🥋 Sundays with Cain – Episode 5 - A ROLL & RUMBLE Fight Co. Exclusive - Special Feature

🎤 Interview by “D-Man,” CTF Inmate Correspondent

This Sunday afternoon brought the usual heat, wind, and sun-drenched rhythm of Salinas Valley summer. Inside the gates of CTF, life moved in its familiar, steady churn. But something new caught my attention — my cellmate invited Cain back to church… and I can now officially report: Cain Velasquez is part of the choir.
We didn’t get into that during our interview — but don’t worry, I’ll be circling back on it next week.

For now, I want to shift the focus and introduce both Cain — and you, the reader — to something powerful: a key component from the Compassion Prison Project curriculum known as the ACE Questionnaire.

ACE stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences, and this questionnaire was developed by Dr. Vincent Felitti of Kaiser Permanente and Dr. Robert Anda of the CDC. It’s not a test of intelligence or character — it’s a tool. One that helps us identify childhood traumas and begin asking:

• Where did I form my beliefs?
• Are they still serving me — or is it time to rewire?

While the ACE quiz doesn’t cover everything, it opens the door to becoming trauma-informed. Science continues to reveal the long-term connections between early trauma and everything from chronic illness to incarceration, addiction, and mental health struggles.

Importantly: your score is not a label.
It’s not who you are — it’s what happened to you. And recognizing that is where healing begins.

So I gave Cain the ACE Questionnaire.
Here are the 10 questions he answered “yes” or “no” to before the age of 18:

Cain’s ACE score came back at 5.

And this moment marks the beginning of a deeper journey for him — a walk toward understanding, reflection, and healing. What comes next? Looking at the beliefs those early events created… then asking:
Are they true? Are they helpful? Or is it time to let them go?

To every reader:
I challenge you — take 3 minutes. Google “ACE Questionnaire” or visit https://compassionprisonproject.org to learn your score. Then ask yourself:
What can I do with this knowledge? How do I heal — not just for myself, but for those I love?

This week, I’m letting the topic of trauma stand on its own. It deserves the space.
Talk to someone you care about. Invite them to take the ACE quiz with you. Start the conversation.

My ACE score is 6.
And today, I’m not ashamed of that — I’m aware.
That’s the first step.

Next week, we’ll dive deeper into what comes after awareness. Until then… stay strong, stay open.

– “D-Man,” CTF Soledad