A Family in Prison | Teen Ink

A Family in Prison MAG

January 28, 2009
By Anonymous

I was five when I watched my dad get led out of a courtroom in handcuffs and shackles. There were so many people moving around, I wasn’t sure what was really happening. One thing I did see very clearly and will never forget was the tear rolling down his cheek. That was the first time I had ever seen him cry. Almost 11 years have passed and I still remember that day perfectly. That was the last time I saw my dad outside prison.

Being young, only in kindergarten, I was frightened by this terrifying place. Surrounded by barbed wire and razor fences, I thought it was a horror house. That first visit was just the first of many times I’d go through the process of being frisked and walking through metal detectors.

That first time my family and I stepped into a large room filled with dozens of men wearing blue uniforms, I wondered if the other inmates’ loved ones felt the way we did. The convicts looked almost like clones – until I saw my dad. He looked much thinner and really frail. My mom started crying, and he came over and hugged her.

It felt so surreal, like I was dreaming. Now I can hardly remember my dad without his uniform. Some mornings I wake up and, for a split second, forget he’s not home anymore. Then it hurts even worse when I remember where he is and that my mom and I will never have him back.

It hurts to think of all the special memories my dad didn’t share with us. All the birthday parties and family vacations he missed. It’s one of the worst feelings in the world for a girl to know that her father won’t be there to walk her down the aisle.

While my sisters, mom, and I are out living life, Dad is in that horrific place every minute of his life, only getting to see his family one day a week. My mother and I feel so much pain not having him with us, but I can’t begin to imagine his pain and suffering every day in there.

We continue to hope for a miracle. My dad will be eligible for parole in 2023. We continue to pray that an innocent man will be freed from his life sentence for a murder he did not commit.



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This article has 234 comments.


on Jun. 3 2010 at 5:00 pm
ThatClarinetPerson SILVER, Tequesta, Florida
8 articles 0 photos 226 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life. Don't talk to me about life."
~Marvin the Paranoid Android (from the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy series)
Statistical analysis suggests that i am probably in tune with someone
(hahahahaha! I love this cause i'm never ever ever in tune >o

ohmigosh, i'm so sory :'(

this piece was beautifly written, but i wish for your sake that you didn't have to write it.


on May. 12 2010 at 8:02 pm
Allykattz PLATINUM, Rehoboth, Massachusetts
45 articles 1 photo 43 comments

Favorite Quote:
"This much I know is true That God blessed the broken road That led me straight to you"-Rascal Flatts

Im so sorry for what you have to go through. I know the torture of having a father in prison and i can say from experience that you are not alone in your pain. Great work, very moving piece.

on May. 12 2010 at 6:25 pm
SassyJones GOLD, Los Altos Hills, California
13 articles 5 photos 91 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We make our fourtunes, and we call them fate" earl of beaconsville.

god- im so sorry for what your family has to got through. You should hire a lawyer- you can always reopen a case if he is innocent. 

on May. 12 2010 at 5:46 pm
WritingLoverForever PLATINUM, Bowling Green, Ohio
32 articles 2 photos 198 comments

Favorite Quote:
It's not about success; it's about significance.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

My jaw dropped when I read that he will be eligible for parole in 2023. That's such a long time for now! I'm sorry that your father is in prison and thanks for sharing this story. It's beautifully written and very heartfelt. And keep writing! :)

on May. 12 2010 at 5:46 pm
EmilyMichelle PLATINUM, Manassas, Virginia
33 articles 4 photos 90 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Our truest responsibility to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find the truth."
- Madeleine L'Engle

I'll pray for you. I hope your dad gets out & they catch that @!$#* that really committed the crime! This is excellent writing, by the way,

sulamansk481 said...
on May. 12 2010 at 4:48 pm
sulamansk481, New York, New York
0 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
give me liberty or give me death

feel so sad hope he gets out :(

on May. 12 2010 at 3:48 pm
wow this is so heartfelt i really feel your pain

on May. 12 2010 at 3:41 pm
BlackKittie SILVER, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
8 articles 1 photo 55 comments
it's true.karma will always catch up with you!

