In That Number

JU’RON’S STORY

I grew up in the Iberville Projects with my cousins and four sisters. Now I’m 18, but when I was 17, I went to jail for about 6 months. I was still a juvenile. The hardest part about being there was not knowing anything about it. Learning the whole process - the commissary and stuff like that. Adjusting to that new type of lifestyle, it was war. I feel like the criminal justice system as a whole should try to see it from both sides cause some people that go to jail they maybe didn’t do it. Or maybe they were peer pressured or something like that. That’s examples, but you really got to know how that person grew up, their mentality. ‘Cause a lot of people been going through a lot of stuff that make them do what they do.

It was stressful trying to adapt to a new type of environment, you know. It was stressful being in there. I had a lot of alone time. I was just fixing myself mentally, thinking about how I could fix my life. I made plans when I was in there. I made a lot. Come home and finish school. Get a job. Hopefully, get my own apartment. Making those plans is what helped me get through it.

To reduce stress I would also just write. It’s the best way. If nobody wants to hear what you gotta say, write it on paper. I write whatever comes to my mind. It don’t matter. Rhymes - anything that’s on my mind. I’ve talked to a counselor before; my school has one. But I don’t really like ‘em. I don’t really see counselors cause it’s not a 100% guarantee that they’re going to be your counselor for life. And you’re going to have to tell new people your business and that’s just uncomfortable.

A lot of people change when you go to jail. Family, friends, relationships - just everybody forgets about you. You’re just lost to the system. And you be in a category of other Black men who went to jail, they look at you different, too. I feel like you always got to keep on eye on yourself for the rest of the time that you’re out.

Now I’m in The Welcoming Project and I see it as a good way to start over from your mistakes. Get on the right foot. It’s nice to be around some positivity when you come home. There’s some grind, too, cause they really push us to go to school, get a job, just go out there and be good. And speaking of school, I started going to the NET Uptown. Overall, I feel like life right now is good. I’ve been good.