Editor’s Note: Absence of Light is a project created in collaboration with incarcerated people at Auburn Correctional Facility in Auburn, New York.

I don’t know much, but I do know that, if we were more aware, things would go a lot smoother. I noticed that I had built a bubble. Now, this is no ordinary bubble. This bubble contains all that I enjoy and all that I can benefit from. It could not sound selfish enough. Even if all that I did was good, I’m still in a bubble. 

Bubbles have barriers. Limits. I was unaware of so much. I’ve noticed that prison reform would benefit if we were more aware. Not of just what’s going on in the prison system, but also with each other. I am aware that there are so many of us going through many of the same things differently. Uniquely.

Right now at my moment, and the moment you should come upon these words, a great many of us would have experienced elation, sorrow, rejection, confusion and all the other emotions a human has.

Though a great many of us are going through the same things, no one can live our life the way we are living our life. The processing of these emotions, the reactions, have a ripple effect. For anger and sorrow, meditation, exercise and prayer just has not worked. The leaving of such emotions behind is next to impossible. Whether it be your house, cell or living quarters.

So many of us have built a bubble. Only concerning ourselves with the betterment of ourselves. I am becoming better at being aware. The effects fluctuate, but I see the subtle change. That positive spark of goodness does have a ripple effect. A simple “hello” goes a long way. Even the most lackluster of greetings have diffused many of my “grumpy” moments. But there’s more to it than that. More to being aware.

We need to be healthier mentally. An unhealthy mind contributes greatly to the injustice that is rampant in the prison system. It’s as if the criteria for a corrections staff is the bare minimum. Such an institution should be more diligent in assuring that corrections staff are mentally capable. 

Every prisoner in the prison system is not some calculated criminal. A great percentage of prisoners are battling some form of mental illness. An even greater percentage of corrections staff lack the proper training to handle many situations. We need to be more aware of what’s needed and how to go about ascertaining it. We need to be more aware of each other. Not an easy task, but a much needed one. 

But again, I don’t know much. I am just someone capable of stepping back and seeing so much more. I am someone undeterred. I am someone hopeful. I am someone capable of being an asset. And last, I am someone sharing with you…

Published on November 8, 2020 at 10:55 pm