Archive

Celeste Monette Blair is serving 30 years in federal prison. Prison life is more chaotic than ever now, yet somehow she is able to find a sort of peace, and even to give something to us through her words. Here’s what she wants you to... Read More

May 2020 — Guadalupe Velazquez is more than seven months pregnant. She and her fiancé have named the baby Beya Natalia. It’s the first child for both of them, and they have all the usual fears about being new parents. But for them it’s much,... Read More

For Wayne Potee, it all comes down to one day. It was a weekday, and he was working on power lines when he took a bad fall off his truck. He suffered an injury to his rotator cuff that required surgery. Afterward, the surgeon prescribed... Read More

John Knock is in prison for marijuana charges for a term of two life sentences plus 20 years. This story is from his sister, Beth Curtis. From day one, Beth has been John’s strongest supporter. She will never stop telling his story and working to... Read More

Last year, one of the jurors in Frederick “Rick” Turner’s trial talked to the Washington Post after Rick’s sentencing hearing. “Mr. Turner has a problem, he made really bad decisions. But do I think he can be a productive member of society? Yes, and I... Read More

When Charceil Kellam was arrested in September of 2006, her family assumed that she wouldn’t spend much time in prison. She had a history of arrests, related to her decades-long addiction issues, but even when convicted, she never spent a ton of time locked up.... Read More

In 2011, three days before Christmas, 23 year-old Ashley Renee Keeton was worrying about being able to put toys under the tree for her four young children. Wanting to make some quick cash to buy gifts, she decided to take a risk — she agreed... Read More

“Those people don’t want to hear about a poor country boy’s sad story.” — Paul Houser Paul Houser’s story is sad, but it is well worth hearing. He’s now 11 years into a 60-year sentence for drug crimes. How he got there points to Mississippi... Read More