These are stories from the suicide watch unit—where you're paid four dollars to sit in a chair and keep someone company through the longest night of their life. Sometimes they talk. Sometimes they don’t. But every now and then, a conversation, a shared silence, or the simple fact of being there is enough to keep the darkness at bay.

In 2011, at the age of twenty-four, the author began a twelve-year sentence for downloading child pornography. Throughout his incarceration, he documented his experiences in handwritten essays transcribed and published by his father. With unflinching honesty and unexpected humor, he captured the stark realities of prison life, its complex social dynamics, and institutional abuses. Since his release in 2021, his writing has become a vital contribution to criminal justice reform conversations, exploring probation, sex offender treatment, and life on the registry. His work provides insights into a system of perpetual punishment that continues to marginalize those seeking to rebuild their lives. The author lives in Dallas, Texas.