FLCI
PO Box 200
Fox Lake, WI 53933
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POETIC POETRY
"Thoughts That Give me Pause"
Dear Friend,
This week has come and gone with the moments and thoughts that give me pause.
I walked the walkways & hallways of this facility with my head high with the constant
presence of survival.
I am reminded momentarily of what I am to gain as a reliable man;
Indeed for myself to attain, I must not dwell on my calamity.
Continuously I strive to open myself to a concept of love as a human being, a person
- to fulfill, and without pause, love unconditionally and emotionally.
If there has not come a time of this, how do I love completely?
If I haven't allowed myself to focus on a profound expression of tenderness, how do
I express it to you?
If you've never gotten the motivation you need as humans and individuals of your
own views, indeed how do we console our loved ones?
I have had the chance to notice a change in myself.
This week I've accepted sacrifice, had the moment to endure pain, grasp enjoyment;
and after my trails and tribulations, I've found peace.
Today I know what it is to actually mentally
be able to offer love.
This cycle is what life continuously offers.
And you have offered and shared aspects of this cycle with me.
I would like to note: I have raised an emotional vibe within for you.
And in respect, with these, I hope you feel the truth of my words.
Consolingly, Mr. Burrows
Embraced by Words
My name is Herbert Matthew Burrows
I am a man of moderation and fortitude. I walk forth each day with respect/ honesty, and loyalty. I strongly believe these elements contain a cause to an in depth friendship.
I'm attracted to a woman of self-awareness and courage, an optimistic woman with a great personality and a wonderful sense of humor, a woman who is comfortable with herself as a person.
1 carry myself in a moderate tone, with morals, values, and the ability to make just decisions in the light that may impact towards a productive outlook for a collective future.
We learn the values of a thing when we have lost it. Honestly, I've never possessed such an inspired vision until this point in my life. What I do possess is the desire for happiness which is the incentive that moves us in all our undertakings.
An Essay: Ghetto Hero
Forward
I want to acknowledge the fact that this message is solely intended to recognize some of the struggles our communities face, further give a sense of purpose for the youth , those children who have not yet grown into their position in life, Provide hope for one’ circumstances regardless of the situation, and encourage through means of proper education and guidance.
The content of this article is merely intended to bring this struggle to light.
Ghetto Hero
Every Ghetto across America has a hero: one improvised community sees as the heart of unity, the nexus of balance, within a common struggle.
A struggle, one that has yet found peace: A lost soul- a child- one that is unconscious of the life he or she will live. Reflecting personality traits yet to be educated on. The blind leading the blind.
But before I drift further into the midst of events, let me express the very existing dimension that sprung forth such an elaborate cause contrary allow me to burden the lack of fortitude, vision and insight for this all too evident birth in America.
A ghetto is a poor community with no fair chance of acceptance. It lacks resources, appropriate government funding, housing, and is the downside of a local state economy. Within these communities there is an urgent voice for support, a cry out for a productive movement to uplift our youth and set a course of action to bridge together the pillars of our redemption as a dysfunctional people.
Poverty is complex struggle to tackle, considering the dynamics of what a welfare system is: To simply provide the minimum income needed to survive in a community structured for the disadvantaged, dysfunctional non working class.
Please note: this is my personal observation of these circumstances. These leading non working individuals represent the uneducated population and single mothers that are often young children themselves.
• And these fathers represent the youth as well. For the young adult male who once had his opportunity through means of a scholarship that supported his well developed athletic abilities. All this came to a halt when his mother used the government funding provided to maintain livelihood and schooling to support a substance abuse habit.
• For the fathers who labored hard to provide security and a steady income on minimum wage and resorted to criminal conduct to make means with overdue bills.
• And yet the girlfriend who was his only hope of a more productive cause stated, “ I’m pregnant with your child.”
These barriers suffocate the youth in Wisconsin communities. It Is safe to sate that the majority of prison facilities in the state of Wisconsin house more males and females that come from these dysfunctional areas. These areas seem to be segregated to those families that receive government assistance., which are written off as a liability on the eyes of a more nurturing society.
IN time itself as the youth age, they too can only see adversity in the unfolding events taking form in their communities. Reflecting a cycle that all have lived and experience all too well. Without proper guidance these teens often develop self –destructive concepts of what success is. These teens , male and female alike, result in anti social behaviors creating situational dispositions that leads to dis-advantage in the work force and academic institutions, leaving one without purpose and carrying the ills of crime. Prostitution, armed robbery and deliverance of drug substances, all provide an income to reach a status of comfort.
Yet , this comfort level is a misconception of living and there is turmoil that clings to one’s soul , resulting to even deeper aspects these communities face-such as high risk of violence and substance abuse.
But the exception to this struggle is the ghetto hero, that all longing voice, the presence that is felt out of a common pain,love, and story. This seed has grown and faced adversity in it’s complete essence. This one of whom I speak is transcending in all forms of human development. Fortunate enough to endure the struggle by means of suppressing and modifying these stressors. This person is me and I am this because I lacked the means and understanding long before conceived to an unjust society.
I have lived and continue to experience the very existing factor. I am able , due to the accumulation of knowledge and understanding, to speak for us as a whole.
A hero stands in the light to offer hope for the people> without the strife and tears there is no story for the hero to live. I am a ghetto hero and all who reflect a struggle can very well become a hero as well…
Works form a friend to the people: “ As long as you remember that you hold the key to your success, your heart and your sanity, no one can really lock you up-they can only lock you out!”
