This was such an uplifting read, in many ways and such an infuriating read in others. Our justice system…Hell, our ENTIRE system is so broken I have trouble imagining any meaningful reform. But then, there’s you, proving me wrong. You used the walls holding you prisoner as a vehicle for personal growth, with your incredible artistic talents as well as the development of your personal ideals. It was a choice you didn’t have to make, and the world would have been a darker place without those things. The best man I know spent many years in prison for committing a crime most pay far less for; he was an alcoholic and was involved in an accident. No one was seriously injured ( thank God) but the car he hit belonged to and was occupied by a police officer’s parents. He stopped drinking that day and he spent his time inside bettering himself because the alternative was to stay on the path he’d been on. He would have been dead within the year. I respect him immensely; I feel that same respect for you.