When I first stepped into the county jail, I knew his pain, so I share his message on behalf of all the unknown people behind the inmate statistics data.
No one will convince me that the goings-on in our childhood didn't impact my brother's life in such a way that will forever be difficult to come back from.
Part of surviving a short, unfortunate stint in county jail -- something unimagined in my safe, suburban middle class life -- came down to finding a safe path, a negotiated space of compromise.