Written by Herbert Burrows
In loving memory of two great men and mentors.
Ladatrian Haskins, 1977-1999
Allen Clark, 1982-2009
Recidivism
A combination of Components
In Reducing Increase
By Herbert M. Burrows
Introduction:
"Individual rates of re-offending after incarceration are high. Based on available re¬search, nearly two-thirds of all released prisoners are expected to be rearrested within three years. The impact of recidivism by returning prisoners is disproportionately felt among a relatively small number of disadvantaged communities." June 2001, From Prison to Home, the Dimensions and Consequences of Prisoner Reentry, by Jeremy Travis, Amy L. Solomon, and Michelle Waul.
Allow me this opportunity to travel through a combination of cycles that, at best, provide the insight to grasp the cause for reducing recidivism.
As an individual, it's an obligation to find some means of importance in society. Relevance is a significant feature to one's cause and place in life. A man needs relevance to establish a balanced focal point in his daily routine to outweigh the imperfection of man - the age-old concept of the ruling man; if one isn't in power or in control of his overall life - like education, career, home status, emotions, etc. - he is deemed less than what his birthright implies. And I must inform you that this is not true.
Equally important, education promotes a productive livelihood and creates a structured foundation for a career setting. Therefore, purpose and meaning are huge elements to the development process in attaining goals.
Nevertheless, as men we must encourage other areas of concentration, in particular faith groups and genuine relationships without pretense between the human specimens of men and women.
When friendship arises, one establishes trust, loyalty, and respect to an appropriate degree; in-turn, this creates traits for respectable social interpersonal skills. For men, one develops the quality of the kindred spirit; in this essence, a man reveals his true form, share's himself and his soul. At this form a man contains the spirit and is able to become a supporter of another human being. Not such in spiritual guidance, specifically motivation and encouragement.
Within the bounds of cause and effect, the individual as man the foreseer and motivator gives birth to an environment of harmony between the relationships. And harmony is attainable in a community.
Furthermore, it's essential that one must find common ground with self and cooper¬ate with probation official and parole agent, such as being willing to seek appropriate job placement; therefore, to establish a steady income and create a cause to make use of daily living.
In addition, it's important to detour away from any habits of substance abuse or any environments that promote drug use. I believe substance abuse is one of the leading causes to recidivism, if not the leading cause. It can be considered a key component in why a parolee absconds from custody. For example: upon consumption of alcohol or an¬other narcotic, the parolee is subjected to a dirty urinalysis. Therefore, the parolee fails to report not only to the agent, but also the work site. And so, out of fear of being arrested for the warrant issued by the agent, the parolee terminates the conditions of work placement. As a result, the subject is without a source of steady, legitimate income and is wanted by law enforcement for absconding. This leads the subject back to the familiar cycle of crime to attain a means of income to support the habit of drugs and day to day survival, which lies in the conduct of crime.
My belief is that the majority of returning inmates who find their way back to the chains of incarceration are due to relations of drug use. On (the) condition (that) a lack in productive decision-making while intoxicated, an individual is more likely to detour in criminal conduct, in the case of armed-robbery, burglary, etc. Henceforth, in the long run one falls back into the mind frame of criminality.
All things considered, you should always comply with the conditions of your medication use if need be, your judgment of conviction, and parole agent plan. Whereas, to abstain from drugs, weapons, etc. into the community which this may be.
In essence, my message is to advise that the individual abstain from the use of a con¬trolled substance or any conduct that lies in criminal activity. Together with, promote a healthy relationship with the probation official or parole agent; additionally, encourage the importance of education. Keep in mind you can never exhaust your growth of development.
Continue at all costs to pursue understanding in life. Moreover, establish means of some form of a family outreach support system such as friend/friends or kinship for reasons of mental and emotional understanding through quality time; more so, to experience the incentive of being loved and cared for. In large part, these are significant components in the social balance of segments in society.
Remember believe in yourself as a man... .... Take care!
*For more recent statistics, the Urban Institute has developed a major research project entitled, "Returning Home: Understanding the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry." This study was carried out in eleven identified states from 2002 to 2005. For this study and any recent monographs, papers, or essays about recidivism, go to http:// www.urban.org or contact by mail order: The Urban Institute 2100 M street. NW. Washington, DC 20037
POETIC POETRY
If
By Rudyard Kipling
1895
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, bro¬ken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose,
and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you. but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!
Mr. Kipling values calmheadedness, honesty, humility, a realistic nature, determination, and a sense of purpose. With these words, I close for now... Research is the key to understanding the knowledge.
Submitted By Herbert Burrows
My Tender Experience
Herbert Burrows
Is defined as an expression at best;
This tranquility, the sensation of affection,
is magnified by the bounds of her existence.
Ripened by the core of effort and strengthened by the touch of kindness.
She is my science; for I'm her chemistry,
Together we've given birth to humanity.
Note: Prisoners do not have email or internet access.
SO:
Send your letter to the address listed at top of post.
OR
If you would like us to send your first letter, send your letter to FFUP at swansol@mwt.net. Make sure you give us your “snail mail “ address so the prisoner can write you back .
OR
You are always welcome to use our address as your forwarding address. Just make sure you give us your real address so we can send the prisoner’s reply to you. Our PO BOX :
FFUP
C/o 29631 Wild Rose Drive
Blue River, Wi 53518
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