![]() That all changes when Roy gets falsely accused of rape and sentenced to 12 years in prison. They seemed to have it all: good careers, a decent house, and a lot of love for one another (although their marriage wasn’t perfect). Roy and Celestial are newlyweds living in Atlanta. Our daughter Jenn recommended that we read this deeply moving story about how one incident of injustice reshapes the lives of a black couple in the South and eventually dooms their relationship. Although it’s fictional, the story is about the question at the heart of the anxiety Melinda and I saw that day: how do you rebuild your life after prison? I couldn’t help but think about that conversation when I was reading An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. Another mentioned that it felt like he was a car about to be dropped into the middle of a racetrack where the other cars are already going 200 miles per hour. One man told us he was scared to re-enter society after so many years behind bars. ![]() ![]() Although most were looking forward to leaving prison behind, some were clearly anxious about it. The most memorable part was the discussion we had with some of the inmates about transitioning back into society. I’d never been to a prison before, and it was an eye-opening experience. A couple years ago, Melinda and I visited a state prison in Georgia as part of our foundation’s work on U.S. ![]()
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