When thoughts of living the rest of my life in prison come to mind – I have to quickly expunge them.  Allowing myself to be mentally trapped will emotionally paralyze me.  I refuse to be placed in that particular mindset – to submit to this time.

I sit in a corner sometimes, though, and observe others.  I no longer want to be in the spotlight, so I watch the younger cats, who often look up to me and respect my advice.  I’ve been where they are.  Prison life is depressing, causing individuals to get caught up in the nonsense and lose focus on their condition and their freedom.  They sometimes become mentally trapped, losing their desire to return to the loved ones they’ve lost.

It’s what happens over time as they are dehumanized, demoralized and disrespected every day.  I see men given a choice between starvation – or eating something that is often compared to dog food.   Policy says six ounces of potatoes for lunch, yet the Supervisor of the kitchen forces inmates in the kitchen to serve two ounces on each tray.  That’s just one of the many daily methods used to try and trap us mentally.

Imagine being trapped in box with barely enough oxygen to sustain your body.  That is what a prison cell in Virginia feels like.  Inside your box, there is just enough air to prevent you from dying.  Living in that box can easily destroy you mentally, trapping your mind and playing tricks on your emotions, on your sense of a sound mind and even on your intelligence.

As we live this perplexed, chemically imbalanced life inside our box, misunderstood and misrepresented, we fight for peace of mind every day, many of us just struggling to be recognized as human – while trapped inside this box…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Ty Juane Pridgen lives in Virginia’s Wallens Ridge State Prison.  He was 18 years old in 1995 when he was first incarcerated – over twenty years ago.  Ty Juane can be contacted at:

Ty Juane Pridgen #1019760
Wallens Ridge State Prison
P.O. Box 759
Big Stone Gap, VA 24219