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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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.
Celestia Mixon
Celestia began using drugs at a young age to cope with her father’s abusive behavior. She turned to selling meth to feed her addiction and was indicted for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth while in possession of a...Read More
Paul Fields
Categorized as a “Career Offender” because of prior nonviolent offenses, Paul Fields was sentenced to 15½ in federal prison on one count of growing marijuana. Happily, his sentence was commuted by President Obama in December 2016. He will be released in the fall...Read More
Melissa Trigg
Melissa Trigg received a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and an additional five-year mandatory minimum sentence for possessing a gun at the same time. UPDATE: Melissa Trigg was released to the...Read More
My Story: Veda A.
“Robert has much to offer society, if given the opportunity.” UPDATE: Veda’s brother Robert was released from BOP custody on July 19, 2019, after receiving his “goodtime” fix from the First Step Act. Read More
Atiba Parker
Atiba was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at age 24 and started selling small amounts of crack so he could purchase marijuana for self-medication. He is serving a 42-year prison sentence for two counts of sale of cocaine and one count...Read More
Michael Keating
In 2007, Michael was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for manufacturing a substance or mixture containing methamphetamine. He’d allowed an acquaintance to cook methamphetamine on his property, and although the wastewater that police found contained less than...Read More
Barbra Scrivner
Barbra was addicted to meth as early as high school, and later, when she was struggling to support her daughter, her incarcerated husband encouraged her to sell meth to his friends. Although she claims she ended her ties with the...Read More
Sherman Chester
Sherman received a life-without-parole sentence when he was 27 years old for his involvement in a drug conspiracy. Because of his two prior drug possession convictions and the federal three-strikes mandatory sentencing law, Sherman’s judge couldn’t hand down a sentence...Read More
Erik Weyant
Threatened in a parking lot by a group of men and fearing a beating or even worse, Erik pulled out his legal handgun and fired shots into the air. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated assault...Read More