Jimmy grew up heavily influenced by drugs and alcohol and was in and out of the prison system from a young age, including twice being falsely accused and imprisoned. His experience in prison was terrifying but it also led him to learn to read and write. While Aristotle believed excellence comes from habits, Jimmy's habits were of addiction and crime until he discovered the power of words in prison and used writing to reform his life. The media and criminal justice system can also reinforce biases that disproportionately impact racial minorities.

1. An Unintended Resolution

2. Background behind Jimmy
Prison has been a life-style for Jimmy.
● Sent into a detention center at age 13 because he did not have a home.
● Heavily influenced into dealing with drugs and alcohol.
● Sentenced to prison TWICE for false accusations.
○ Murder
○ Stealing a pack of cigarettes.

3. Beliefs Towards the Prison System
A prison system is expected to:
● provide “activities designed to change criminals into law abiding citizens and may include…
teaching job skills and offering counseling” (Unknown)
● to make the general public more alert about the harsh and cruel punishments that comes from
going against the law system

4. Baca’s Experience
● Jimmy recalled prison as “the most frightening nightmare [he] has ever experienced”(Baca, 5).
● Once released from prison he was falsely accused by law enforcement, putting him back in
prison.
● Learned how to read and write during his third sentence.

5. From Aristotle's Perspective
Jimmy proved his theories!
● Aristotle believed “We are what we do. Excellence is not then an act, but a habit.”
○ After being released from prison, Jimmy always continued to be influenced by drugs and alcohol. Though not
considered an act of “excellence,” it was a habit that showed he was. A drug addict/dealer and an alcoholic.
● He also believed that people can bypass their faults with knowledge.
○ Once Jimmy discovered the power of words:
■ he learns to fight orally, not physically
■ reaches out to his peers through writing
■ makes reforms to change his life after prison

6. Bias, Logical Fallacies
● Media takes the public's bias towards certain races and crime to grab their attention.
○ “many media outlets reinforce the public’s misconceptions about crime by presenting African-Americans and
Latinos differently than whites” (Blow, 2).
● Jimmy was placed in a detention center because he did not have a home, not for a crime and was falsely accused for
robbery.
○ Both non-sequiturs:
■ The argument of Jimmy being homeless does not support the solution of being placed in a detention center.
■ The argument towards the false accusation that Jimmy and Marcos stealing the cigarettes does not follow
the conclusion of throwing both of them in prison.

7. Work Cited
Baca, Jimmy Santiago. A Place to Stand. New York: Grove Press, 2001.
Print.
“Aristotle.” Pursuit of Happiness, 10 Sept. 2016.
“Purpose of Prisons.” Stop the Crime, 2002-2009.
Blow, Charles M. “Crime, Bias, and Statistics.” New York Times, 7 Sept.
2014.