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...
Katie Hoyle: A Second Chance at College…And Life
Four years ago this month, Katie Hoyle finally walked free out of prison. Now, she’s planning to walk across the stage of Iowa State University in the spring of 2018 to receive her college degree. Read More
Terrance Davis: 101 Feet and 22 Years
Because of the Drug-Free School Zone Act in Tennessee, this low-level drug offender is serving a decade longer than he would have without that enhancement.Read More
Debi Campbell: “I Know Exactly What They Mean”
Debi became addicted to methamphetamine in the early 1990s and began selling it to others because she thought the extra money would help keep her family together. She was sentenced to 19 years and seven months under federal sentencing guidelines....Read More
Eric Wilson
“I want to be part of the solution and no longer part of the problem. One bad decision does not have to define you; you can change if in your heart you want to change.” -Eric Wilson UPDATE: Eric Wilson’s...Read More
Michael Giles: No Ordinary Defendant
Michael is a veteran serving a mandatory 25-year sentence under Florida’s 10-20-Life law after he fired two shots in self-defense, shots that did not seriously injure his attacker. Read more about what Michael’s incarceration means to his family via an op-ed...Read More
Calvin Bryant: 17 Years for a First Offense
Beloved by friends, family, teachers, and co-workers, Calvin Bryant is now serving 17 years for a first-time offense. His sentence was grossly enhanced by Tennessee’s harsh and unfair drug-free school zone law. UPDATE: In October 2018, Calvin was resentenced to...Read More
The Story of Mandy Martinson
Mandy Martinson was serving 15 years in federal prison for helping her dealer-boyfriend in exchange for feeding her methamphetamine addiction. Mandy’s judge, unable to go below the mandatory minimum, expressed his objection to the sentence, stating: “The Court does not...Read More
Nichole Marie Forde
Nichole Forde’s life was spiraling downward. Abused as a child, living on the streets, two suicide attempts … When she was finally convicted of selling drugs in 2010, it might have been a blessing in disguise. Nichole needed a change....Read More
Clarence Aaron
Clarence was sentenced to life without parole as a first-time offender after he introduced an old high school football teammate to a college classmate whose brother was a drug dealer. He was present for a drug transaction and another attempted...Read More