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I volunteer at a nearby men’s prison, teaching a class that is generally about reading (poetry, short stories) and writing (whatever the inmates want), though the focus changes as the students change and bring new interests to the table. We get all types there, from first-time offenders to those committed to the life of crime, from young men embarrassed to “have been so stupid” to less young men who’ve been through this before to older men who aren’t surprised by much, less still by what they get themselves into. Really, the more you get to know them the more you realize there are no types, just people—this one dealing with this, that one dealing with that.
