Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Prison journalism: Time never defined

23/05/2023

Prison journalism: Time never definedJeffrey Shockley is a writer serving a life sentence in the State Correctional Institution-Fayette in Pennsylvania.

by Jeffrey Shockley

23-05-2023 12:20

in Prison Journalism

Jeffrey Shockley is a writer serving a life sentence in the State Correctional Institution-Fayette in Pennsylvania.

Image: Pixabay

Isn't it funny how time is never quite defined by the present, past or future? When you move past the present constraints of time, the future is just out of reach for each of the possibilities wanted, leaving life haunted by a yesterday that often hides inside the mind from all of the time wasted by poor choices and bad decisions.

--

THE 5 QUESTIONS A life spent seeking revisions on each moment spent chasing, ducking and dodging that man of God we were meant to be, but dare not to see for fear that it may be too late to see the growth in me, the maturity cast back in some mirror of time that is never quite defined that only He can see, that I want to be free.

Who am I as I try to reach that peak of perfection that is mere perception without a reflection on the God that is able to be within me? Why try to be what others perceive, that society never believes me to be when only God knows the pains I to have gone through, doing all I can do to be more than what I'm used to?

ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: The power of hope: crimes don't change, but people do

--

What.. can I do that others may see in me that color of light that is so bright not to reflect the mistake of yesterday but the Christ in me today? As I have tried not to be beside that man of yesterday in any way because he got me here. Can you see the pain not from my own life but the life lost at some senseless cost no one should ever be made to pay? Now dare it be asked to love me in spite of that memory haunting the reality, reliving the tragedy put upon by that lost soul a whole lifetime ago that even I no longer know?

When.. do you become better than what you once were if you're still afraid of making some mistake that got you here because there remains such a rage coupled with an emptiness that gnaws so deep it can't be reached? When the only release is to fantasize about some times that never were and yet wanted all the more and more as that is what you tell yourself in a wealth of mixed lies you try to hide behind when so much has been done no amount of time can make it better without Christ beside that guy you now want to be in a time that is never quite defined.

ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: Dear Momma': A letter with all the things I should have said

--

Where.. does the mind go when the future is all you have and that lasts but for a moment as you realize this future is no more than some dream? Or today it only seems like life as you try to love right within your own mind tormented by the lasting of time now only defined by the probability of death for the second time. What is life

but for a sentence of time combined with the pains sustained from a life of yesterday that always leads to a today when you awake just one more time no longer wanting to get away from it all for today it is on Christ you call. For it is only in Him can we get through it at all.

ALSO READ: Prison journalism: How to endure the winters of a life sentence

How can I call myself a man of any kind when in this time the only thing there is, is the existence in a 10 X 12 cell that at times is no worse than hell as each day is lived just over and over again in the same place with the same faces staring back. Where it is now by no surprise to realize just how precious and valuable life truly is when you miss the kids that were not quite your own but in the same home we all did live in spite of the addict this dad was. As they gave you love just because and today you cry as you try to remember what it was like to hold them in your arms as that protector when you were there in a time never quite defined.

The article was facilitated by Erin Parish from the Human Kindness Foundation (HKF).

The Human Kindness Foundation's mission is to encourage more kindness in the world beginning with people in our prisons and jails.

HKF has published several books including: We're All Doing Time, Lineage and Other Stories, Deep and Simple, and Just Another Spiritual Book and provide these books for free to people currently serving time in prisons or jails.

Do you have contact with a prison inmate who would like to write for The South African website?

If so, send an email to info@thesouthafrican.com or a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211

You can also follow @TheSAnews on Twitter and The South African on Facebook to get the latest prisoner journalism articles.

How much of a rugby fanatic are you? Answer these 5 simple rugby questions and stand the chance of winning R1 000 in cash!
LINK: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/culture/prison-journalism/prison-journ...
See more stories from thesouthafrican

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

05/06/2026

LSUs Sarah Ramundt on Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of The Brand

The university-wide initiative has pushed their creative content to a new level Although collegiate athletics at a single institution can contain numerous spo...

