Survival of the fittest

Crump, Chernikko L.

Original

Transcript

Survival of the Fittest by Chernikko Crump One, survive to remain alive or existent, outlive, outlast-survival Two, fit, adapted to a purpose, appropriate, proper, right, prepared, ready, physically and mentally sound, fittest. The will or want to survive and properly fit mentally, physically, socially and spiritually, is what one must be once he or she takes that first step inside as well as outside of any type of correctional institution. A plan of action is a must and you must act upon this plan with unwavering determination. There will be a strong need as well as a constant continuous struggle for educational, economical, political and social development. This will be very crucial to helping one be successful inside as well as upon his or her release. If you feel as though you didn’t get a fair shake by the system you can't let this way of thinking control your actions. There are proper procedures that you must follow on any issues that you have with the court proceedings or any disciplinary actions taken against you. Unacceptable behavior won't get you anywhere but put on lockdown and might even make your living situation worse inside of the system. For one you will be interfering with the operation of an institution and when the officials reassert their authority they could use mass punishment in order to ensure that they have regained full control. Once this does happen now you interfere with the other inmates program this is where things could really turn deadly for you because you have a bunch of people that have limited rights and freedoms and any little bit of freedoms that they do have they cherish. I myself have witnessed a lot of guys here find out very quickly that no one is bigger than this program. Why? Because it's not about I it’s about us inside of these walls. There are prison politics here and that is a major part of this systematic structure of things here as for each race to govern its own people to keep conflict down etc. It is true that being in a bad environment can influence a person to do. As they say birds of a feather flock together. Reason for this type of behavior is because as humans we are social creatures and creatures of habit. This is why it is very important for a person to be in full control of his or her own actions. I myself have been in a bad environment before and at once upon a time responded pretty well despite what surrounded me because I was focused, determined, knew what I wanted and I didn’t let anything stand in the way of me achieving my goals whether they were short term etc. But I failed to capitalize once I reached my goals and that is what I really needed to take my game to the next level. I began to struggle because I got way too comfortable and fell back into negative lifestyles and unhealthy ways of thinking. During this sort of reconstructive period in your life you must remain hungry and humble this is very crucial to survival inside and outside of the system. To me the best piece of information you can give a person is the kind that will keep him or her out of the system. Don’t try to fit in or ever think that it is cute or makes you a tough guy to come to a place like this. The stories you hear about jail, prison etc are real. This is me telling you from first hand experience. Right here right now I am sitting here in 7 building A-pod cell 3 max custody inside Santa Rita Alameda County Dublin California writing this to educate you and try to steer you away from a place like this. This is one of the largest maximum security jails in America and everyday life here is dangerous for both us the inmates and the staff here as well. This is a place designed to put away people who commit crimes so if you are ever in place like this just remember this always beware of your surroundings and always remember that if a person is here for some of the crimes that people here are incarcerated for then that should tell you that they probably wouldn’t mind doing wrong by you as well. This however does not mean that people here should be treated inhumane because we still have certain rights as a human being though we are incarcerated. The best thing that a jail or person could offer anyone is job security. The United States locks up more of its citizens than any other nation on this earth and the continuous building of prisons is a way to cash in on the cash crop inmates. More money is being spent on building prisons than on the rehabilitation of the people of the United States. An individuals mindset must entail him or her wanting to change from the beginning of the incarceration period so this sort of behavioral pattern sort of grows on him or her as change doesn’t come over night but takes time. When I first started doing time while incarcerated i would still run with the same crowds that I was before and continued the same behavioral patterns as I did before and once I was released I thought that just by suffering the punishment of being put away from everyone and everything this alone would change me but it didn’t one must put forth effort and want to change. Change has to take place from within. Verily, verily I say unto the man will not see the kingdom of God until he has been born again and where is the kingdom located? It is located within each and every one of us our hearts. The true seat of the heart is inside of the intellect. Violence doesn’t solve anything. We must change our thinking whether we are the ones doing the locking up or the ones being locked up. Until this takes place and both sides meet on common grounds there will be no change. The system is not designed to be beaten or broken. Once we understand this then we can start to address ourselves as well as the system and push and strive for change, we the people united turning towards our goals and striving towards all that is good embracing one another in all