My Brother Burned Our House Down—and Now I Understand Why

Years of drug addiction, mental illness and incarceration sent my sibling over the edge. A decade later, when I spent a night in jail myself, I finally saw what lit his fire.

Illustrations by Alison Rutsch

This is the eighth story in Pain of the Prison System, a series proudly presented by Narratively, written by high school students for POPS the Club – a nonprofit dedicated to providing a safe space for high schoolers whose lives have been impacted by incarceration.

I got the call from my sister, Lisa, at two a.m. As usual, it was her job to call me, and as usual, she got right to it.

“Randy burned the house down.”