Going into incarceration, likely those that you were around and that influenced you were probably not the best crowd to be associated with. They were likely negative to your mental and likely physical health. They more than likely surrounded you with negative thoughts and encouraged you to not be a good person in general.
However, following that same behavior and people that influence you will only result in the same outcomes as before. It is important to surround yourself with positive people who give you constructive criticism if you are doing wrong and positive encouragement when you are doing something good in life.
That is why you should look for the kinds of people who can positively encourage you and help you on your journey of recovery after you are incarcerated.
When you are around negative people, you will tend to take on the same characters that they are showing. This means, if you are allowing negative in to your life, you should expect negative to come out as well. Negative in and negative out.
Be intentional in searching for those people and influences you have. Social media is another place were it can be easily covered up that someone you are involved with is a negative influence onto you. Make sure that you are allowing yourself time to get to know or understand those that you are interacting with on social media as their influence can quickly become a negative influence to you. Not all that is on social media is good, actually most of the things on there are intended to influence the wrong kind or negative types of behaviors in humans.
Next, look for groups and organizations that align with your values. Do they support who you are and what you have been through? Are they non-judgmental towards what you have experienced and what makes you unique? These are the kinds of people and organizations that you will want to be intentional to seek out and be involved with. Some of these groups might even be found in location religious organizations and churches.
Remember, you are a reflection of others, what you see and do with them will be what others see and do from you. If you want to be a positive person and be a good influencer, then surround yourself with those kinds of people in your life.
Choose to surround yourself with positivity and you will also reflect that same level of positivity towards others. This will help in creating good relationships in the future and building a good character that others will enjoy to be part of their life.