Tomboy GOLD said...
on May. 12 2010 at 10:07 am
Tomboy GOLD, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
13 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The human heart had hidden treasures; in secret kept; in silence sealed; the thoughts; the hopes; the dreams; the pleasures; whose charms were broken if revealed" - Charlotte Bronte

karama.  the person who did it will get what they deserve.  everything happens for a reason and im srry you got the bad part of it

on Apr. 20 2010 at 8:24 pm
Sweatheart SILVER, BPT, Connecticut
5 articles 0 photos 76 comments

Favorite Quote:
I can do anything

wow this poem made me feel so sad ♥ i feel realyy bad for ur father and i hope that he gets out soon im sur the person who commited the crime will pay for it

on Apr. 20 2010 at 8:18 pm
awesomeaugust GOLD, Boston, Massachusetts
10 articles 0 photos 176 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground"
~Theordore Roosevelt

I will keep you in my prayers and I'm sorry sorry for you father and your family- God bless and a great piece

allie929 said...
on Apr. 20 2010 at 4:47 pm
I'm really sorry about your dad. The real criminal will someday pay. 

on Apr. 20 2010 at 2:40 pm
LizzyMarie BRONZE, Grover, Texas
1 article 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
Let them HATE, so long as they FEAR...

I'm so sorry to hear about your dad; the person who really committed the crime will pay for it one day and your father will have justice. Keep writing, and ever though your dad isn't with you physically, he'll always be with you.

on Apr. 20 2010 at 11:52 am
S-Chique00 GOLD, Dundalk, Other
10 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
Rocky Balboa: You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done.

Heart-wrenching, simply heart-wrenching. I know what it feels like knowing that your father won't be there to walk you down the aisle, but at least I know my father is in a safe and happy place, Heaven. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and of course your father. God bless and keep hope, there will be a rainbow

on Mar. 29 2010 at 11:38 pm
psycholinzmeier GOLD, Kaukauna, Wisconsin
10 articles 0 photos 42 comments
i hope they catch the person tht did comit the murder, so many ppl r in the wrong place at the wrong time n get acused of sumthing they didnt do. inspireing story.

wiinga BRONZE said...
on Mar. 29 2010 at 6:54 pm
wiinga BRONZE, Kwigillingok, Alaska
3 articles 0 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
Never give up, no matter what you go through.-Anonymous

I am so sorry about your dad.something similar happened to my family.my uncle has been in jail since i was 15 and now im 19..almost 20.my family and i miss him so much but idk how long he is gona be in jail..hes going to be in jail for a very long time..so i know how u feel...i am soo sorry.

on Mar. 29 2010 at 5:59 pm
sasssgirrrl22 PLATINUM, Pearl River, New York
27 articles 0 photos 266 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Giving up is not a part of my vocabulary."
"Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."
"Truth be told I miss ya, truth be told I'm lying."

im so sorry bout ur dad. this is such a meaningful piece, very emotional. plz keep writing, & u r in my prayerz ;))

Destiny said...
on Mar. 7 2010 at 11:39 am
i am sorry and hope you see your father out of jail

Zoughii GOLD said...
on Feb. 13 2010 at 5:50 pm
Zoughii GOLD, Armidale, Other
14 articles 3 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
There are three things every girl needs:
Guys to make her weak,
Alcohol to make her strong, and
Best friends when both things make her hit the floor.

I know it must be so very hard for you but here is a quick inspiring story for you: about forty years ago my pop's best friend was sent to jail for a murder he swore he didn't commit after many years people started to lose faith and started to believe he did do it and that he would di in jail as he had been sentenced to life. 23 years later my pop was walking down the main street of a town close to where he lived when a man who my pop did not recognise walk up to him and said you don't remeber be do you lanky (my pop's nickname from way back) at that moment my pop realised who it was and broke down in tears as he never thought he would he is bestfriend alive again. The firsts words my pop uttered were "how the bloody hell did you get out" cockos response "they caught the bastard that commit the crime I served 23 years for!"
Justice does come to those who are innocent you just have to hope and pray it will come soon. Chin up sweety and remeber we are all praying for you and every other innocent man behind bars.

on Feb. 13 2010 at 5:44 pm
sillyaardvarkabc BRONZE, Riverside, Connecticut
4 articles 0 photos 63 comments
It is amazing how strong you have been, and the phrase that stuck out most to me was "It's one of the worst feelings in the world for a girl to know that her father won't be there to walk her down the aisle." I really am hoping for a miracle for you.