Imagine spending 26 years in solitary confinement. Out of your cell 1 hour per day. No windows in your cell. Never being able to look in the a mirror. No physical human contact. The thought is mind numbing. Yet, Thomas Martinez had that experience. One of the first to be incarcerated in Pelican Bay Penitentiary in Northern California, that was his life for 26 long years in total isolation. Thanks to the resilience he acquired in his youth, not only did he survive, he was able to come to himself, developed himself and came out articulate, confident and purposeful. Thomas’ story is remarkable.
Sponsors & Partners The Other Side Academy -
theothersideacademy.com My Story Matters / Captain Your Story -
mystorymatters.org The Peaceful Prisons Project -
peacefulprisonsproject.com 00:00:00 Thomas Martinez
00:01:17 Sponsors
00:02:10 Young Life
00:06:28 Fighting His Father
00:09:55 His First Crimes
00:14:20 Personalized Adolescent Trauma
00:19:00 Prison and Solitary Confinement
00:32:00 Transformation of the Prison System
00:41:05 Released from Solitary
00:45:00 A Major Shift in Paradigm
00:51:15 The Mechanics of Denial
00:57:30 Released After 42 Years
01:06:40 Trauma is Real
01:09:50 Advice for Younger Self
“The greatest tool I have in my toolbox is the ability to ask for help”