05/06/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 18: New York Islanders Brooklyn Boyars - A Career Filled With Championships

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

05/06/2026

Synamedia Enters New Chapter Following Lumine Group Acquisition Agreement

Synamedia has announced that Lumine Group has agreed to acquire its Video Network business. The company is positioning the transition as the start of a new phas...

05/06/2026

Ateme, BCE, and Scaleway Announce Sovereign Cloud Media Supply Chain Partnership

Ateme, Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), and Scaleway have announced a strategic partnership to deliver a cloud-based media supply chain covering ingest through...

05/06/2026

Audinate Adds Three Models to Dante AVIO Install Adapter Line

Audinate has announced three new additions to its Dante AVIO Install adapter series: a 4-Channel Analog Input, a 4-Channel Analog Output, and a 2-Ch In/2-Ch Out...

05/06/2026

Sportradar Extends Data and AV Betting Rights Agreement for Wimbledon Beyond 2026

Sportradar Group AG has announced a multi-year extension of its exclusive global...

05/06/2026

M6 Group to Broadcast FIFA World Cup 2026 in 4K UHD via Fransat Satellite Platform

The M6 Group will broadcast FIFA World Cup 2026 matches live and in Ultra High D...

05/06/2026

The Athletic Adds PGA TOUR Highlights to Golf Coverage

The Athletic has announced that PGA TOUR highlights will be integrated into its golf coverage beginning with the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. PGA T...

05/06/2026

Op-Ed: Beyond the Stadium: Why Real-Time Visual Intelligence Will Define World Cup 2026 Security

When the FIFA World Cup arrives in North America in 2026, it will bring more tha...

05/06/2026

FIFA+ Launches Exclusively on DAZN

FIFA and DAZN have announced the launch of FIFA exclusively on DAZN, consolidating FIFA's content portfolio within DAZN's sports platform. The move fol...

05/06/2026

Telemundo Announces Group Stage Broadcast Schedule and Talent Assignments for FIFA World Cup 2026

Telemundo's exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 G...

05/06/2026

Peacock to Stream Telemundos FIFA World Cup 2026 Coverage in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

Dolby Laboratories and NBCUniversal have announced that Peacock will stream Tele...

05/06/2026

Formula 1 Extends Las Vegas Grand Prix Through 2037

Formula 1 has announced a 10-year extension to keep the Las Vegas Grand Prix on the F1 calendar through 2037. Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc., Clark County, and the ...

05/06/2026

Inside SailGP New York: How Riedel Provides Tech Backbone for Challenging Production Effort

The broadcast-engineering team overcomes wind, speed, and salt water - and dista...

05/06/2026

Virtual Eye Powers Broadcast Graphics Across Golf Productions in Busy Three-Event Week

Deploying both onsite and remote crews, the company is providing calibrated-came...

05/06/2026

ESPN Pivots From REMI to Full On-Site Production for UFL Playoff Game on Daytonas Blank Canvas

With Inter&Co Stadium unavailable, ESPN's UFL team rebuilt its broadcast pla...

05/06/2026

Free Registration for SVG Regional Sports Production Summit Ends Today!

One of the most exciting and informative events on the SVG annual event calendar is the Regional Sports Production Summit, an annual gathering of industry profe...

05/06/2026

FOX Returns to Saratoga Race Course for 158th Running of Belmont Stakes

For the race's third year at the historic racetrack, the broadcaster has added cameras and will incorporate multiple drones The 158th edition of the Belmon...

05/06/2026

Ratings Roundup: NBCs Spurs-Thunder Game 7 Best Since 2016, ESPNs Stanley Cup Final Opener Hits Seven-Year High

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...

05/06/2026

Sonuscore release LUX Orchestral Strings Essentials

Built from the same recordings as flagship library Sonuscore's LUX Orchestral Strings has been met with widespread praise since its launch in late 2025,...

05/06/2026

RME unveil the ADI-2 Pro EX

High-end converter, interface & headphone amp upgraded Said to represent the next evolution of RME's all-in-one reference converter concept, the all-new...

