Erik, 26

With five strikes now, I cannot stumble. I must grow up.

11 years and 4 strikes was the deal I took in 2021, and it forced me to think hard about which path I would take in this “Game of Life.” Would I keep going down a road of destruction and chaos, filled with greed, separation, and selfish tendencies? Or would I choose a new path, one that would lead me through my deepest depression and a battle against everything I had ever known?

Choosing the second path was the hardest thing I have ever done. I gave up all I knew for a chance at a new beginning. Depression took over, and my first thoughts of suicide were scary. “I would be better off if I just jumped off the top tier.” I struggled with fights, write-ups, and the pull back to my past life, while also searching for my true identity. As the years passed, I learned through setbacks. I discovered how resilient we can be with the odds stacked against us. I earned my GED. I trained in construction. I taught myself to draw realism, lettering, and portraits. My mind opened while attending a year-long substance abuse program.

I came to understand that you don’t always need anybody, yet family can still rescue you with comfort even if you were absent in the past. I was raised in the system: juvenile hall from 15 to 17, prison at 18 and 19, jail for six months, and back to prison at 20. I really had no life outside these walls. All I knew was partying and running the streets.

Prison bars made a man out of me. With five strikes now, I cannot stumble. I must grow up. I must be a positive and productive member of society. I plan on removing all noticeable tattoos before release and making my way to fire camp. I have been clean of drinking and drugs for almost seven months and almost two years clean of write-ups. Today I focus strictly on positivity and planning a life of success with my head held high. I will be better. I will give up the nicknames given to me as a kid. I will retire my CDC #BD3522 and I will be known as Erik.