Thin Line Between Right and Wrong

An interview with author, filmmaker, former felon, James Cobb

By: Melissa Michaels

Did you know that the United States has the most prisoners in the world?  Here is a large dose of reality: According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are 2,019,234 inmates.

In a world where bad is good and good is bad, with way too many songs glamorizing the gangster life.  Too many TV shows depicts prison life as if it’s something that is cool to be locked up in the penitentiary.  Not so says the man I spoke with who has done his time.

I had the most incredible candid conversation with author, filmmaker and former felon, James Cobb.  This is his story:

What triggered in you to start drug smuggling?

My father, whom I had only known for two weeks, offered me a job making 30 thousand English pounds in 20 minutes.  He wanted me to help him off-load a ton of hashish on the beach in Spain.  It was easy for me to go along with his schemes at the age 22 years-old with no education, no trade and with a son on the way by my pregnant teenage girlfriend.  My father showed me a world I had never known.  It was my choice to help him.

Did you have a fear of dying?

No, because I always felt like God had a purpose and calling for me greater than the one I was living.

Did you ever think you were invincible?

No.  I knew I would have to pay the price sooner or later.  

TV and films paint a glamorous life of drug dealers.  Please share the reality of drug smuggling.

It’s a lonely life that never truly fulfills you inside.  I was always looking over my shoulder.  There was no peace for me at that time.

What was your worst moment in prison?

Seeing a man take his life by jumping off the top rail from the upstairs of our cellblock.

Why does it seem like prisoners find Jesus while in prison vs. being free?

Because it gives them more time to reflect on their actions.  Also, the time behind bars gives them more time to think of how they hurt people and the impact they may have had on the lives of others.  They then realize they cannot change the past, so they give it to Jesus because His shoulders are bigger than ours and this helps them to find peace from within.

What snapped you back to earth?

I have to give credit to God first for giving me the will to rehabilitate.  My guidance counselor, Ms. Harrison, also had a big part in that process. The information she instilled in me while I was in prison led me to finding a higher purpose for my life.  I went through a 90 day substance abuse program that truly snapped me back to earth.  Ms. Harrison inspired me to look at adversity in the face and say, “No, you will not hold me down!”  By listening to her stories of hope when she walked across Alabama with the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., she showed me that what lies within me is what truly matters and this is what helps me find true peace and joy.  From within the walls of prison she would teach me that I needed to replace negative thoughts in my head with positive ones, by feeding my mind with material that would give me a better mental attitude; material that would build up my mind and spirit.  This is when I learned the importance of health and physical exercises and how crucial it is to establish a daily routine.

When did you realize you have a tremendous innate creative side?

When I was little boy around the age of seven, I would daydream of one day being like the normal kids in the circle who could read well.  I’d draw pictures of ships at sea while sitting by myself, pretending I was on one to escape the problems I had in school that stemmed from my learning disability.  Drawing became my personal getaway, since it was something that came natural to me. I learned from a young age that it takes time and dedication to develop any skill. The sense of pride and accomplishment, I’d feel when I’d stand back and look at what I created always helped me to cope with my circumstances.

What did you first draw and write?

My first drawing was of an old wooden ship I found in my third grade social studies book. The first thing I wrote that I was proud of was a letter to my substance abuse class in prison.  I was able to read my life story in one page to the class.  It felt good to realize that I was not alone anymore.  There were a lot of other men  in prison going through the same things as me meaning not able to read or write that well because they learned differently too.  They also had been passed through the system because their age determined their grade level until they eventually dropped out and turned to the streets before ending up in prison.

What advice do you have for troubled youth?

Always know you’re not alone in what you’re going through and never give up because there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.

What advice do you have for judgmental people in our society towards former felons?

If everyone spent more time and energy reflecting on their own indiscretions, they would see that we all fall short at the end of the day, in some way or another.  A handful of bad choices are really the only things separating any person of good standing from an individual that has to carry the burden of an “ex-con” label for the rest of his or her life.  Oscar Wilde once wrote, “Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”  If more people understood this, it would make it so much easier for truly rehabilitated former prisoners to reintegrate themselves into society.  I was turned down over a dozen times in a single day looking for a job in the first year after my release from federal custody.  Someone eventually took a chance and hired me.  I got lucky.

Tell me about your book and film.

The book, No One Knows the Son was based on my true life story and has played a big role in my rehabilitation, giving me a platform to share my message of hope to at-risk youths and troubled souls across the world.   After seeing firsthand, the thousands of young people I speak to slipping through the cracks of our society due to illiteracy, poverty, and other adversities they face on a daily basis, the idea of using the power of film came to me.  I traveled to Milan, Italy for a film festival put on by Rutger Hauer, an acclaimed Dutch actor.  I viewed many powerful documentaries there, which also inspired me.  I have worked real hard to put all my finances into shooting one half of the documentary.  I use a four-minute teaser trailer of that footage to provide a visual accompaniment during my speaking engagements.  To complete this film, I’ll need a like-minded team of producers and visionaries that are as dedicated as I am to delivering a message of hope to all those who have been burdened by a turbulent past.  I want to show them that if I could break the cycle, anyone can.

MM Gspot. It’s about mental stimulation. The brain is the biggest sex organ. Melissa articles have an eclectic range that are a variety of humorous, sexy, thought provoking and heart hitting discussions. Melissa is gorgeous, hot, edgy, sharp and witty. Wanna get high? Read MM Gspot where your mind climaxes.