Although Darkness Awaits

BY: D.V. JOHNSON, II

Our vices feed on our flesh,
Feeling so deeply immersed.
Drowning, FIGHTING for one breath,
Our Dreams & Passions we thirst…

All bottled-up suppressed pain,
Cathartic rhythms seep through.
Toxic expectations wane,
Birthing out of these drab blues.

Although darkness awaits us,
Wasted “TIME” will be refrained.
Turning pain, into PURPOSE!
POTENTIAL is now, UNCHAINED.

***DVJ’s Author Note: This piece, “ALTHOUGH DARKNESS AWAITS…..” was inspired by a writing assignment given in Virginia Tech Center for Humanities UNCHAINED Program held at River North Correctional Center. If you are have not read James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues,” you should. It provides our families/support systems a refined perspective into potential struggle we may face when re-entering society after being incarcerated.
Whether we battle/battled with substance abuse, alcoholism, mental illness and/or any other issues, that Darkness will still await us if/when we rejoin society.
I wrote “ALTHOUGH DARKNESS AWAITS…..” to let you know that you are not alone… To try to positively influence at least one person to Believe in their Potential to succeed in making the best possible use of their “TIME” they are serving.
Let’s ensure we prepare ourselves for whatever darkness may await…

Humbly,
D.V. JOHNSON, II (#1937011)

What’s in the Box!?

A Perspective on Trauma CompartMENTALization v/s Processing While Incarcerated
BY: DOUGLAS V. JOHNSON, II (RNCC, #1937011)

We stare down into the seemingly bottomless & packed “box” suppressed with our demons/issues/insecurities/trauma. Not getting overwhelmed can be a tremendous task in itself… It can definitely lead to some significant procrastination… A fear of stirring up old pain can cause us to put it off until later as we find something sweet to keep us occupied/distracted.

Unpacking this box alone is not recommended because things usually get worse, before they get better… Unfortunately, in incarcerated settings, mental health resources/programs are severely limited/scarce. If we were in society we could get a dedicated counselor/therapist to help us unpack this box…

Prior to my incarceration, I ran from working on myself for so long, but now I only wish I had a professional to take me through the process of processing it all. I just poured Gin&Jen on the box and lit it on fire, only to wake up the next morning with it weighing heavily upon my chest… I stored that old beat-up&tattered box in the back of the garage. I got tired of seeing that worn-out taped-up box, so I put it in the Fu€#!ng basement, & then the attic.

But, sitting with me in solitary confinement, I was alone with the box for two consecutive years… Emotions intensified to the n’th degree. The first piece of advice I got from my Boss/Colleague/Mentor was: “A counselor just helps you understand yourself better and will give you tools to cope with your issues… So now, it will be on you to gain a greater sense of self-awareness which includes acknowledging your pain & demons… Begin to WRITE & Read, and Keep WRITING and Reading!”

Anyhow, the box gets lighter as we take our time to inventory its contents and acknowledge what’s in there… then, one by one we take it apart to process it, and then put each item on the damn shelf as if it were a trophy, somehow turning it into a Positive. Transforming the gruesome pain into Greater Purpose!!!… Then, we decide when to take the next item out of the box…

As I now confidently look my shelf of sculptures in the eye, I feel tremendous Clarity of my issues. I have now taken my POWER back from the box. As the box got lighter, I began to understand myself so much better… A fresh perspective and outlook on life.

Something else also happened… My inability to concentrate began to dissipate and my reading comprehension and memory began to improve. I then realized the impact that my unprocessed trauma had on me over the years.

In our incarcerated settings, the lack of mental health services can exacerbate our mental health issues. Many of us turn to self-medicating our issues which worsens our situations. If we really want to honestly address our problems, we HAVE TO take the initiative to educate ourselves, better understand ourselves/issues, utilize any & all available resources, and invest in & cultivate our support systems. We CANNOT stop at “well, there are no mental health services.” If we wait on DOC (regardless of the state) to provide more services without taking personal accountability & initiative, then we are wasting our ‘Time.’

With all of the reading/writing/self-reflection, my communications skills also significantly improved… All of these improvements have led to me making HEALTHIER life-altering decisions and helped ensure I was emotionally available for my family.

Addressing our suppressed mental health issues requires extremely hard work when we are out there in a free society even with an abundant amount of resources (therapists/counselors, support groups, variety of medication, treatment methods, etc.). While incarcerated, we have to work infinitely harder if we want to grow and build. One advantage that we do have on this side of the wall is, our ‘Time’ to get laser-focused on unpacking that box… Growth follows acknowledgement…

Humbly,
~D.V. JOHNSON, II

DOUGLAS V. JOHNSON, II (#1937011)
River North Correctional Center
329 Dellbrook Lane
Independence, VA 24348

Facebook: DOUG V. JOHNSON
Write-A-Prisoner: DOUGLAS JOHNSON (#1937011)
Non-Profit Org. FB: COLLIN X. JACKSON, III
Non-Profit Org. IG: TASK FORCE CXJ 3

I JUST NEED ONE VOTE… BY: Yusef Hasan Sykes SR.

BY: YUSEF HASAN SYKES SR.
FACILITY: RIVER NORTH

I see the aging in the faces of the men housed in these facilities with lengthy sentences.
Their pain I’ve felt and when I looked around after Parole, Second Look and the age change for Geriatric failed, I saw the face of defeat.
Three well-needed bills that left violent offense offenders asking theirselves, “When will the lawmakers pass a bill that will benefit me?”

