struggle — that no matter what the circumstances or your situation, you can always seek help, seek change, seek a positive life for yourself. But you must want to too. You must make that choice. I did it after 14 years into my prison sentence. I now have been living a busy productive life for the last eight years. I’m so happy for myself and who I am today. I’ve accomplished so much. I need to thank all of those who came into these prison walls to teach, help, care. Who expressed patience, love, and empathy, for I myself have learned and applied those awesome traits to others.

 

 
Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. The Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer’s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned. The work is lightly edited but has not been otherwise fact-checked.

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David Galaviz

David Galaviz is an artist, who has been incarcerated for over 20 years for a gang-related crime. He wants to apologize to the people he has hurt, their families, the community and his own family for causing so much pain.