Augie and I are two examples of becoming a product of the system. We both were arrested at a young age for offenses that shouldn't have been used to incarcerate children. We were put on probation and parole, and the system raised us from there. Minor infractions sent us to prison while on probation or parole, where we then were educated on criminology. I turned 18 inside a Texas jail and instead of learning about biology, I was taught how to get drugs across the border unnoticed. Every time I tried to get my life on a straight path I was reminded by the judicial system that I was their property. I enlisted in every branch of the military and passed their tests only to be denied becasue of my arrest for possession when I was 17 years old. Prison had always been my future. Augie is one of thousands like me that I met while inside their prisons. And as I sat in prison for 12 years straight, Augie did his time intemittenly. I would learn from our friend Chaney, that Augie was back in jail, then out, then back in. I felt bad becasue I know he was a good person, but with the weight of the system on his shoulders, he struggled to reach any goals. Seven years after he made parole, I was paroled, and I found him. The time we did didn't break us but rather made us stronger. Our goals now, are to put a stop to this toxic system before every family in the U.S. is adversely affected.