05/06/2026

Soundgas Sounds: Latest prize draw announced

Win a Soundgas Type 636P & Type G preamps Soundgas, one of the UK's leading vintage and boutique audio equipment specialists have just announced the lau...

05/06/2026

New leadership of Technology Systems Division at Rohde & Schwarz

New leadership of Technology Systems Division at Rohde & Schwarz On July 1, 2026, Hansj rg Herrbold and Andreas H gele will take over as Executive Vice Presid...

05/06/2026

Hitachi and Intel announce strategic collaboration to accelerate AI transformation across key industries

Hitachi and Intel announced a strategic collaboration to explore opportunities t...

05/06/2026

Nielsen, Mediaocean Announce New Integration to Power The Next Phase of Data-Driven Linear, Advanced Audience Measurement

MRI-Simmons and S&P Global Mobility are expanding advanced audience capabilities...

05/06/2026

Latest Nielsen data reveals insurance advertising climbs as Australians weigh cost, cover and loyalty

New Nielsen data shows insurance ad spend grew 11%, while consumers remain highl...

05/06/2026

Nielsen Adds New Audience Data Partnerships

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/06/2026

ASG Promotes Joe Marchitto to Western Regional CTO

ASG Promotes Joe Marchitto to Western Regional CTO Brie Clayton June 5, 2026 0 Comments Appointment to Support Engineering Alignment and Client Experi...

05/06/2026

Stargate Studios Colombia Uses DaVinci Resolve Studio for Vertical Microdramas

Stargate Studios Colombia Uses DaVinci Resolve Studio for Vertical Microdramas Brie Clayton June 5, 2026 0 Comments End to end post in one platform al...

05/06/2026

People Need to Come First When We Use AI

People Need to Come First When We Use AI Andy Marken June 5, 2026 0 Comments It's just surviving. Life's very existence requires destruction....

05/06/2026

Fahad Haider Joins NESN as VP, Operations and Engineering

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/06/2026

GatesAir Opens New Brazil Office to Back DTV+ Rollout

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/06/2026

Supreme Court Upholds FCC's Authority to Levy Fines

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/06/2026

Montclair State University Will Run NJ PBS

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/06/2026

Merkhet's Sam Matheny Urges Congress to Expedite BPS Deployment

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/06/2026

Sinclair Launches NextGen TV Campaign in Columbus, Ohio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/06/2026

NAB Releases New Keep the Game On' Spot

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/06/2026

NCTC, ACAC Going to Disney World for Independent Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/06/2026

Nielsen Announces New Integrations for Improved Measurement

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/06/2026

Frequency Launches In-Scene Advertising to Accelerate Str...

Frequency, the engine powering many of the world's leading streaming television channels, today announced the launch of In-Scene Advertising, a new monetiza...

05/06/2026

Berklee Study Reveals Video Has Become Essential to Music Careers

Berklee Study Reveals Video Has Become Essential to Music Careers Survey findings show social platforms have become the primary source of music for video cont...

05/06/2026

VEON's Kyivstar to Expand Digital Mobility Ecosystem with Acquisition of E-wings by Uklon

05 Jun 2026 VEON's Kyivstar to Expand Digital Mobility Ecosystem with Acqui...

05/06/2026

RT Radio 1 Folk Awards 2026 Date Announcement

RT Radio 1 Folk Awards to take place on Tuesday 10th November 2026, Vicar Street, Dublin Moya Brennan, D nal Lunny, Mary Black and Christy Moore among previou...

04/06/2026

Sony's New PTZ Cameras Deliver 4K 60p; New STARVIS Sensor Meets Low-Light Demands

Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...

04/06/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Alex Albert, Texas A&M University

This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...

04/06/2026

USGA Brings AI Recaps, 3D Range Tracking, and Predictive Shot Tracing to U.S. Womens Open

For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...

04/06/2026

Panasonic PT-RQ45 Projectors Power Lille Video Mapping Festival Opera House Installation

Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...