I’ve heard many guys over the years say that prison is not about rehabilitation, it’s all punishment. Now that I’m less than eight months to the gate, I’m not finding that at all. There are plenty of people willing to help, plenty of classes that teach life skills, all sorts of help for rehabilitation. More than that, though, is that each one of us has the responsibility to work this stuff out for ourselves. Even if the prison doesn’t offer any classes, there are many things you can do. You have a whole library full of books and resources. And you have your mind, to learn and study and educate yourself, to give yourself the tools you need to succeed. Saying that prison is “all about punishment, with no rehabilitation” is like saying, “Life is just unfair to me.” Bullshit. You can make your sentence ALL about rehabilitation. That’s the choice of each and every one of us in here.

Dan Turner
DOC# 767569