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End in Sight
By Wesley I. Purkey"There is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us that it will behold any one of us; to find fault with the rest of us." - James Truslow AdamsOn the...
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Voice of the Unheard
By Terrell CarterFor centuries, we, the descendants of kidnapped and enslaved Africans, have existed in a simmering cauldron of poverty, inequality, and discrimination. Whether it be housing,...
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A Clash of Values
By Timothy PauleyI came to prison in a different era. Everyone was screwed at the first place I was sent. Not literally, of course, but screwed in that none of us had any consideration coming from the...
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A Little More Gray
By Isaac SweetA few years back, I was affirmed by my peers at the Washington State Reformatory to serve as a mentor in the prison's pilot mentoring program, Men Facilitating Change (MFC). We are a...
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Finding Solace In Separation
By Terry Daniel McDonaldSolitude means being aloof from the influence of society. It may be practiced alone or in company, just as emotional dependency can be practiced alone or in company. One who is...
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Delusion of Reprieve
By Z.A. SmithSince the first day of the Missouri 2020 Legislative Session, offenders have been spreading a rumor about a law being passed for life without offenders called “The Hard Thirty,” saying...
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It's The Wait That Gets You Part III
By Nascimento BlairTo read Part II click here“On the count!” Thade rolled out of bed again. It was Wednesday and he was hoping it would be a more eventful day than the one which had passed. He stood at...
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Social Distancing in the Age of Social Illiteracy
By Timothy Pauley"My bad." This is a term currently in vogue. It is a way to indicate one has transgressed, but without expressing any remorse for said transgression. This is similar in many ways to...
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Lucky Day
By Leon CarpenterSegregation is fucked up! No question about it. I am forever damaged from all the years I was left in that madness. One morning while wasting away in segregation I was watching the...
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Sanctity
By Terrell CarterHave you ever been in a place where solitude and silence allowed you to see beyond the distractions in life and you end up in a place where new discoveries shape your worldview? Well,...
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Arrest
By Erin GeorgeThese are turbulent times. As the nation grapples with the murder of George Floyd, citizens of all ethnicities and ages are flooding the streets, demanding change, as a coward shivers in...
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My Father's Violin
By Burl N. CorbettEvery evening, my father played his violin by the upright piano in our dining room. The nightly concerts were among my first memories, but I can no longer recall if I listened from my...
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Cap and Gown
By Millard BakerI really loathe the attire I wear. My attire represents the miscreant individual I was. The dark blue pants have “CDCR Prisoner” written on the front pant leg. The light blue shirt has...
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Full Circle
By Isaac SweetOne of the most common conversation starters in this prison is, "What're ya watching tonight?" Lately, my response has been, "Nothing." Sometimes, facial expressions indicate confusion...
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I Don’t Want To…
From Women Who Love Too Much“Whether the alcoholic has been a parent, spouse, child, or friend, their relationship usually causes certain feelings and behavior to develop in the co-alcoholic: low...
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Prisoner of the Mind
By Cletus RiveraThe places we find ourselves imprisoned extend far beyond an actual prison. People all around the globe can be in a toxic relationship, an environment they have no choice to be raised...
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Waking Up on the Wrong Side of the Bed in the ADX Control Unit
By Edgar “G.Bam Shango” Pitts I wake up every morning in an ADX cell on a one-sided bed. As I lay in the bed before I reluctantly get up to prepare myself for the day, my mind is bombarded with all the...
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Carving Out Real Change Head-On
By Jose A. De Anda“Where it is not necessary to change, it is necessary not to change.” – Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount FalklandAnybody who is content with who he or she is and the direction their life is...
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Costume Party
By Kyla ZiegenhagenThe following, a recap of a celebration a woman's prison in Virginia and the repercussions that followed, is an excerpt from a personal communication shared with the permission of...
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The Webs That Bind Us
We are excited to announce that Minutes Before Six is about to undergo a web redesign and this will be the last post for a couple of weeks until the news web site is ready. We thank you for your...
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Months Before Six - Part Five
To read Part Four click hereJohn Gardner: January 15th, 2020“What?” asked a bewildered sounding Tracy Beatty when he heard that John Gardner, known to friends as "Steve," was scheduled to be executed...
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A Riot in the Time of the Coronavirus
By Steve BartholomewWhen we first began hearing reports on the news about the coronavirus, no one in here took it seriously. I certainly did not. Why would I? SARS, MERS, H1N1, all these have...
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Staying Sane: How to Stave Off Incarceration's Concomitant Madness
By Tomas Keen1. Wake up at six thirty to the steady metallic beep of your sports watch. Seriously; wake up. Do not simply reset the reminder for another half hour or, even more enticing, shut it off...
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Knowing Bill
By Erin GeorgeI used to think that I knew my father pretty well. After all, we lived together for over two decades, and had seen each other at our best, and our worst. In many ways, I used to consider...
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