It’s going to come too late to benefit you Russel Omar-Shareef but there is a slow change coming, drug courts that include counseling, rehabilitation, and social services are replacing the old system of “lock them all up”. It is stories like yours that have, and will continue to inspire people to push these changes forward, to understand that there are mental health issues behind the scenes. What you experienced as a child, and as a youth played a role in how you slid into a life below what should have been. You deserved better as a child, and you were owed more as an adult.

Your talent is amazing, both with drawing and with writing. You’ve overcome a life you should have never been dealt, which in itself is an amazing feat. My hats off to you.