You spent 15 years in the system. What was the moment you realized the
system wasn't designed to rehabilitate you?"
"It wasn't one moment—it was a thousand small ones. But if I had to pick,
it was watching rehabilitation programs get defunded while prison
industries made millions off our labor. We made furniture, license plates,
and products for pennies an hour while corporations profited. Meanwhile,
the GED program had a two-year waiting list. The message was clear: your
labor has value, but your future doesn't. That's when I understood—this
isn't about rehabilitation. It's about profit."
- ‘Question & answer' -