A Message to Students from a Man in Prison

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: 
But fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 1:7 KJV
 
Every so often a letter will come my way either from a student or teacher, or a professor of an educational institution, be it a high school or a college...

For the student, it's usually a request for help with a report they're doing. They want my input on a particular subject, be it psychology, criminology, sociology, incarceration, or something else. So it was no surprise when a student from a class on Government Studies wrote me. She wanted help for a research paper, and I felt her request was sincere. 
 
With her teacher's permission, I tried to answer her questions. But what I also did was include a personal message from me to her classmates. They're approaching adulthood now, and they need to make the right choices. Making the wrong choices could ruin their lives for years to come.
 
Here is my message:
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As a man who's been locked away behind prison walls for the past forty-eight years, I have seen a lot, and I know a lot. And one of the worst things for an older man to see, is seeing young men in their late teens or early twenties coming to prison. What a waste of lives. And what a nightmare for their families and loved ones.
 
Most juveniles and young men who end up in prison, more than likely, never intended to come here. They thought of themselves as being invincible, but they were not. They made bad choices, and now they must pay for them.
 
Prison is a world of regret and shame. It is also a world of self-inflicted pain. And unfortunately, they will have to live with their bad choices, which they brought upon themselves.
 
For many of them, prison will be a wake-up call. Because if they don't get their lives together intellectually, emotionally, and even spiritually, they will more than likely come back to prison once they're released. 
 
While for other young persons, unless their lives go in a better direction, they may very well end up in a graveyard well before their time. I've seen this too.
 
I'm sharing this from my heart. Believe me, you do not want to come to prison. And may I close this message with a Scripture passage from the Bible, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7).
 
Dear ones, don't be foolish. Become wise instead. Please think about what I have said.
 
My best to you.
Sincerely, David Berkowitz