This call is originating from
an Ohio correctional facility and may be recorded and monitored. Hi, baby. How are you? Good. That's always your answer. Somebody was asking
me the other day, they're like, "So what does
Tyler normally talk about?" And I'm like, "Oh well, everything
is 'good' and 'fine'. And that's it." So, it's been a while since we
played our game. Are you ready? Alright. So... ...would you rather sleep in
a bunk bed or a regular bed? Yeah. Regular? Me, too. I've been sleeping in a
bunk bed for six years. Thank you. I literally just want to sit with my
kids and my husband and watch a movie. I've been gone for
too long and lost too many holidays and moments
and memories that I'll never get back. ...two, three, four, five, six, seven. Reasons why mom can come home. -From Bailee?
-Right. "I want to wake up and
see her face every day. I wish she can be at my
birthday parties and stuff, because she never got to.
I love and miss her daily. I want to go with her where
other kids go with their moms. Example: the mall." Ladies, watch your step.
Watch your step. Okay. Make sure
there's 10 people here. Okay. Let's see. Careful. One, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Okay. We're all here. Good morning, ladies! Morning. Good morning. If someone was to
make a movie of your life, what would the title
of your movie be? Mine would probably be From,
maybe, ‘Struggle to Success’. I would call it ‘Beautifully Broken’. Mine would just be called ‘Whoa’. Just because I've
overcome a lot in my life. Definitely. So, we are going to learn
about the different types of trauma. For some more specific detail. We're going to look at
emotional, sexual, and physical. "Tell me about yourself" is the
most commonly asked question in the beginning of an interview
and they use it as an icebreaker. If you have something
that's really hard to talk about, if they're pulling backgrounds,
they're going to see it anyway. Tell me a little bit about yourself. I have a bachelor's degree
in criminal justice. I'm completely embarrassed
by the fact that I'm in prison. I'm completely embarrassed by the
fact that I was addicted to heroin. I'm completely
embarrassed by all of it. And you want me to go out
there and explain to people that I have a felony,
that I was a drug addict. You want me to make that sound,
oh, it's great and wonderful. No. To me, that's really hard to do. One of the things I want
everyone in the group to get out of their system, Lydia... Yeah, go ahead.
Look at me. ...you are not a felon. Okay. And you are not
continuing to be a felon. You have a felony on your record. When you're property of the state,
you are literally just a number. It destroys your sense of self. I didn't grow up exposed to
cocaine and heroin and pills. The neighborhood I lived in was
two-story houses, white picket fences. My life was my kids. Landon. Hi, big man. Hi. Can you say,
hi Easter bunny. I was Soccer Mom. Go, Ash, go! Come on, Ash! I got into a car accident
and was prescribed Vicodin. I got to the point where I noticed that if I didn't take them,
I felt sick. When I went to one of my appointments
with my doctor, I was telling her, "Look, I think I'm addicted to these." And two days later, I got
a certified letter in the mail removing me from the practice. So I have no doctor. I'm
addicted to pills and I'm sick. I've got to get the kids to school.
They have sports. I've got all this stuff that I
have to do and I can't be sick. So I started buying pills. The more I asked around, the more
I realized they were I everywhere. I remember the first time
that I couldn't find pills, and my person, my drug dealer, said, "I don't have any pills.
This is what I have." I remember he put a line on the table
and I stared it for like two hours. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it,
because I knew that once I did that, there was no going back.
But I was so sick. But that takes you down
even faster than pills do and eventually you're up to $80
of heroin a day or $120 a day and... Thank you. So I would pawn things
to get money for my drugs. And I pawned some things
that I got, were stolen. You ready, set, go. Whoa. Ow. He almost got me, Dad. Oh, I know. It happens. Lydia and I have been
together nearly 18 years. The person that she
became two years ago was not the person
that I've always known. You get hit, you just shake
it off. You'll be all right. Hi. -Hi, how you doing?
