Conversation with a Prisoner

"I heard you telling the fellows how the new or young prisoners usually come in here and act kinda crazy then later they settle down," he said. "Is like you were talking about me. My first two years in prison I was angry, get into trouble and was all over the place. Then one of the older brothers here started talking to me, and helped me start researching my case. He took me to the Library, and you know what?" He looked at me with a triumpant air. "I give back 30 years off my sentence. Now I spend a lot of time in the library. I am seeking further sentence reduction."

"Congratualtions," I said. " Try using some of the library resources to prepare yourself for going back into society. If you are not prepared, and cannot find a job you know what they say about recidivism."

"This is a nice library." he said. "Use it wisely. " I replied.