Why people end up in prison

JP
100 Naked Words
Published in
2 min readJul 29, 2017
courtesy of pixabay.com

I have been contemplating volunteering for an organization that works with prisoners, especially juvenile detention centers.
I wanted to see if I could reach out to them, If I had a voice that could resonate with them and inspire them for change.

First, I started asking myself why do they end up in detention?
There are diverse reasons. Drugs, robbery, arson, theft, etc.
We can say that it’s because of what they did. And that would be true. Well, partially true.
See, I have realized that what gets them in detention is not what they do but who they become.
It’s the person they were becoming by the choices they were making each and every day.
They neglected to see that person rise up, slowly take control, day after day, acquiring few more inches of their being, until they were completely swallowed up. It’s the person they become that makes them do the things that eventually get them arrested.

Who you become is much more determinant than what you do. People focus on changing what they do, instead of focusing on who they should become.

I am writing a book entitled “inspired to become” . I address this very thought that has inspired and changed me for the past 8 months.
I went from asking myself “what must I do to be successful” to “who must I become to be successful”.
That little switch has and keeps achieving wonders.

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JP
100 Naked Words

JP (Jean Pouabou). Writting my first book | Aspiring to inspire people to pursue their purpose.