Prisoner Profile Archives

“What’s Your Legacy Going to Be?” A Second Chance at Life

Thursday, May 5, 2022

Steven Hawthorne’s story shows how second chances make sense. When he got his second chance and was released from Illinois state prison, Steven started building a productive life of service — and he hasn’t stopped since. Right now, there are too many people in Illinois... Read More

A Second Chance So Dahvon Can Be “Part of the Solution”

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Too many people in Illinois are serving long prison terms that don’t make communities safer, like Dahvon Wilson. There are plenty of people locked up who do not pose a risk to public safety, yet languish in prison for decades because Illinois’ laws don’t give... Read More

A Lifetime of Remorse and Service to Others

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

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, who do not pose a risk to public safety yet languish in prison for decades because Pennsylvania’s laws don’t give... Read More

“A Good Man!” When Sentencing Enhancements Add 45 Years

Thursday, January 13, 2022

“My roots weren’t strong, and when the storms of life came, I couldn’t hold on,” says Charles Scott, currently serving more than 51 years in federal prison – 45 of which are “stacked” mandatory enhancements. Read More

Shouldn’t There Be a Place for Redemption?

Thursday, October 28, 2021

[UPDATE: Terrell Carter was granted a pardon from Gov. Wolf in July 2022. He is now free.] Too many people in Pennsylvania are serving long prison terms that don’t make communities safer. There are plenty of people locked up like Terrell Carter, who do not... Read More

Keep Them Home: Travis’ Story

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

At this moment, thousands of people safely completing their sentences at home are living in fear that they’ll be sent back to federal prison through no fault of their own. A memo from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued in the final days of... Read More

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

Monday, August 23, 2021

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 won’t come until the ratio is 1:1. Until then, thousands of people, more than 80 percent of them Black, remain... Read More

Behind Bars and Starving to Death: The Urgent Need for Medical Parole

Friday, June 25, 2021

UPDATE: Joseph Palmer was released in August 2021 after being granted parole. What happens when someone in prison gets very sick and there is no mechanism in place for the system to allow for compassion? That’s the situation that Joseph Palmer and his family are... Read More

If the Law Is Wrong Now, It Was Wrong Then: The Case for First Step Act Retroactivity

Thursday, June 24, 2021

The First Step Act helped thousands of people get shorter, fairer sentences. But as its name makes clear, it was just a start. Too many people have been left behind simply because of the date they were sentenced. The First Step Implementation Act would reunite... Read More

When Addiction Leads to 30 Years Behind Bars

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

“I am not saying that I am innocent. I did some really foolish things and failed to reach out for help for my addiction. I broke my mother’s heart.” Celeste Blair’s path from childhood trauma to addiction to prison is all too common. At the... Read More

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