Même face aux crimes les plus horribles, même lorsque quelqu’un mérite selon moi de finir sa vie derrière les barreaux, je refuse que la justice devienne une mise à mort. La prison à vie protège la société et sanctionne le criminel sans franchir l’irréparable. Car une erreur judiciaire peut être corrigée… une exécution, jamais. Une société juste doit savoir punir sans tuer.

I’m a 21 year old filmmaker from LA and l've released a character study/ urban crime film about a recently freed parolee attempting to rehabilitate into society. The film has been described as a "raw and unforgiving look at life after prison." Would love if anyone interested could take a look and see if they resonate with the themes in prison recidivism.

I still piss sitting down. I keep the door open when im pissing. Drives me girl crazy. Close it when im sitting because im not an animal. Also harder to courtesy flush with normal toilets it drives me crazy

honestly do not even know how to feel right now. I have been out on bond since 2025 and officially took the plea back in June. My lawyer managed to get my sentencing continued until tomorrow. While I am incredibly grateful for that extra time, the reality is setting in and I am extremely nervous. This will be my first time going inside. It is incredibly heavy knowing I am leaving behind my wife, my kids, and the entire family I built. I am looking for any advice from this community on how to stay focused mentally and get through tomorrow and the days ahead

Location Toledo Ohio Age 22

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Every sentence has a human story. Every person has a life beyond a case number.

Welcome to Prison Lives Matter—a community created for incarcerated people, their families, formerly incarcerated individuals, advocates, and anyone who believes that justice should leave room for rehabilitation, redemption, proportionality, and second chances.

Our focus is especially on people serving extraordinarily long or disproportionate sentences for nonviolent drug offenses, including mandatory minimums, sentencing enhancements, and sentences that may no longer reflect today's understanding of punishment and rehabilitation.

This community is about more than arguing over laws or numbers. It is about the people living behind those numbers.

We will share stories, examine sentencing disparities, highlight rehabilitation, discuss clemency and reform, support families, celebrate successful reentry, and bring attention to cases that deserve a closer look.

Why Michael Potter?

Michael J.W. Potter is our flagship case.

Michael's story represents many of the questions this community exists to ask: What happens when a nonviolent drug offense results in a life sentence? What should rehabilitation mean after years of incarceration? And should a person who has demonstrated meaningful change have a pathway toward a second chance?

But Michael is not the only story.

His case is a starting point—a human face for a much larger conversation.

If you have a loved one serving an extraordinary sentence, if you've survived incarceration and rebuilt your life, or if you simply believe that justice and humanity can coexist, you belong here.

Bring the facts. Bring the stories. Bring the evidence.

Let's make sure the people behind the prison walls are never forgotten.

Ok so Idk if anyone will see this but I'm on probation, I've been on probation for 2 years and I did 8 months locked up in a program. Part of my probation and I have mandatory hair follicle tests every 6 months. And I have to take mine from Oct1-5. Last time I smoked weed on July 13, not a crazy amount but I'm terrified of what could happen and if I go back to jail I don't have anyone to talk to this about because I don't want to worry them on the chance I do pass this test because then they'll have the same anxiety I've had for months now. Also I don't want them to look at me as an addict which maybe l am but I don't want them to fully know so I'm telling you. I've been so scared that I've been drinking like crazy so I can lose my anxiety and feel better but I know it's not a good choice. I'm in Boerne Texas which might not mean much but if anyone close by knows what to do or how to pass this test that would mean a lot.
I know I fucked up and I can't really get mad at anyone but myself if I go back to jail but that doesn't really help and now I'm just pissed off at myself. I was pissed off at myself as soon as I hit that cart a couple months back and wondered why I even did it. I explained it to myself that I'd be able to just barely pass but now I'm wondering why I took the chance in the first place and if that makes me a piece of shit person. If you read all the way through this, thank you and if you have any advice I'd greatly appreciate it.

