Voices of the Incarcerated - The Power of Love

The following essay "Benjamin Case on the Power of Love" appears on the Prison Writers website and is written by Benjamin Case, incarcerated in South Carolina.

Excerpts from the essay are included below.

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I’ve been in prison for over 18 years and lived in every level 3 prison in South Carolina. Most of that time was spent in high alpha dorms. I’ve survived more than most people could ever imagine: knife fights where I was outnumbered and unarmed; stab wounds in my back and to the back of my head. I’ve always stood my ground every time someone tried to impose their will on me. I’ve run contraband rings and made money hand over fist behind these fences. When I came to prison, I left fear at the gate. Violence and power are languages I speak fluently.

I no longer want to be part of the myth that glamorizes crime or idolizes destruction. I don't want to see men outrunning bullets or building empires on blood. I want to see the father who never gave up on his kid, the woman who stayed, the love that healed a hardened man. That's the story I want to tell. That's the life I want to live.

I remember one visit with my mother, one of many she made without fail during those early, chaotic years. I had gone off on a rant about the tattoos covering my back, each one representing a different god I believed was at war for my soul. She sat there and listened to all of it, calm and patient. And when I finished, she looked at me and said, “You better make sure the right one wins.” That’s love, the kind that doesn’t flinch even when you’re in the middle of the storm.

People ask if prison changed me. The truth is, prison forced me to create the space to meet the man I might've always been, beneath the scars, beneath the armor. And now, I see clearly: The greatest revolution is learning how to love.

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You can read the full essay, "Benjamin Case on the Power of Love" by Benjamin Case at the Prison Writers website. Prison Writers offer uncensored, personal stories and thoughtful essays from incarcerated citizens across the country about what really goes on inside the secretive world of prison corrections, and works with incarcerated writers one-on-one to improve their writing and communications skills.