Stories - FAMM

Stories

Featured Stories

Free to Succeed: Ernest Boykin

“2027” is written boldly on the back of Ernest Boykin’s phone as a reminder of the year he would have been released, had he not...
READ STORY

A Lifetime of Remorse and Service to Others

Too many people in Pennsylvania are serving long prison terms that don’t make communities safer. There are plenty of people locked up like David Mandeville,...
READ STORY

When a Second Chance Means Powerhouse Advocacy

There’s nothing romantic about prison. But here’s a FAMM story that’s undeniably romantic. It’s about what happens when fierce advocacy, Fantasy Football, 35 birthday cards,...
READ STORY

A Racist Disparity, the EQUAL Act, and One Man’s Redemption

The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 reduced the disparity in sentencing for crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses from 100:1 to 18:1. But true justice...
READ STORY

Motivating everything we do here at FAMM are real people—prisoners, families with loved ones locked up, returning citizens—who experience firsthand our broken criminal justice system. When FAMM started more than three decades ago, it was the stories of these people that defined our mission and our work. And that hasn’t changed.

On this page, you’ll find many different kinds of stories, featuring people of all stripes from all over the country. Each and every one of their stories shows in sharp relief the problems with bad sentencing laws and prison policies. We hope that these stories educate and inspire you, just as they do for us.

 

  • Clear Filter

Yolanda Flournah-Perkins

In 2004, two semesters before she was set to graduate from the University of Central Florida with a degree in criminal justice, then-23-year-old Yolanda Perkins was sentenced to 37 months in prison for possession of stolen mail, a white-collar offense....Read More
State: Florida
Issue: Sentencing
Kenneth Graham Stanley

Kenneth “Graham” Stanley

This first-time offender spiraled into selling drugs — “the worst decision I’ve ever made” — after his addiction took fierce hold and wouldn’t let go. The judge at his trial said the long mandatory sentence was “quite harsh,” but he...Read More
State: North Carolina
Issue: Sentencing

Ricky Minor

Ricky is serving a life-without-parole sentence for attempting to manufacture methamphetamine. His sentence is based on prior offenses, even though none of them resulted in prison time. He had been fighting addiction and depression for years when he was sentenced. ...Read More
State: Florida
Issue: Clemency

Telisha Watkins

Addicted to drugs from an early age, Telisha was sentenced to a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, because of drug-related priors. President Obama granted her a commutation on July...Read More
State:
Issue: Clemency

Douglas Lindsay

A veteran and a Mental Retardation Specialist, Douglas received a life-without-parole sentence for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine and cocaine base. President Obama granted him a commutation on July 13, 2015, and he was...Read More
State:
Issue: Clemency

Timothy Tyler

Tim Tyler was sentenced to a mandatory life sentence in federal prison for selling LSD through the mail. He was 25 years old when he was sentenced and has spent nearly half of his life behind bars. On August 30,...Read More
State:
Issue: Clemency

Oliver B.’s Story: Prison Is the Wolf That Scatters Sheep

My brother has served 25 years of a mandatory life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense. John is now 70 years old with no prospects of being released. The impact of outdated sentencing laws is not only tying the hands...Read More
State:
Issue: Sentencing

Cynthia Powell: 25 Years for 35 Pills

Cynthia Powell was not an addict. She was not a dealer. She sold 35 of her diabetes pain pills to a confidential informant—for $300. Just enough to make ends meet that month. Next thing she knew, she was arrested, charged,...Read More
State:
Issue: Sentencing

John Hise

John received a 10-year sentence for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Although his role was limited to facilitating the movement of red phosphorus, a chemical used in the production of methamphetamine, John received a longer sentence than...Read More
State:
Issue: Federal