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

I was born in 1971. I’m a proud father. Most of my adult life was spent teaching in different capacities. Habits developed as a child dashed my hopes of a happy marriage and destroyed my family as well as the lives of several others. In 2014, I was arrested. If the government has its way, I will never bе released. I currently reside at a federal penitentiary. I write because it’s cathartic, and it helps me to express myself in more positive and meaningful ways. I know I deserve to serve prison time, but prisons do not necessarily serve society well. I hope to shed light on the cruelties of incarceration, and to impress upon you what life is like for those of us that call them home. Perhaps some sensible change will result from it.
The internet is riddled with stories of my shameful past. I’m in no way proud of my crimes, and I vowed to change the day of my arrest. I assure you, l am no longer that man. My faith in God drives me, and I hope that he will use me and my experiences for good in some way. I cannot change the past. I wish I could. What I can do is attempt to educate those willing to listen. We tend to fear those we do not understand. I hope to alleviate some of those fears. We tend to believe the worst about people in prison, but many of us do change for the better. My prayer is that my writing moves you to think differently about prisons and those forced to inhabit them. I know God has a purpose for me, and as someone once said, my purpose is way bigger than anyone’s opinion of me. I hope my writing is as helpful to you as it is to me.