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The original jail journal

While I was incarcerated, a good friend volunteered to keep everyone updated with a blog we set up. I wrote letters and sent them to him, and he transcribed them (as best he could) and posted them for everyone to see. When I was transferred to the Transitional Center, I decided to have the blog taken down. At that time, I was up for a job position in the Governor's Office (while incarcerated) and didn't want a silly detailed account of my incarceration to ruin my chances for a good ending to my incarceration. From then on, the letters I sent home were transcribed and sent out to a mass email list. Over time, I have also mixed in journal entries that were in a private forum. I am working on getting the entire collection of items here. Again, I have removed most of the details and changed names regarding the details of my charges and that backstory to avoid libel and slander or any other issues that could arise.

What you'll find here is very choppy at times with so many missing details. That's because I had limited access to materials and time to write out my journal entries with any regularity. The journal entries are in chronological order, and are separated by the location in which I was serving my time. I would like to fill in the gaps as time allows and make it as complete as possible.

LANGUAGE & CONTENT WARNING: Please don't say I didn't warn you. This is 100%, authentically my journal entries, some of them even private at the time. There is profanity, uncomfortable themes and experiences, and plenty of raw emotion in these pages. People that know me in 2018 probably don't know this side of me. I am much more polite and appropriate inside of a quilt shop than I ever was in prison!

BEFORE INCARCERATION

This period of time covers anything before March 2005, mostly the final days leading up to my incarceration. So many details needed to be dealt with, including quitting my job, figuring out financial affairs, having Kelly take over my apartment, my cats... everything one can do to put life on hold for an unknown period of time. What you'll find here is that we bought into all the claims that I would never serve more than a short time...

This period of time covers the day I turned myself in at Rice Street Jail (March 2005) in Atlanta to start serving my time, all the way through May 2005 when I was transferred into the actual prison system. If I had to pick the most horrific experience of my entire incarceration, Rice Street Jail is it.

RICE STREET JAIL

DIAGNOSTICS

This period of time covers May 2005 to July 2005, when I went through Diagnostics at Metro State Prison in Atlanta. Diagnostics is basically preparation for service time in state prison. It includes all medical exams, mental health exams, classification to determine security status, what you will do with your time while incarcerated, etc. Is is very paramilitary-style.

This period of time covers July 2005 through December 2005, when I was at Lee Arrendale State Prison. Still a tough time, but possibly the "easiest", most comfortable portion of my incarceration. It was here that a very unexpected dream came true, and made me realize everything happens for a reason.

LEE ARRENDALE

METRO TRANSITIONAL CENTER

I was transferred to Metro Transitional Center in Atlanta in December 2005, and this is where I would serve the remainder of my sentence. The transitional center was a work release program. While upset that I had to leave behind such important things at Alto, I had no idea something even bigger was in store for me here. I also earned the chance to go home on weekends through the end of my sentence.

I was released from The State's care on August 31, 2006 after having served every single day of my sentence. I thought I was out of the woods, but no one escapes the mental, emotional, and physical trauma of time served in prison. I would say the year after prison was much harder than actually being in prison.

LIFE AFTER PRISON

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR EACH JOURNAL

CHARACTER

PROFILES

For lack of a better term (so far), Character Profiles is where I will start building the stories, backgrounds, and specific memories surrounding the people that came into my life during my incarceration.

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