In 2002, at the age of 18 and under the influence of drugs and alcohol, Jesse Crosson committed several violent crimes and was sentenced to 32 years in prison, twice the maximum suggested by sentencing guidelines.  Rather than a planned gap year before college, Jesse would spend decades in prison. His family feared his future was bleak, but Jesse's story was just beginning. Now an experienced practitioner of Zen meditation with a bachelor's degree in existential psychology earned while behind bars, Jesse has worked as a mentor to fellow inmates with mental health and substance abuse issues and has had his writing published in newspapers and on national criminal justice related websites. In this episode, journalist Courteney Stuart, who developed a friendship with Jesse after reporting on his quest for clemency in 2019, speaks with him about his path to incarceration and his transformation over the past two decades as an inmate in the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Original music by Michael Clem
Sound editing by Taylor Thomas