I would like to start by introducing myself. My name is Shane Roy Hillman. I am 21 years of age. I have been an inmate at the Calgary Remand Centre since the beginning of April 2003. My experience as an inmate has been a process of learning and making choices. As an inmate, I enjoy observing and listening to everything that goes on in prison and thus have a good knowledge of my surroundings. In my opinion, most inmates become useless to themselves and choose not to try and better their lives. They just wait out the time they have in prison doing nothing and for the most part accomplishing nothing. Prior to my being arrested, I was on a road to nowhere. I was heavily into drugs and alcohol–so heavily that I turned to crime in order to pay for my partying habits. So when I came to jail, I was actually pleased to return to a place where I could become myself again, re-establish my direction in life, and regain control over my mind, body and soul.
A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric