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Robin Woods For Failure

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Despite the odds being against him, Robin Woods broke free of a cyclical prison system run on neglect and prejudice. He used books and self-education to rise above the expectations he and the people around him had placed on his life. Robin Woods was set up for failure, as both a child and adult, by the education and justice systems. Robin’s story is one of resilience, determination, and self-reliance. In 1968 Robin Woods was convicted of two counts of felony breaking and entering. He was sentenced to 16 years at Maryland Correctional Institute, a maximum-security prison, for his nonviolent crimes. He recalls the atmosphere of MCI being both tense and racially charged. Amid reports of overcrowding and brutality from guards, a severe riot ensued adding an additional charge and 7 more years to Woods’ sentence. Our prison system neglects people’s mental and emotional needs, and treats them with contempt, yet expects respect and obedience in return. It’s not difficult to conclude that the prison management should be liable for these types of preventable …show more content…

Distraught without his one form of escape, he refuses to eat until they are returned to him. After Woods had lost roughly 73 lbs and Stevens had sent multiple letters on his behalf, the Maryland Commissioner of Corrections came to visit and check up on Woods. Impressed by his determination and commitment the commissioner then informed Woods that if he ended his hunger strike and was infraction free for a year he would cut his extended sentence short and finally send him home. If Woods had not had the ambition to read and understand his original books he would surely still be lost in the cycle of mass incarceration. He gave himself new life through those books as well as a better chance at surviving his life after prison. In 2007, 18 years after being incarcerated, Robin Woods was finally

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