righteous endeavors. One of the most crucial things that you must remember while inside of a institution is that each and every person despite being locked up and not limited to those that work inside of places like these are fighting their own battles whether those battles be mental, physical, social or even spiritual as well as dealing with the stress of everyday life, knowing this one should proceed with caution when dealing with others inside of situations like these. Any little thing can and will be used against you. A lot of correctional institutions will use mass punishment as a way to get their point across but in reality this not only puts the livelihood of certain individuals at risk but people that work here as well as punishment causes division and more conflict. That is why I know my actions could very well indeed directly affect someone else’s program and inturn create a hostile environment not only for myself but others as well. So while you are incarcerated think before you act this is also very crucial to surviving inside as well as outside of the system. Really good ways to ensure that you are intune physically and mentally prepared for this journey if faced with a situation of this type is to make sure to shape up not only your mental but your physical and spiritual as well. Once you have these in tune they all can then become one organized well balanced unit. While I am here I have adopted a workout system as a way to relieve stress and I have a workout group I do that with. This is a positive way to channel out any negative energy while you are shaping up your physical body. We not only work on doing things correctly but our consistency is a must. Anything you do in life in order to achieve the greatest results and get the most out of that situation you must be able to milk the situation for all that it is worth and take any and everything that is of value from that situation. Not being consistent is not only a waste of time but a waste of effort as well. Patience is a virtue. As you know being locked up is hurry up and wait while going through this process you will want to sometimes be patient especially when going through court procedures as well as during your stint. Learning to have a sense of direction while you are incarcerated is very valuable inside as well as outside of the system. During each of my stints in and out of the system I never really had a true sense of direction so I would always sort of freestyle my way through life. This sort of mind frame did open me up to newer opportunities but I would hinder myself in other ways as well. When I found myself in a situation and actually needed a back up plan I didn’t have a plan b. That really left me feeling lost in a sense and once I was lost I found myself inside of some really dark places. I will tell anyone it is easy to find yourself inside of these situations but it is very hard to make it out and to be honest very few people actually really and truly find themselves once they lose themselves to these sorts of behavioral patterns and the system as well. Learning to program yourself inside of the institution not only helps you inside with day to day life inside but it can prepare you for everyday outside as well. It helps me to deal with stress, avoid conflicts and gives me a sense of purpose as well. The key is to train your mind and body to be prepared for once you are released back into society as well as your stay inside of the institution. This whole entire universe itself is one really system itself. Everything is systematic and governed by the laws of physics. Once I figured this out and really began to apply these same concepts to my way of thinking then I began to see the true reality of things and understand why they are a certain way. I began to realize that ultimately I am in control of my own reality. The best piece of advice that anyone can give you is before you do whatever it is that you do know that behind every action there will be a consequence whether it is good or bad. Weigh out your options because once you find yourself in places like these everything is on someone else’s time. I lost lots of support systems and burned down many bridges going through this process and once those people walked out of my life in the end it was me that was still behind these walls. You have to be prepared mentally and emotionally to endure everything that comes along with being incarcerated. I use to expect people to be by my side and I would get mad when things started to go downhill, but as I slowly began and continue to mature I started to realize that no one has to put their lives on hold because of my bad choices and decisions. I think that the system lacks the funds to operate and offer the proper education that will help reduce the overwhelming recidivism rates especially within the minority communities. I think there should be a program in place here at the facility for people who are released especially for those dealing with drug abuse problems etc. The county of Alameda California signed a deal in which they would pay a one time 340 million dollar deal to put towards programs. I do think that this was a wonderful beginning and effort on their behalf but the city of Oakland CA whose population is the minority community funding for education in a city with such a high crime rate is very crucial. I think that the city of Oakland CA and the county of Alameda lacks the level of assistance from the state of California as well as the Federal government that is duly required. This therefore is that systematic attack of the government that is opposed upon this community From Me To You Chermikko L. Crump Thanks Have a blessed Day

Author: Crump, Chernikko L.

Author Location: California

Date: August 9, 2019

Genre: Essay

Extent: 8 pages

If this is your essay and you would like it removed from or changed on this site, refer to our Takedown and Changes policy.