Before Zach went to prison, he struggled with a lot of things many of us struggle with on a daily basis...and then some. His girlfriend likes to say "drunk Zach didn't take care of sober Zach," and unfortunately, that understatement of the decade is the reason Zach is in prison--because drunk Zach didn't take care of sober Zach, and unfortunately, it carried drastic consequences for another family.
Zach doesn't justify anything he's done or contributed to, regardless of his intentions. His forced sobriety in prison has helped him confront who he was and what life was before this, and what it will mean after he's out. He spends his time exercising, calling the friends who will answer, writing the friends who will respond (and many who won't, myself included sometimes), reading A LOT (250 books was his goal last year), listening to music, playing Pathfinder or DND, and reflecting--sometimes angrily, sometimes sadly, sometimes hopeful.
If you're interested in connecting with someone who has been forced through the consequences of his actions to veer towards the better side of his humanity while struggling with the hard parts that make us all human, send him a note. If people are going to grow past the bitter parts of them, the dark parts, they've got to have a reason. They've got to have society, validation, compassion, tough love, and growth. I hope this will give him that.
(Written by Family Member/Friend)
Willing to correspond outside of the U.S.:
