It’s no secret that convicts are a common presence in the mental health system. For someone like me, they can often be triggers—bullying, demanding respect, and, at times, just plain up to no good. But not all convicts are the same, and my own experience led to an unexpected revelation.
During a recent session, my caseworker looked at me and asked, “Are you a convict?” Knowing my past and the road I’ve traveled, I turned to her and said, “No, I’m a recovering convict.”
She looked puzzled. “What’s a recovering convict?”
I explained that a recovering convict is someone who has dropped the destructive codes of racism and violence, someone who has learned the most valuable lesson from jail: the importance of not going back. It’s someone who now behaves like they’ve never been locked up at all.
Being a recovering convict is about more than just staying out of prison. It’s about changing how you live and think—choosing peace over conflict, respect over intimidation, and growth over stagnation. It’s not easy to shake off years of being conditioned by an environment that glorified strength and survival above all, but it’s possible.
Maybe you can skip a shower for a day and still be fine with yourself. Maybe you spill food on your shirt, and instead of feeling small, you laugh it off. You start to admire those who took the higher road, like getting an education, and you walk away from fights instead of running towards them. You treat the smaller, weaker man with kindness rather than cruelty, and, in doing so, you discover something surprising: respect is earned.
Recovering from a convict mentality isn’t just about leaving the bars behind. It’s about freeing your mind from old chains and learning to live a life of dignity. And that’s a journey I’m proud to continue, one day at a time.
by Dan and Bonkers
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