Urban Incarceration: Breaking the Cycle - Stopping the Next Generation from Going In (pt-6)

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Transcript

When Cycles Begin Early

Speaker 1 0:00

When we look at a child , we don't normally think this kid is headed down the wrong path , but the truth is some already are , not because they want to be , but because the cycles already have been set in motion . We're not just calling out the system . We're confronting the cycles that feed it . Cycles that begin in broken homes and end behind steel doors . Cycles that pull kids out of the classrooms and drop them into the courtrooms . So , whether you're a mentor , a parent or just someone who cares , lock in with me , because if we don't reach them now , we may never get another chance .

Speaker 2 0:38

If you have ever been told by someone that you're not capable of attaining success , if you have made mistakes or lived in an underprivileged neighborhood , then this podcast is for you . You are now locked in to Struggle to Success . Struggle to Success aims to inspire individuals to navigate life's challenges with courage , fortitude and unwavering determination . So if you're in your car jogging or somewhere else trying to find the calm in the storm , then join Struggle to Success airing every other Saturday . Remember life is trials . Stay focused .

Speaker 1 1:16

I had just turned 17 . It was one of those grave-filling mornings where the sky pressed low , juvenile courts sat quietly on Benjamin Franklin Parkway . People passed it like it was just another building , but for me it was the beginning of something I'll never forget . No mom , no dad , no brother , just me , a body in a hoodie and jeans walking into a system that didn't know my name but already had

My Personal Journey

Speaker 1 1:42

a box to put me in . My father serving life , my brother locked up again , my mom gone and me in a court for truancy , for skipping school , for being out too late in North Philly with my foster cousins . I stood before the judge thinking I could handle it . I'd been on my own for so long . Asking for help didn't even cross my mind . I told him my mom was working . I mentioned my dad and my brother trying to show I just wasn't out here wiling . But that only made me look more forgotten . 35 minutes later the judge looked me in my eyes and said Sterling , for your safety , I'm recommending that you be placed in a secure child facility . I didn't expect that . I thought I'd walk out the same way I came in , but instead I sat in my first holding cell Cold steel , chipped paint , stale air .

Speaker 1 2:33

The ride out of the city to Slayton Farms changed everything . I wasn't just skipping school anymore , I was in the system , surrounded by other youths with charges I couldn't even comprehend . And in that moment I realized something this cycle doesn't wait for you to catch up . If you don't break it , it will break you . I got you , but I wasn't free . My body left Slayton , but my mind stayed locked . Same surroundings , same pressure , no real direction .

Speaker 1 3:03

Between 18 and 25 , I lost something important hope . I stopped dreaming , I stopped believing . And when that happens , negativity doesn't feel like danger , it feels like comfort . You drowned in it but it doesn't feel like drowning when someone else is swimming in the same water in the same way . That's how I caught my first adult charge , not because I was evil , but because I was empty and I was trying to fill the emptiness with status and street validation .

Speaker 1 3:35

I thought money , clothes and fast respect would fix me . They didn't . I had to look in the mirror and make a real choice . Not a temporary decision , not a survival mode , but growth . And I'm still choosing that , because becoming a man isn't about how many people fear you . It's about how many people trust

Seeing Both Sides

Speaker 1 3:56

you when things get hard .

Speaker 1 3:58

Being a man means showing up for your kids , for your people , even for yourself . That means breaking bad habits , walking away from old systems , building real discipline All the things I used to run from . Now I run towards it . Today I'm a father , a former police officer , a correctional officer . I've been the one in handcuffs and the one holding the keys . I've seen it from both sides and what I see now hurts . The youth are getting younger . I've seen 13-year-olds in cuffs . I've seen kids sentenced to numbers older than they are , but because no one intervened early enough .

Speaker 1 4:41

We can't ignore what's fueling it Broken homes , no guidance , poverty , falling schools , no job prep and a society that tells them that their only options are sports , rap or the streets . They're not chasing pain . They're chasing what the world tells them looks like success , and too often that success shows up as fast money , fake love and a short ride to a long sentence . Let's talk real . You might say that's not my kid , but if you survive the cycle , then every kid is connected to what we've tolerated . Yes , they have to make their own choices , but we have the power to give them better choices . So when we talk solutions , here's how we start to break the cycle . So when we talk solutions , here's how we start to break the cycle .

Speaker 1 5:29

Number one mentorship . We need more brothers . We need more big brothers , uncles , coaches , real men showing up and showing the way . Number two early intervention . Reach them early , teach emotional intelligence , teach self-worth . Don't wait until high school . Number three community accountability .

Five Solutions to Break Cycles

Speaker 1 5:56

We can't keep glorifying the street life . Let's celebrate those who grow , not just those who survive . Number four law enforcement . With compassion , as someone who's worn the badge , I'm telling you you've got to do better . Show up , engage , build . And number five jobs , opportunity and education . We need more trade schools , apprenticeships , after-school programs , real options , because a child with no path will find their own and this usually leads to prison or pain .

Speaker 1 6:22

If you've made it out , you owe it to ones who are behind you . Your story matters , your presence matters . You don't need to be perfect , just present . Be an example of what surviving the storm looks like , because if we don't show them strength , they'll chase the false version of it . If you're struggling today , you're not broken . You're unfinished , but you still have time to finish strong . And if you need help , dial 988-SUICIDE-IN-CRISIS-LINE or 1-800-RUNAWAY for youth needing a safe way out , or Boys Town , which is 1-800-448-3000 for families in crisis . Let's break the cycle together right now , right here , together . Next , on Struggle to Success , we're going to talk about stopping the cycle before it starts . But what if you're already in it ? What if you're trying to move on ? But we don't hire felons . You're still on paper , your record's sealed , but not forgotten . In our next episode , we're digging into the legal roadblocks parole , probation and expungement . If you've ever felt like your past was holding your future hostage , then episode 17 is for you . And remember life is trials . Stay focused .

Speaker 2 7:40

Thanks for

Next Episode Preview

Speaker 2 7:41

checking out this episode of Struggle to Success . To connect with the show , you can email us at struggletosuccessp at gmailcom . Make sure you like and subscribe so that you never miss an episode . And remember life is trials , Stay focused .