Brian, 56

I was 25 with autism when I came to prison. I am a very slow learner, always have been. It took me 31 years to understand that I will spend the rest of my life behind bars. Then someone told me laws are changing every day. All I would think about was my family. You might think that was the end for me and my family, but it was not. My sister wrote me a letter and reassured me she would be there for me until I got out of prison. I started to educate myself and that is when I got into graphic arts. I got so good with the printing process I started showing others how it works. For the first time in my life I made a difference. I started believing in myself and my family was so proud of my progress and accomplishments. I started building trust with the officers and my peers. They had much respect for me. My journey gave me incredible strength, resilience and the ability to grow despite unimaginable hardships. My commitment to stay drug free and a hope for a better future. My incarceration and rehabilitation lead me to organizations in the outside world.  I would like to let the citizens know that, Humans of San Quentin is changing the world for incarcerated people. I have much respect for what Diane and her team have done in the amount of time their organization has been impactful for humanity. Diane, your organization has changed my life. My identity as a person was a reflection of my past self,  but when I started having conversations with Humans of San Quentin. I felt inspired. So I shared my life story. Now look at me. I experienced myself feeling love for others, so please don’t stop helping others, you are very good at connecting with people. Everyone of you gets me through each day. You have made a very big impact in my life. I no longer feel incarcerated. Thank you for that, Diane. I am learning so much about myself. Never let me forget my voice matters! I do still have hope for humanity! I am not a bad person. My heart is very strong so that means I am able to hinder people’s bad decisions and I try to help them as best as I can.