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As prison became a safe haven for me, it also became a place where I strengthened my relationship with God.

The word penitentiary comes from the root word penitence. I’ve learned that, originally, penitentiaries were designed for those who were rebellious and refused to pray. As a result, they would be locked away from society until they began to pray again, as chaplains ran the penitentiary back in those days. The law of the land in the beginning was the law of God. It seems that in many ways, we have moved away from that way of life.

In the United States, this country is often called the land of the free because of the separation of church and state. We have the freedom to choose whether or not to follow God, and religion has been removed from public schools and the Constitution. I feel this is one of the main reasons society is in the shape that it’s in.

We are created with a mind, body and soul. This is that equilibrium. That balance, so to speak, exists within all of us. Every element needs to be fed to keep that balance.

In that sense, we’re either feeding ourselves soul food or junk food. By neglecting the spiritual, I believe there is always something missing due to the lack of balance. Spiritual education is incredibly important, but often neglected because of the big push to earn a living and make it in today’s society.

As you will find people in society who may be super wealthy and still not happy, why?

That question will always make you wonder. That’s why I believe that striving to keep this balance by including a spiritual component in one’s life is paramount to true happiness and success. These are the humble thoughts of an “incarcerated individual.”

Yaqin Abdullah is currently incarcerated at Mohawk Correctional Facility.

Published on March 17, 2026 at 8:41 pm