To all my Brothers and Brethren in the pen,
My name is Isaac, but everyone knows me as Stenzy. I have just served the most part of five years for armed robbery and GBH and got nearly one and a half left on parole. I calculated all the time I’ve done the other day and I’ve done about eight years all up from 2012 to 2025 – one year being the longest I’ve been out and three and a half the longest lagging I’ve done. I feel I’ve gone from 26 to 39 overnight and well appreciate how valuable time is now. And, going in and out, I have lost many nice places, relationships and family possessions. It’s not easy, and sometimes I think it would have been easier doing the whole lot inside. In fact, I know it would have been easier inside. I want to say you can turn your experience here into a very beneficial thing.
But, unfortunately, the truth is the more we get locked up the easier it is to come back and the harder it is to stay out. But also when you think about it, this place teaches us so many good things (if we could just implement them outside), especially routine, resilience, patience, self-control, grace and humility. But, most importantly, I think it builds character.
And if you’re like me the suicide squad are some pretty cool ones (LOL). But Brothers, seriously, when you look at how much worse off other people in the world have it and you truly understand there really is no rock bottom, then you start to see there are no limits to how good our life could be (and out of anyone we deserve it!). Life is not so bad at all. I had the privilege in Brisbane Correctional Centre to rap and sing in front of the Elders for NAIDOC Week 2023 and it is something I will never forget. My song that I performed can be found on Soundcloud under Stenzy – Wolves if any Brothers are interested, when they get out. I wrote it for us.
Peace always,
From Stenzy.
To all my Brothers and Brethren in the pen,
My name is Isaac, but everyone knows me as Stenzy. I have just served the most part of five years for armed robbery and GBH and got nearly one and a half left on parole. I calculated all the time I’ve done the other day and I’ve done about eight years all up from 2012 to 2025 – one year being the longest I’ve been out and three and a half the longest lagging I’ve done. I feel I’ve gone from 26 to 39 overnight and well appreciate how valuable time is now. And, going in and out, I have lost many nice places, relationships and family possessions. It’s not easy, and sometimes I think it would have been easier doing the whole lot inside. In fact, I know it would have been easier inside. I want to say you can turn your experience here into a very beneficial thing.
But, unfortunately, the truth is the more we get locked up the easier it is to come back and the harder it is to stay out. But also when you think about it, this place teaches us so many good things (if we could just implement them outside), especially routine, resilience, patience, self-control, grace and humility. But, most importantly, I think it builds character.
And if you’re like me the suicide squad are some pretty cool ones (LOL). But Brothers, seriously, when you look at how much worse off other people in the world have it and you truly understand there really is no rock bottom, then you start to see there are no limits to how good our life could be (and out of anyone we deserve it!). Life is not so bad at all. I had the privilege in Brisbane Correctional Centre to rap and sing in front of the Elders for NAIDOC Week 2023 and it is something I will never forget. My song that I performed can be found on Soundcloud under Stenzy – Wolves if any Brothers are interested, when they get out. I wrote it for us.
Peace always,
From Stenzy.
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GROW is a community-based national organisation that works on mental wellbeing using a 12-step program of personal growth, mutual help and support. It operates through weekly peer support groups.
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