The Freedom List: Returning to Prison
"The walls sneered: 'We knew you'd be back, so we kept everything as you left it.' That terrible déjà vu began before I'd even reached the prison's chain link fences."
Stories from before, behind, and beyond the bars.
An unflinching account of one man's journey through a decade-long prison sentence and beyond. From the courtroom to confinement, Five to Twenty is an unfiltered look at America's criminal justice system and a former inmate's search for freedom and redemption.
Recent Stories
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Pink Socks: On Probation and Polygraphs
"The test isn't really about separating fact from fiction—which it can't do—but rather about frightening and intimidating the test-taker."
Past Dispatches from Prison
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Watching: Inside the Inmate Suicide Watch Program
"Dr. Hart says that for many people, the emotions that lead them to consider suicide are brief and temporary. You can save a life simply by being there."
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El Burro: Laughter in Unexpected Places
"He was given the name because of a medical affliction that resulted in his having a member roughly the size of a deli salami. It literally, from what Bo said, hung down to his knees."
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The Solicitor: A White Supremacist's Advances
"After knocking, he let himself in, closed the door, and took a seat beside me. The PA system announced that the 10-minute move had ended. Duke had me all to himself for the next hour."
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The Typewriter's Secret: A Love Letter Discovered
"'I had it all worked out—the farm in Montana, the huge log home by the river, sharing the warm, snowy nights cuddled before the fireplace.' Must be a white guy, I thought."
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Essays: Inmate Student Stories on Childhood Homes
"So I told the class to forget about introductions, bodies, conclusions, and grammar and spelling and paragraphs—just write, I told them. Describe your childhood home. Make me see, smell, hear, taste, and feel that space."
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Going Straight: The Employment Crisis for Ex-Offenders
"Joe guffawed. 'I'm forty years old and have no skills. I've been selling drugs since I was ten. It's the only thing I know.' We are, Joe and I, in similar situations."