Matthew Graziotti (AZ)

Matthew Graziotti 60996-018
United States Penitentiary Tucson
P.O. Box 24550
Tucson, AZ 85734

Born in 1971, Mr. Graziotti spent most of his adult life teaching in different Christian settings. Negative behaviors stemming from early childhood developed into major struggles that led him to make some very poor choices, and hurt many of those closest to him. With no meaningful help available, and struggling with addictions he could not manage alone, he embarked on a tragic downward spiral that would lead to his eventual arrest in 2014. The internet is riddled with shameful descriptions of a past life that he is neither proud of, nor allowing to control him at present. While he deeply regrets his past mistakes, he is thankful for the freedom his incarceration has given him from debilitating addictions. He says “I vowed from the day of my arrest that I would change, and I assure you that I am no longer that man.”

He enjoys writing because it’s cathartic, and it provides him with a positive outlet for expressing his feelings. He hopes his writing first and foremost glorifies God. He also hopes to shed light on what he sees as a deeply flawed criminal justice system, and the need for change in how society approaches the protection of those most vulnerable within it. He hopes to continue as an educator for all who are willing to listen. His prayer is that his writing will move society to think differently about prisons and the potential of those forced to inhabit them. He writes, “My faith ultimately drives me, I pray God uses my experiences for good in some way. I know He has a purpose for me, and even the pain I’ve caused others. I can’t change the past; I wish I could. All I can do is embrace what He has in store for me now. I know His purpose for me matters more than anyone’s opinion of me. I hope my writing is as helpful to you as it is to me.”

Matt, as he prefers to be called, writes on a variety of different topics in multiple formats. He thanks you for taking time to read what he has the share, and hopes not to be seen through the lens of his past failures, but in the basis of the man he is becoming today.