I think I got more out of yesterday's class than any before. We had no structure for the most part-- Michelle was gone at a Criminology Conference on the East Coast and we were told to just work on our group projects. We all knew there was no way we'd all stay on track for three hours.

I talked mostly with Doug and Bob. I got to know more about Doug and his background. He's probably the one I'm closest with the most in that class. He says "Katie, I like sitting next to you because I like giving you shit." It's too true. I think it's entertaining and funny.

The men are wise. They have had time to think about their mistakes and the meaning of life. Bob told his son to always, no matter what, look at both sides of a story before making any conclusions. He said there are three sides to every story-- both views, and then the real one that neither side can fully justify. I can see how it would be hard for inmates to try to "convince" their children that they are good people-- there's such a stamina and preconceived notion of that if you're in jail, you are automatically wrong-- that you're are a bad person. I bet it's hard to find those children who will honestly look at a situation open-minded.