so the system is kind of messed up, and i think that s why a lot of people keep coming back. though frustrated by the system, collins had found a way to voice her grievances. my name is gwendolyn collins. and the poem is why i write poetry. i don t write poetry for the fame, speaking loud with no shame, the words i spit i claim, it s all a part of the game i call life. i consider myself an artist, painting mental pictures in my head. we saw collins the slam poet when she gave an impromptu performance for the women in her jail dorm. and the bible says that god blesses baby and fools. i think god has a sense of humor and is amused, you see, because being in a women s detention center is not all he has in store for me. i guess that s how i started to write poetry. it saved me from arguments, headaches, and heartaches. i like it because i feel that i can express, i can teach, i can motivate others. i feel good when i m up there. when i m on stage and i recite
and the poem is why i write poetry. i don t write poetry for the fame, speaking loud with no shame, the words i spit i claim, it s all a part of the game i call life. i consider myself an artist, painting mental pictures in my head. we saw collins the slam poet when she gave an impromptu performance for the women in her jail dorm. and the bible says that god blesses baby and fools. i think god has a sense of humor and is amused, you see, because being in a women s detention center is not all he has in store for me. i guess that s how i started to write poetry. it saved me from arguments, headaches and heartaches. i like it because i feel that i can express, i can teach, i can motivate others. i feel good when i m up there. when i m on stage and i recite and on the mike i feel free. there s no boundaries. living a life of crime bought nothing but misery. i had nice cars, living like a star with the bling-bling and the dress code and my gun always on lock and load on a long, dark r
corrections offers counseling services, life classes and vocational programs. at the women s detention center, i believe the most effective vocational program we have here is our cosmetology because they have the opportunity to receive a certification and it does not print they received this in jail so then they can present that to a possible employer when they get out. hold your ridge, hold your ridge. start to clean out. swing it. that s it. see it closes up the opening? you got it? elizabeth valenza is the head instructor for the cosmetology program. i m here for them and that s very important to them. i mean, that they would tell you straight out. they would tell anybody. that s good. to them, it s just very important that they have this class because otherwise they re upstairs for five hours in their cell doing nothing, except perhaps getting in trouble. take the comb out. clean it out. clean it out. and swing it back.
i meditate, i read. stay to myself most of the time, you know. pollard s greatest hope is that he will one day reunite with the family he lost. i ve got a daughter. man, i ain t never told her i love her. she s 27 years old. i ve got five grandkids. i ain t never told her i love her. i can t do it. i ve made a lot of mistakes and lost a lot of my life that i can t get back, but i thank god that i m still living. next on lockup, women behind bars. women s detention center is the nicest of all the facilities, if you can call any of them nice, but jail is hell. as soon as i saw her. i found her wandering miles from home. when the phone rang at 5am i knew it was about mom. i see how hard it s been on her at work and i want to help. for the 5 million americans living with alzheimer s and millions more who feel its effects. let s walk together to make an even bigger impact and end alzheimer s for good. find your walk near you at alz.org/walk.
24 more days and i m out of here. this is the only meal that s not great. it s bologna every day. hot meals in the morning, hot meal at night. this is the best part of the day. lunchtime. pretty much we try to eat and don t talk. because if they catch us talking, they re going to tell you to get up, throw your food away and get up. you got to deal with it until 6:30, dinnertime. out of control here, you re not allowed to even talk in the dining room. this is an exception. it s amazing we re not getting thrown out. it s because of you guys. but you re not allowed to say a word in here. because the dining facility can only accommodate a small percentage of inmates at a time, each table has approximately 15 minutes to eat. that s it. it s time to go now. we re up and running. i ll just take a little water. no talking. women s detention center is the nicest of all the