Diane’s Story: I Moved 180 Degrees on Compassion
Diane has been a part of the FAMMily for years now. She is a tireless advocate for her husband, and she is a source of...
Compassionate Release Clearinghouse: Damiene Lewis
On April 24, 2020, Damiene Lewis was granted compassionate release and sent home. “That’s a huge blessing,” he says now, from his mother’s home in...
Jomari DeLeon: Pressured Into a Terrible Decision
Jomari DeLeon made two drug sales over 24 hours, making less than $200. Kingpin? Hardly. Yet this first-time offender was sentenced to 15 years. Even...
Chris Young: “Barely on the Totem Pole” and Life in Prison
The judge at Chris Young’s trial described his life sentence as “way out of whack.” The absurdity of his punishment is matched, though, by the...
Jeffrey Woods: Sober and Stuck in Prison
When police discovered drugs in his car and arrested him, Jeff finally found the strength to clean up his act and get sober while he was out on bond. Sentenced to nearly six years, Jeff is working hard in prison...Read More
Jodi Richter
Jodi Richter was sentenced to 15 years for her minor part in a drug conspiracy that involved more than 500 grams of methamphetamine distributed in North Dakota, Minnesota, and elsewhere. Her story—with its myriad threads of addiction and mental illness...Read More
Tracy Cowan
Despite a clean record and no evidence proving that she sold drugs, Tracy was sentenced to 20 to 40 years for her ex-boyfriend’s dealing operation. She was arrested before the passage of sentencing reforms in Michigan that would have reduced...Read More
Robert Furlong
Robert Furlong is serving 15 years in prison for growing marijuana – his first offense. Under the sentencing guidelines, Robert would have received about five years in prison, but the mandatory minimum sentencing laws left the judge with no option...Read More
Stephanie Troy: Making the Most of a Bad Sentence
UPDATE: Stephanie was released in the fall of 2018. She is working hard at her reentry, bonding with her children and trying to find some stability in her life. Stephanie’s story is a messy one, reflecting the chaotic life of...Read More
Lisa Andrews: Addiction, Abuse, and Now Prison
A very troubled life of addiction and abuse landed Lisa Andrews in prison for 12 years. It’s clear that she needed intervention and help—but is more than a decade in prison the answer? Read More
My Story: Kaylee G.
For most of Kaylee’s childhood, her father was incarcerated. She was one of the astounding 2.7 million children in the United States growing up with a parent in prison. Now she is an adult with a child of her own,...Read More
Fulton “Mr. Wash” Washington
Once a young man with a promising future, Fulton ended up in prison for nonviolent offenses related to the drug PCP. Mandatory minimums landed him with a life sentence. He spent more than 21 years in prison before receiving clemency...Read More
Shirley Schmitt: “She Never Sold a Single Ounce for Profit”
Shirley is serving a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for her role in a methamphetamine conspiracy – which never sold a single ounce of the drug for profit and was only created to feed her addiction. Read More