Dear Mr. or Mrs. Vote that matters,
Its been 28 years since the abolishment of Parole and still they say No to Parole, leaving the offenders under the new law, without a way to be considered for release.
I ask?
I wonder….
Are they aware that a high percentage of us have proven through our change in behavior and accomplishments over the decades spent incarcerated, that we’ve changed?
Did they not hear about or see how successful the turnout was when our loved ones showed up in support of Second Look, that would of gave thousands that chance to give the courts/judges the ability to reconsider sentences that may have been harsh or in matters where one has changed and shown a great propensity for rehabilitation.
Again, are they aware that we’ve changed?

Did they not hear about the benefit Second Look would be to those with violent offenses if they would have given it a chance?

Its time for a change, to Vote Blue and for those seats that need to be filled by those who believe in Second Chances such as, Suhas Subraman, Monty Mason, Russet Perry, Joel Griffin, Clint Jenkins, Saddam Salim, Jessica Anderson, Susanna Gibson, Phil Hernandez and Trish White – Boyd to name a few.

It’s on us to inform our loved ones of the importance in voting and who they are voting for and its on our loved ones to be those votes for the ones ineligible to vote.
Dear Mr. or Mrs. Vote that matters…

INCARCERATED MILITARY VETERANS’ PROGRAM IN VIRGINIA DOC

Independence, VA
July 23, 2023

River North Correctional Center (RNCC) Veterans’ Program Coordinator and discussion group facilitator Douglas V. Johnson II (#1937011) and fellow VSG Members have developed and implemented the inmate-led Self-Awareness H.O.P.E. Discussion Group Program, for the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC). The group is currently only comprised of incarcerated military Veteran’s Support Group members at RNCC and meets twice a month for one hour, [IAW VADOC OP-841.1.VII.B-D].

H.O.P.E. stands strong for “Helping Ourselves Progress & Evolve.” Due to the lack of access to -and lengthy waiting lists for- programs/educational opportunities and the severe lack of mental health services in prison, we are taking an aggressive initiative to rehabilitate and correct ourselves. We are focused on boldly confronting ourselves with thought-provoking reflective questions in order to strengthen our sense of Self-Awareness.

The 20-hour H.O.P.E. Programs’ five core objectives are to improve decision-making, find a greater sense of purpose, not waste the ‘Time’ we are serving, recognize our limitless potential, and to ultimately decrease the probability of recidivating/re-offending.

It is comprised of a total of 55 questions broken down into the following five categories:
1.) Self-Awareness;
2.) Importance of Healthy Relationships;
3.) Character, Wisdom, & Mindset;
4.) Decision-Making, Plans, & Direction; and
5.) Recognizing Potential & Establishing Positive Momentum.

Furthermore, each question also has at least one specific learning objective (i.e. mental health & substance abuse nexus, turning potential weaknesses into strengths, subconscious/auto-suggestion/patterns, assessing intentions, etc.).

A few of our upcoming discussion group questions will be:
1.) Am I aware of how my unprocessed trauma -or, moral injury- is impacting/has impacted my decision-making?
2.) Most pain ever experienced/felt (not physical pain)?
3.) How do I attain and maintain greater purpose and a healthy-level of hope while serving my Time (i.e. Life-Sentence)?
4.) What advice would I give my 21 year old self (or 21 year old Son)?
5.) What do I long for (not physical)?

Not everyone will share their life experiences/perspectives during every session, but we have found that even just listening to other’s transparency, can still lead to our own Transformation….. Self-Awareness, Personal Accountability, Maximized Potential, and Onward Positive Movement towards Greater Purpose is what H.O.P.E. is all about! HELPING OURSELVES PROGRESS & EVOLVE!!!

Pending RNCC approval, we plan to implement a non-Veteran Parole-Preparation and Re-Entry Support Group that will use H.O.P.E.’s curriculum as its foundation. H.O.P.E. will be published in workbook format and available on Amazon by Spring 2024. A list of our discussion questions can be found and downloaded on the Brilliance Behind Bars website. I encourage you to reflect on these questions and to start your own support/discussion group wherever you are.
Humbly,
-DVJ

Douglas V. Johnson II is a graduate of the Virginia Tech Center for Humanities 2022 UNCHAINED Program and whose poetry was published in the VT UNLOCKED Journal: Art and Experiences From Inside Virginia Prisons.

“What’s in the Box!?”

A Perspective on Trauma CompartMENTALization v/s Processing While Incarcerated
DOUGLAS V. JOHNSON, II (RNCC, #1937011)

Unpacking this box alone is not recommended because things usually get worse, before they get better… Unfortunately, in incarcerated settings, mental health resources/programs are severely limited/scarce. If we were in society, we could get a dedicated counselor/therapist to help us unpack this box…

Prior to my incarceration, I ran from working on myself for so long, but now I only wish I had a professional to take me through the process of processing it all. I just poured Gin & Jen on the box and lit it on fire, only to wake up the next morning with it weighing heavily upon my chest… I stored that old beat-up&tattered box in the back of the garage. I got tired of seeing that worn-out taped-up box, so I put it in the Fu€#!ng basement, & then the attic.

But, sitting with me in solitary confinement, I was alone with the box for two consecutive years… Emotions intensified to the n’th degree. The first piece of advice I got from my Boss/Colleague/Mentor was “A counselor just helps you understand yourself better and will give you tools to cope with your issues… So now, it will be on you to gain a greater sense of self-awareness which includes acknowledging your pain & demons… Begin to WRITE & Read, and Keep WRITING and Reading!”

As I now confidently look my shelf of sculptures in the eye, I feel tremendous clarity of my issues. I have now taken my POWER back from the box. As the box got lighter, I began to understand myself so much better… A fresh perspective and outlook on life.

-DOUGLAS V. JOHNSON, II (RNCC, #1937011)
19JUL23