-Good. How are you? Good. How's everybody today? Of course you know why we're here. We're working on developing skills, using tools, implementing
new practices and behaviors to be our best selves. Because I am a woman in recovery and
because I am an advocate for recovery and a survivor of substance
use and mental health disorders, is a great big part of why I do this. Nobody went to bed one night
and woke up and said, "Well, I'm going to
be a junkie today." Something prompted that
behavior in us in our past. I've been using drugs for a long
time, since I was like 12 years old. But even before that, it's
just been a normal part of life. Everybody we knew went to jail.
Everybody we knew used drugs. It was like we were destined for that. And, lo and behold,
I ended up in prison just where I always knew
as a kid I would end up. When we're in the midst of the thing, we don't even realize how
off the beaten path we're going, because we're right in there,
or it's our norm, so.... ...we're doing just
what we learned to do, what we thought we should be doing, even though there are
some consequences attached to this stuff
that could not be good. When I was growing up,
we were very poor. We were living in this crack hotel
where prostitutes go to get high. I remember my mom
always smoking crack. Every single person in my life
has always been a drug addict. By the time I was 14,
I was in a foster home and it was just devastating to me. The darkest point in my life was when
I started doing heroin and it got... It just went from bad to a
whole other level of worse. My relative and I owed a
drug dealer some money. And it was D-Day.
It was get it or die. So the next logical step was,
in our minds, to rob a pharmacy. She parked out back of
the pharmacy. I went in. There's, like, people
in there shopping. I call the pharmacy tech
out from behind the counter. And I lifted up my shirt and I said, "There's a guy out front
and a guy out back and I'll blow your effing head off if
you don't give me your Oxycontin." I hate that I let it get that far. I hate that I remember
the look in that girl's eyes. But I most of all just hate
that I let drugs take me there. I miss this. Me, too. We are going to go outside. Yay. So, we ask that the families line up
here and offenders just stay seated. Back up a little. We're getting
a little close to the barbed wire. I see Tyler three or
four times a year. He's with his grandma
on his dad's side. I'm so impressed right now. I know he is mad. And I know he won't say the
things that he wants to say to me. It just is one of those things
that's going to have to wait until I get out to work on. That was cool. Hey! Can you hear me? What you doing?
You're so goofy. Did the tooth fairy
bring you some money? She was off for the holiday. My daughter's name is Bailee. She's in Pittsburgh
living with my family. She was nine months
when I came to prison. That's a bunch of teeth in there.
Let me see. Hold it the other way. I never had one of
those when I was a kid. When I was Bailee's age,
my life was totally different. I grew up surrounded by drugs. I just kind of was, like,
self-taught, raised by the streets. Just wanting basic things; clothes,
tennis shoes, things like that. I was young and I was
around a lot of hustlers. So, I started selling
drugs, selling weed, and that was just
pretty much my lifestyle. I wasn't going back to poverty. I got pulled over and I got ecstasy
pills, and I had 13 pounds of weed. I ended up fighting this
case for about five years. And in that five years,
I had quit selling drugs. I ended up getting pregnant,
but eventually I got sentenced. I remember looking back at my family,
and looking back at my daughter. She had on this little sailor suit. That was the hardest thing
that I've had to do so far in life. And life was hard coming up, but leaving my daughter
was just... heartbreaking. Right now, she thinks I'm in college. Feel like it's time that I tell her that I'm in prison,
before she figures it out. -Daniel?
-Here. -Ernsburger?
-Here. -Ratherfort?
-Here. -Knapp?
-Here. -Robinson?
-Here. -Miller?
-Here. They're here! Who's here? Let me
see. They're here? Yeah. Let's see. That's my family. She wanted to make
sure you saw her shoes. Oh, those are beautiful.
Those are cute! You got heels on. -Hey! Hi, Papa, how you doing?
