Hypertension has always been considered to be a silent killer in the African American community. However,another silent killer in the African American community is "Compartmentalized Trauma". Growing up in a abnormal environment and being forced to normalize all the elements involved has a dark and negative consequence. Since when has it been normal for a child to go days and some(if not most)nights without food? Since when has it been normal to illegally carry a gun for protection? Since when has it been normal for a child to attend the funeral of his middle school friend? Since when has it been normal for a child to watch as his friend(s)die and have to live with survivors guilt? There's no Prom.....Only Prison. By design,the main outcome for African Americans in every Ghetto community is " Failure". What genuine outlet is there for these individuals to unload trauma? In addendum,for surviving the only way some(if not most) was taught they are as a result punished with disproportionate sentences in prison. How do you take an individual from one abnormal environment and place him in another?? By doing so,it creates patterns of instability physically, mentally and or emotionally. It also creates a false perceptions of reality in some minds. How is a Mental Health system whose only concern is with accessing suicide prevention going to help these individuals? One individual....maybe but what about an entire system full? Organizations like Guided By Purpose is a powerful and much needed resource for Individuals both incarcerated and in society because of their relatibility to the inner cities and mission to provide assistance with financial literacy,housing,employment and mental health. 

Very early on during my incarceration, I was taught that it would be up to me to overturn the wrongful convictions I was subject to. In that regard, one of the first lessons you learn as an incarcerated individual is the unreliability of the system in its entirety. It's no coincidence that 90% of convictions that have been overturned in the last five years are that of Ineffective Assistant of Counsel claims. This oppressive truth led me to navigating the post-conviction maze on my own. Along this journey, I've found that the necessary resources just aren't available to aid and assist me in my post-conviction endeavor. In fact, I actually lost a prose (self-represented) appeal not because I was wrong on the issues, but because I didn't have the resources to "fully" demonstrate why I was right. In summation, not only are the appointed attorneys ineffective, but the sorry excuses for law libraries prisoners have access to just aren't sufficient as well. This, in turn, has created a post-conviction gap. However, a nonprofit like Guided By Purpose Reentry Initiative (GBP) could potentially provide life saving legal aid or assistance to the thousands of wrongfully incarcerated individuals that desperately need it. The State of Connecticut has been intentionally failing incarcerated individuals for decades by design. But, with the right resources, a nonprofit like GBP could help in a variety of ways. Most times, people that represent themselves have no formal education much of what they learn about the law is taught to them by other incarcerated individuals that learned along the way. In that respect, an unorganized network like GBP exist in every prison housing unit around the State, but this is a limited approach. An organization like GBP can not only serve as the hub for all of the preexisting networks of prose defendants, but can also help individuals circumvent all the precious time and life lost learning by trial and error. Simply put, GBP could save lives by helping make the post-conviction pursuit more precise and effective. Whether that's by providing prisoners with printouts of current and relevant case law, sister-State case law, and instructions on how to use them Whether that's by providing consultations for specific issues, or even aiding with the composition of motions and briefs or, Whether that's by linking individuals with agencies that are more equipped to handle their claims, a organization like GBP can serve the under-served by providing a variety of legal services to those who need it most.