Prison During COVID: Part Four
When the COVID scare finally faded, doors were unlocked and things inside prison slowly shifted back to normal: counts eased up, movement opened back up, work details kicked back in. On the surface it looked better, but underneath it got worse.
Inmates started working outside the fence again, cracking the door wide open for the corruption to spread. Tobacco, drugs… everything slipped through easier. Everybody knew it. Guards knew it. It felt like once COVID ended; nobody even pretended to care anymore.
My tobacco business exploded. I was Bigzz and that name carried weight. I kept the commissary stacked. I stayed at the card tables. Money moved constantly. Favors stacked up. Prison stayed prison, but because of my reputation, I knew how to move. I knew who to deal with and who to avoid.
That does not mean it was good. It stayed dirty and loud. It stayed packed with anger, boredom, and people slowly losing their grip. Just because you survive in prison does not mean it is not draining you every single day. It digs into your head whether you fight it or not.
I watched guys settle into it. That is the scary part. Prison starts feeling normal if you let it. That is how it traps you. Not just with walls and gates, but with your thinking.
Then, my parole finally came through. Walking out did not feel like a movie scene. It felt quiet. Real quiet. I stepped out glad to leave, but prison does not just release you. It follows you. It lingers in your mind.
Prison is a brutal place to exist: even when you have a rep, even when people know your name, even when you are making money. It is a dark place that works on your mind every day.
That is the truth.
People do not see what really goes on in prison. A lot of people on the outside think it’s just fights and lockdowns and drama. They do not see how it rewires your mind. They do not see how easy it is to adjust to something you should never accept.
When I got out, I made a real change. I am now attending DMACC with a 4.0 GPA. I show up every day and put the work in. I do it because I want to help people stay on the right path. I want to prove that your past does not have to control your future. My whole life has changed. I owe it all to God and DMACC for giving me the chance and the direction I needed.
My message stands clear. Do not drift through life without education. The streets do not build you; they trap you. Stay in school. Learn something real. Build something solid. Because once your freedom gets taken, you understand fast that nothing out there was worth that cage.
Being free is the greatest thing in the world. Waking up when you want. Walking outside when you want. Seeing your people without a count, without a schedule, without someone watching your every move. Freedom hits differently when you almost lose it.
I survived it, but I would never wish it on anyone.
If you are reading this, choose better than I did. Do not let prison write your story.
Freedom is everything.