-Love you. Love you too. Thank you
so much for coming. Oh, baby. We good. I like coming here better
than just talking on the phone when I have to repeat everything
when you can't hear me. I know! Those phones
aren't that good. Remember, you were asking Granny
when she was on the phone and it kept saying Global Tel Link,
and you said, does that mean jail? Do you remember? No. You don't remember
asking Granny that? No. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. You do? So do you know...
Bailee, look at me. Remember I told you I was at college,
and then I was at cooking school. Well. Look at me. Really mommy is in jail. Why? Because I made some mistakes. So, now I'm here, and that's
why I can't come home with you. And that's why we can't
live together right now, is because I'm in jail. The real jail? Yeah, a real jail. Do you
know anything about jail? Not really. No? Hm, no. You know it's a lot of good people - Okay, let's stop
talking about that. I don't want to get you embarrassed. You don't want to get embarrassed? She said she don't want
to get you embarrassed. No, that's okay. I want to tell you. Look at me. I want to tell you. No, don't cry. It's okay. Okay? It's all right. That's why
I want to tell you. And remember I told
you before the people, that everybody that
comes to jail is not bad. They just made mistakes, and so they come to jail
so that they can pay back. [inaudible] Hmm. [inaudible] You want to send her money?
Okay. You mean help her pay back? Every 30 seconds, I
get a location on you. Okay. Whoa! -Oh, no!
-Oh! Ash, are you coming, buddy? Yeah. I'm right here. Your PlayStation's been
working good since we reset it? Redid the router? Oh, has it been doing better? Ashton, are you going
to talk to us at all? Are you glad that I'm home
or not so much? I don't know what that means. Doesn't feel right. Doesn't feel right? Why? You haven't been here
for two and a half years. I can't make them
just jump in to fit me, when they've made a life over the
last two years to fit them without me. Right now, I know there's work to do, and I have to earn
that right back with him. All right, Tomika. Let's get
a hopping on your gravy. We got rosemary and parsley
oil, which one you want? Rosemary. Couple years prior
to me going to prison, I had opened up a
restaurant inside of a nightclub. I had quit selling drugs, and was just focused on this, and
I was doing really well for myself. I felt like I had found my calling. But by the time I had
found my passion, I was already on my way to prison. Once I get out, I'm going to
open up this nice restaurant. I'm going to teach my
daughter the business, so that she has a better
chance at life than what I had. I had probably applied
at 30 different places and they didn't hire me
because of my background. Hi, I was wondering if you
were doing any hiring right now? Bailee. Happy birthday. Don't do it, Bailee. It's getting harder. I think a lot of it has to do with her getting older
and I can tell she's hurting. People have their moms and
I don't. I feel like it's not fair. Moms are supposed to
be there for you and close. She's there for me, of
course, but she's just like... She's not close there for me. Like I want to ride
my bike with her. I want to go to amusement
parks, water parks with her. I want her to see everything
that I do, go everywhere I go. I told my son when
he was four years old that I would be home
when he was 10, because I knew that
was when I could file. And he's 10 and he's waiting for it. What's his face going
to look like if I don't get it, if I tell him that I'm not coming
home for another three years? This Union County Court of
Common Pleas is now in session [inaudible] judge presiding. Ms. Freed, I want you to know that although you can be
brought back by the court, the court ultimately can hear
everything that you have to say, hear everything that your supporters
have to say, and then ultimately make a decision that it is not
in the best interest of the public for you to be released at this time. I don't want to be
seen on the news later having agreed or
consented to your release and then being not only embarrassed,
but, quite frankly, saddened by any particular things
that then may occur. Thank you so much. Let's hear from Ms. Freed and
then Mr. Hamilton will speak. I spent last night in the county jail and I haven't been around
people who've been using drugs, or been coming off drugs,
for almost seven years now. It was more of a humbling experience
than seven years in prison was. Like to see these girls the way that
I used to be, it was just eye-opening, and it made me more focused than ever
to just go out there and be an adult, and take care of my son,
and pay my bills. And I have no desire to
want to use drugs anymore. The calculated risk that is
being undertaken here is: can you conform to
the rules of society and get along with the rest of us, so that we're not in fear,
that we're not put in peril? The state has examined the 26 classes that Mrs. Freed has participated
in and completed successfully. The state finds that
the required calculation does demonstrate that
Ms. Freed is qualified and the state does not
oppose this judicial release. I remember you when
you were before me for your plea of
guilty and sentencing, and you were a much different
person then than you are now, so... You can't change the past
but you can change the future and I hope that you'll do that, and
never forget where you came from. The court really
appreciates your efforts. Therefore, further execution
of sentence is suspended. You're among the few
that has been granted judicial release by this court
on felonies of the first degree. -Thank you.
