Dramatic monologue

Trapped. Cabined. Confined. I spent my entire day behind bars, entire life behind bars. Trapped in a
hell with no air conditioning, no value for human life. Everyday, newbies come, pilling and pilling up,
overcrowding the prison system. Incarceration in the US, is of the highest rate in the world, being
accountable for 50% of the world’s prison population. But does that stop them from throwing us
into the unnecessary pits of hell? Of course not.

Surrounded every day, with the malevolent killers, violent rapists, child predators. What was I here
for? A completely justified act of self- defence, whence the act was completely involuntary. I know
kids here, didn’t even get to college. Here for alleged shop robbing, ‘looking suspicious’, ‘looking
violent’. Yeah right. More like looking black.

So you racists want to protect society from us foul criminals? Destroying our futures, our education
our jobs, our families. Well maybe you are the violent ones. You white supremacists, with your
violent thoughts, out to get us.

So I say to you, as I lay here, staring at a cracked, moldy ceiling what are you doing with yourselves?
How do you sleep so soundly at night? Because I know I don’t. None of us do. Staring constantly at
our watches, hearing every tick go by, every slow tick. One by one. Tick tick tick.

After hours and hours of inhumane labour, my shoulders ache, my back burns, my head screams and
my throat quenches. Straight after? Back to that cell. Back to that same damned cell I share with my
psychotic cell mate.

I’m not asking you for more time in the yard. I’m not asking you for a glass of water every now and
then. I’m asking for real change. Real reform. Not like this. This isn’t reform. I’m asking for prison as
a last resort, for the worst crimes. Not stripping us of our basic human rights. Because that could be
the only thing keeping us sane in this toxic hell.

You, racists. I’m calling to you. Get me out of here. Now.