Thabo Mthembu was incarcerated in Pollsmoor Correctional Centre from 2014 to 2019. While inside, he participated in restorative justice classes and learned how to shape himself for life inside prison while keeping the person he had become apart from whom he truly is. During his incarceration, he often prayed to God to watch over his family. Now writing from a formerly incarcerated lens, Thabo is currently part of Restore’s research and reintegration project running in South Africa.