For the past 26 years, I've watched this same so-called Independence Day celebration from afar, staring out a barred window and wishing I was free. But my days go by with no hint of freedom... surrounded by metal fences topped with razor wire and armed guards surveilling the perimeter of the ground I've learned to call home.
Family and friends have been blown away by the winds of time. Some used to visit, but that stopped seven years ago. Prison visits are oppressive and uncomfortable for the prisoners and those who come to see them... prison guards make sure the visiting rules are followed "to promote safety under penological interests," they say.
This is what prison does. It diminishes family ties. It engenders an emotional gulf between you and your loved ones.
This breakage of the family nucleus may be the most punitive aspect of prison life.
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