Poem: I Used to Work at the Jail

I Used to Work at the Jail

by a Community Supervision Officer

When you say I want to see you locked up,

what I want to say is that I used to work there

and I would never want to see you go back there.

When you say I want to see you locked up,

what I want to say is that your family deserves for you to be in the community,

but I can’t make those decisions for you.

When you say I want to see you locked up,

what I want to say is that your past does not have to dictate your future,

but you have to learn the lesson for yourself.

When you say I want to see you locked up,

what I want to say is that I used to work at the jail

and that experience is why I’m your Community Supervision Officer today,

to see the change beyond the jail.

 


10 Comments

  1. Elijah on April 13, 2011 at 10:25 AM

    this is a good poem talking about how you use to work at the jail

  2. jenny on April 13, 2011 at 10:38 AM

    Hey!! am Jenny when i read your poem its like i could feel you,but i hope you doing alright and i see you open your mind more and share with us.

  3. jenny on April 13, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    Hey!! am Jenny Maheda when i read your poem its like i could feel you,but i hope you doing alright and i see you open your mind more and share with us. You should do more poems so you can express your feelings to us and us writing more comment to you.

  4. Jenny Maheda on April 13, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    Hey!! am Jenny when i read your poem its like i could feel you,but i hope you doing alright and i see you open your mind more and share with us. You should do more poems so you can express yourself to us more.

  5. Pedro Rich on April 13, 2011 at 10:47 AM

    Well im sorry for your experience in the prison and im taking your poem and connecting it into my life because i dont never want to go to jail.

  6. marquis on April 13, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    When people make bad decisions , its never to late to change them. When you go to jail known for something, you can come out as an whole new person. Hope you are living a better life than before.

  7. kassidilenae on November 20, 2020 at 1:28 PM

    Thank you for sharing your perspective! We are all searching for some variation of personal growth. I admire your determination to help those you work with grow rather than looking down upon them. Keep inspiring others to do the same!

    KC

  8. EDDIE on April 30, 2021 at 11:58 PM

    Hi, I’m Edmon and I’m in a class that aims to engage with the community beyond the university and corporations. Wow this poem looked darker on the surface but was very very caring because you don’t want to see that person go to jail because you’ve worked there and seen what goes on. I really liked the structure of the poem as well. Almost like small paragraphs. Good job and good luck in the future.

  9. Reilly on May 5, 2021 at 11:49 AM

    Wow what a powerful poem! I could feel the strong emotions you have and how much you care about those you work with. Great job!

  10. Maxine Cassell on August 31, 2021 at 10:20 PM

    Dear Poet,

    This was an amazing poem that you wrote and I like the two way conversation that I feel like is happening in the poem. I like what you have a different response to those that say I hope you go to jail. I get the sense that you see the good in the world and strive for it. Please keep up the writing, I look forward to reading more of your poems.

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The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.