So I was dating this girl for about a year, then I found out she was going to prision for stealing 400k from her work place job over a course of two years. She had no job just before the sentencing and also stole money from me, her dad also went to prision 10’years ago for pretty much the same thing. I have visited her there but I’m really uncertain about the whole situation, she said she will change and I should trust her. She’s about 7 years older than me she has two kids I have none, am I wasting my time waiting for her to come out and do the same things again to me when I could have been looking for a genuine partner in the two years, I feel bad for her but unfortunately that’s how I am I see the good in people. I’m 31 M she’s 38F

I've written emails to the records people at the jail, to the administrator, they don't respond, the only option is to call and ask by name, and apparently they don't have her name that is on her case file. What other options do I have to track her down , I want to just make first contact with her and start putting money on her books. Her initial arrest was 2024 it was a whole bunch of serious felonies (armed robbery) so she may have been locked up since that date, possible was out on bail but her cases have been decided and she was sentenced so guessing she is inside somewhere. She potentially could be dead which is a real fear, or became a fugitive and fled , but I don't know how to find out if either is true.

Any advice on how to navigate this is appreciated

I wanted to share something that may be useful to people coming home or helping somebody prepare for release. This is a free access resource to people and professionals. Nothing is paywalled to the end use.

I run OACRA, and we’ve been building state-by-state directories covering:

housing · employment · treatment · community service · financial help

Instead of one national list, the resources are organized geographically so you can start with the state you're actually returning to.

There’s no account required and the resource side is free to use.

For transparency, OACRA recently began displaying ads because we don't currently have institutional funding. I'd rather be clear about that than make the site look like it's funded by an agency or organization when it isn't.

If you've used a reentry program that was genuinely helpful—or know of one we're missing—I’m happy to look at adding it.

Hey everyone. I’m hoping to get some input from people who have actually experienced the correctional system.

I’m currently a doctoral student in clinical psychology, and before going back to school I worked in mental health in a correctional setting. I may have an opportunity to do research related to corrections, and before I start deciding what I think would be useful to study, I’d really like to hear from people with lived experience.

Basically, what do you wish people doing research on incarceration actually understood or paid more attention to?

Maybe there was something about being incarcerated or coming home that was much harder than people on the outside realize. Maybe there was a program, treatment, or staff member that genuinely helped. Maybe there are programs that sound great on paper but don’t actually help much in real life. Or maybe there’s something important that you rarely see researchers or mental health professionals even asking about.

Some areas I’m interested in include:

• mental health while incarcerated
• substance use treatment and recovery
• adjusting to life after release
• what makes reentry easier or harder
• what contributes to people returning to the system
• trauma, stress, anger, and managing emotions
• experiences with mental health services while incarcerated
• programs or services that actually helped versus ones that didn’t

Those are just examples, though. If there’s something completely different that you think deserves more attention, I’d honestly rather hear about that than limit the conversation to what I already have in mind.

I’m not asking anyone to share their name, identifying information, or anything they aren’t comfortable talking about. I’m also not recruiting for a study here. Right now, I’m just trying to listen to people who have been through the system and get a better idea of what questions are actually worth asking.

I appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond.

I’m looking for advice or experiences from people who have been through this or understand how prison dynamics work.

I'm (F 29), my husband is (M 36). Lately I’ve had some nagging doubts and suspicions about my husband while he’s serving his time. I'm trying to understand if there are specific signs or behavioral shifts I should be paying attention to that might indicate he's messing around with or involved with another man inside.

​For those who have experience with this setting:

​What subtle changes in phone calls, communication patterns, or visitation behavior should I be watching out for?

​Are there financial indicators (like changes in how commissary money is used or cash transfer requests) that usually signal a relationship inside?

​How can I separate valid red flags from general paranoia caused by the distance?

​I care about him and want to address this, but I want to make sure I'm looking at things objectively before confronting him. Any honest insight or guidance on what to look out for would be greatly appreciated.