Going Home

It's funny--sometimes it feels I'm never going to get to go home because they keep on telling me a date and when that date comes I don't find myself getting prepared to go home but I find myself looking at the same four walls that I've been staring at the past eight months.

How to Learn Worse Stuff

I don't understand whey "they" can just hand out time for the stupidest stuff. By "they", I mean the judges, prosecutors, and P.O.s. whey they should just be like, "OK, so he smokes, he doesn't need 30 days wasted off his life for that." So what if I smoke a jay, nobody died today, nobody got robbed, stabbed, raped. So what give them the right to send you to group homes and detention centers where all the real criminals are. I mean since I've been on probation, I've met more robbers, drug dealers, and gang members that when I was walking the streets. It just doesn't make sense. Juvie is more like a school to learn how to do worse stuff than a place to make you change.

Two and a Half Months of My Life in JDC

Every day was the same day with the different moments of stress. I could have been making two hundred a week if I was around my sweet home, the two months took everything from me, such as family, money, education and loved ones. Every day felt like a year. I tried so hard to not put my hands on fellow inmates cause I understood it would have been much sever consequences for my unplanned actions. The only profit I gained was reading books, staying true to Allah, and also gaining weight, which I found out it was all muscle by the end of my time. The only thing I appreciated and will remember their words for the rest of my life would be my great teachers and also the great preaching of my staff. Their words changed a lot of my bad thoughts and actions. Thanks to my teachers and my few staff.

Leaving a Good Mark

Jan 29--A few days before I go downstate. But I'm writing to ya'll because I want to leave a good mark about me. I want ya'll to know just because ya'll are locked up, don't stop dreaming or wishing. Every day I think about how I done [messed] up my like because I wanted to rob someone. It's not worth spending your life in cages. That's what a cell is really. When I got locked up I lost everything but family.

Your Friends Are Your Consequences

Man, they pushed my court date back 21 days! I wanna go home because I miss my mother. She came by yesterday and we reminisced about the past. My good and bad times. My mother, along with Mr. Boone, were very right about who your friends are. My quote for today: "Your friends are your consequences."

Personal Reflection

I sure am tired of getting incarcerated. This is my last chance to do the right thing in the community. When I got to court on Feb. 4, the judge is either going to let me go home or put me in the New Beginnings program. I really don't want to go upstairs (New Beginnings). The judge has given me so many chances that I am starting to think that I can't stay out of trouble. I'm so tired of making my mother cry. Honestly, I don't think that she was a bad mother, but I'm starting to think I'm a bad son. I get a personal phone call today and I will finally get a chance to talk to my probation officer. I saw my social worker and she said that he told her I have a 50/50 chance of going home. I really hope I get to go home and show everyone especially my mom how good I can do. I don't know what to say to my probation officer because every time I get locked up I talk about how I'm going to turn over a new leaf and then a month later, here I am in Ms. Duckworth's class. I can't stand waiting even one more minute to talk to my probation officer to hear his recommendation for court. I really hope he will give me another chance at freedom. Plus, when I get out of JDC [Juvenile Detention Center] I don't even think I will be allowed to go back to my school and see all my friends. I have to go talk to Dr. Jointer (the superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools). I'm supposed to talk to him and Feb 9. I really want to go home. In September I will be on my way to Virginia Beach to get my G.E.D. My social worker said that as long as I don't have any outstanding felonies I will be accepted to the program. It's on a military base so I think I have to cut my hair. I really don't want to cut my hair.

A Day On Jan 21st

On Jan 21st, I was detained at the Northern VA Detention Home, until my next court date on Feb. 4, for sentence. My lawyer said I shouldn't do no longer than the first week of March and I really hope so because I really need to get home with my family so I can get a job and teach my little sister the right thing. I need to get my education and stay on track and learn to love myself. I miss my family. I want to do good for my family and do better for the one that looks up to me.