Can you imagine how it would be like to be all alone, with no one to talk to but yourself, for 23 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 4 months straight. Imagine being harassed constantly be other inmates, and even by those there to defend you, the prison guards. These were some of the hardships that Ismael Nazario went through. As a 16-year-old boy, Ismael Nazario was arrested for petty theft, and afterwards received fairly long sentence at Riker’s Island. That environment was like nothing he has ever experienced. There, he learned how to fight and how to fend off his predators. However, there were punishments for such behavior. Mr. Nazario was sent to what was known as “The Box.” That is the name for the cell that prisoners are kept in when they are in solitary confinement. The Box is a very unfriendly place. There is no one to talk to but yourself, and each day, you only get 1 hour outside of it. Unfortunately for Ismael Nazario, he was once in there for 4 months straight. Crazy, right? Like Mr. Saddiq Bey from our previous interview, Mr. Nazario thinks kids should get the help they need instead of being sent to prisons. It was an honor to speak with Ismael Nazario, and we would love to do more work with him in the future.
