The Way to Happiness Course

Sitting up here in Pelican Bay gives a convict a lot of time to think of the past and future. Over all the years that I spent breaking laws and living a fast life, I didn’t care about nobody or nothing. I always lived for myself and my homies. To me it’s always been a game.

When I first came across this Criminon course I thought of it only as something to do to kill some time. But as quiet as its kept the more I did of this course the more I learned what I have been missing. I have learned that being a gangster and kicking it with the homies didn’t make me happy. I started to learn how much out of touch with the real world I was.

I now understand that if I want a life in the free world then I need to treat others the way I wish to be treated.

“I’ve learned to respect others and to respect myself.”

I’ve learned that for me to be truly happy with my life I need to know what boundaries to cross and which ones not to. I’ve learned to respect others and to respect myself. I now understand that if I want a life in the free world then I need to treat others the way I wish to be treated. It’s either that or sit u in this cell for the rest of my life and be miserable.

—D.M., Pelican Bay State Prison