Effects Of Always Running By Rodriguez

Always Running Final Essay Inmates deserve a second chance at life. A great deal of inmates ended up at prison because of the little support they received when they really needed help. Always Running follows the childhood of ex-inmate Luis Rodriguez. Luiz grew up surrounded by gangs, family trauma, and drug use, all of which ruined his childhood. Growing up in a gang and being surrounded by violence has a huge effect on childhood. Luiz joined a gang at a very young age and “I was 13 years old already. Already tattooed. Already sexually involved. Already into drugs.”(Rodriguez 48). At 13 years old, Luiz Rodriguz was part of a gang and got tattooed. No child should ever have tattoos, be sexually active, and be part of a gang. Gangs have very violent atmospheres, they are constantly getting into fights with each other. Being part of a gang is not a good atmosphere for anyone, especially a growing child. Luiz had many unpleasant events in his life, all of which led up to him quitting school. He stated “I stormed out of there. Needless to say, this was my last day in the English Lit class.”(Rodriguez 139). Luiz thought that getting an education was not very important to him. He had no problem just walking out of his English class. This scene showed that

He became addicted to drugs, “Not going to school meant a lot of free time. Sniffing became my favorite way to waste it. I stole cans of anything that could give me a buzz: carbono, clear plastic, paint of gasoline…Spray was dangerous; it literally ate your brain. But it was also a great escape.”(Rodriguez 102). Drug addiction is dangerous, especially since Luiz was so young. But for Luiz, who did not have anyone who could help him, drugs were the easiest option. He was high all the time and when he was sober, it hurt him and he desperately wanted to be high again. Turning to drugs in order to cope with life was one of the worst decisions of Luiz’s