By Hollie Garrett III I sit in this space observing the learning and empowerment all around me. Bryson stands at the white board patiently teaching his student the alphabet. Dev prepares to teach his ...

By Eileen Huber, CCWF How I survived is a loaded question. I was arrested at nineteen, doing hard drugs and alcohol from age 10. I was sentenced to life without parole and told upon my arrival at CCWF ...

By Darren Bondhill My name is Darren Bondhill and I’m currently serving a 72-year 6-month sentence for first degree murder along with multiple bank robberies and firearm violations. This is my second ...

By Shedrick Hutson Since 1999 I have made five trips to Marion Correctional and Treatment Center, the Virginia Department of Corrections’ answer to an inpatient mental health hospital. I am currently ...

By David Bomber You can always tell when the woodshop begins its operations for the day. For one, there is always that distinct sound of the motor turning over and activating their filtration system, ...

By David Bomber There is no point to be coy about it. The fact of the matter is that it is impossible to grasp the struggles that today’s prisoner faces, unless of course you were to walk a mile or tw ...

By David Bomber It is hard to pinpoint exactly how things went wrong. Perhaps it had something to do with the choices I made. Or maybe there were some contributing factors that ultimately led to the p ...

By Carl Prostell My name is Carl Prostell. I’m 41 years of age from Newport News, VA. I am currently incarcerated at River North Correctional Center in Independence, VA, serving an active 30-year sent ...

By Cecil Truman I was sentenced to 40 years for non-violent victimless “crimes.” I was arrested the day my wife committed suicide. After the police tried to frame me for my wife’s death by staging the ...

by Michael Wayne Bryant I am a 53-year-old prisoner in the Virginia Dept. of Corrections. I am serving a life plus sentence for multiple burglaries and sexual assaults. I am innocent of said crimes an ...

By Ricky Ortega Sentenced to life without parole, I entered the Folsom State Penitentiary in December 1983 at the age of 21—too naive to understand the danger that awaited me, yet my fear was unmistak ...

By Ricky Ortega Life without parole; for many it’s a point of no return. Where mortal man, stripped of their ambitions, stands naked and alone to face the meaning of life. Where mirrors are the window ...

THE LONG WALK HOME: Fences without Gates By Ricky A. Ortega Sentenced to life without parole, I often gaze outside my cell window, longing for the life I left behind. Perhaps time will stand still and ...

By D. Razor Babb Last Thursday, 2 days before the new year, they trotted in a phalanx of brand new CDCR recruits for a tour. Part of the pony show had them shuffling through the housing units. With th ...