by Joshua Swetky, Correctional Facility in Denver, Colorado
My name is Joshua Swetky, and I’m thirty-seven years old. I live in the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado. I enjoy studying, reading, writing, and especially drawing and art, and my goal is to expand my abilities and talents in a way to bring about positive influences upon society through introspection.
Despite life’s ups and downs, I maintain a positive mental attitude and remain optimistic through my personal expression of art. I believe everyone can express a message that, even in the darkest places, can create light. We live only once, so I believe it’s important to maximize our opportunities and experiences in life. Our message must be that we have some really important things to offer, including genuine friendships and mutual acceptance.
Today, I spend my days doing the things I enjoy, although I devote a large portion of my days to working and developing a platform from which I can create, sell, and auction my art to support nonprofit organizations in which I believe. Although I’m physically restrained to life within a prison cell, I still recognize my reality for what it is and do my best to escape my emotional bindings by making amends to society for my past mistakes.
Now, I would like to expand my world by meeting new people and making friends from all walks of life. I’m interested in learning about as many different cultures, lifestyles, and perspectives as possible. I’d like to become an agent of change and work to develop several ways in which prisoners such as me can contribute to society instead of taking from it. I used to live most of my life while afflicted with mental illness and drug addiction and that enables me to relate to others facing the horrors of a similar lifestyle.
I have hopes that I can offer other incarcerated persons, ways in which they can make a difference by working on prison reform and promoting addiction recovery.
I am open to all suggestions and have no expectations. My mantra is to try to help people along the same path that I have traveled.
In doing so, I hope to make friends from whom I can both learn and whom I can influence toward their goals. I’m available and willing to share my extensive life experiences and to give a true insider’s perspective on prison life in the hopes of preventing other people from making the same mistakes I made.
Those mistakes cost me over half of my life. I want to help others be spared the same afflictions!