No country has a greater proportion of prison inmates than the United States of America, with the 2.3 million Americans currently incarcerated making up nearly a quarter of the entire world’s people doing jail time.

The reasons for this sad statistic are myriad and suggest that something is seriously wrong with the system, particularly when you consider that 77% of the state prisoners released in 2005 were re-arrested by 2010. People hit rock bottom with substance abuse, make mistakes and seem to get stuck in a spiral that going to jail only seems to exacerbate, rather than help to rehabilitate. However, that’s not always the case, and this happy story shows what can be possible with the right attitude and some hard work while behind bars.

Told by Imgur user nonyabiness, it is a tale of positivity, dedication, a victorious twist of fate and the power of a fresh perspective. If nothing else, going to jail forces you to quit alcohol abuse, take a step back, and reassess your priorities. The turnaround in nonyabiness’ life is an astonishing one and proves that no matter how dark of a place you might be in, there is always a happy ending! (Facebook cover image: Mark Klotz)

“Spent the last 2 years homeless and drunk”

Image credits: torroid (not the actual photo)

“Then went to jail for 9 months”

Image credits: shutterstock / Fure (not the actual photo)

“Just got a huge promotion that adds $17k to what I currently make”

People were impressed and inspired by nonyabiness’ turnaround

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