Beyond The Bars is a series of stories, as told by a former inmate, highlighting one of failures of mass incarceration - prison gangs.  Stories he wasn't able to share - until now - an eye opening, riveting peek behind the razor wire.  Part 1 is now available.

Overcrowding, inadequate management of prisons, and lack of resources (nationwide) creates an environment where the "convict code" (informal rules for survival) is insufficient for safety. Where lack of effective rehabilitation, social isolation, and influence can take hold of people entering the prison system causing them to focus on in-prison survival rather than self-improvement. When people are thrown away to fend for themselves, without institutional support, they're forced to find ways to survive, and unfortunately gangs are there to fill that void. This series is about navigating and avoiding prison gang culture, and survival. 

You can read more about Bobby and prison reform on our website:   notesfromthepen.com  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@notesfromthepen9604

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJYuOh4pKxa/?igshid=y8lo9kbdifvq   

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bobbyb.l.a.c.k1

X: https://twitter.com/NotesFromThePen

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/notesfromthepen.bsky.social

Intro and Outro music created just for Notes From The Pen by PJ Trofibio and Jeff Quintero and used with permission.