-Thank you, Your Honor. Thank you.
Court's in recess. Oh, my gosh. Hi. How are you? Oh, my gosh, I don't even know.
I'm ready to go. Yep, let's try these on. You got to try them on. Curvy. That ain't me,
but let's try them. That's real cute. I'm going to feel like a lady. How are they fitting? What do you think? Nice. How about a picture. Thank you so much. I can't wait to embarrass you
all of your years. No! I've missed so many
years of it, I have to. No, you don't. Yes, I do. I'm going to take you
into your new school and be like, "This is my baby. If anybody
messes with him I'll kill you." I love you so much.
Have a good night, baby. So you ready to
go back to school? Kind of. No, not really. Did you go school shopping yet? Mm-mm (negative). This call is originating from
an Ohio correctional facility, and may be recorded and monitored. I love you. I love you, Mommy. All right, I'll call you later.
Bye. All right, I love you. I love you. You can't force
anybody to forgive you. It literally takes time
and all you can do is do the right thing in the
meantime. Prove yourself. Good morning, you had
the large black coffee? [inaudible] This is Liner, I'm home from work. -Gotcha, thank you.
-Thank you. You haven't had any
violations or anything like that. You've been doing very
well on electronic monitoring. I'm done.
Yes! Free. -You're a free woman.
-Freedom! I miss you guys!
I wanted to tell you I am now the general manager
of the Tim Horton's out here. -High five.
-High five. And I got a chance to hire somebody else that was in prison,
so that's really awesome. If you have anybody out there at
all that is coming back to Toledo and they need a job, tell them
to come find me at Tim Horton's, because I will have a job for them. I sure will.
How's the kids? The kids are really good.
I'm still working on Ashton. He's still a little standoffish
here and there, but it's all right. It's okay.
We're going to get through it. I've never been somewhere
where I've lived right as an adult. I have a really strong sense
of anxiety in the mornings, like I'm not supposed
to leave my house. I think I was just so used to
being told what to do and not to do, that me making my own decisions about
it kind of gets my anxiety going. But then I remember all this time
that I've spent away from my son. Hi, how we doing today? Good. I saw you sitting
out there when I pulled up. That's the way to do it. I'm trying to be a
better person every day, which in turn makes
me a better mother. -Have a great day.
-You too. Tell your friends,
so they can come in and get 10% off until
the first of the year, okay? I should be like, "I can do
this, I'm kind of awesome," but I still have a lot to do. Any prior evictions and/or
criminal history will not be accepted. I want somebody to meet me and see
that I'm not this violent thug, right, which is what it's going to look
like on an online application. The prison called, and they said
my baby was coming home today. I was like, "Get the [expletive] out
of here. It's really happening today." This is just going to be just a
great day for Bailee and for Tomika. Bailee doesn't know that the real plan
for today is we're picking her mom up. She thinks we're going
to have a special dinner. Say cheese. Cheese! It's going to be so nice. Bailee! You want to take
her home with you? Take her home with you. She's coming home? She coming home. You coming home? Yeah, girl! I thought you would've figured it out. -No.
-No? Are you happy? Yeah? Hey. Come here, cryin'. I'm so happy for you. Thank you. So happy. I am so happy. I'm sleeping with you
tonight. I feel good, Papa. Love you. Let your mama sleep with you tonight. Okay. My goal is keep
moving forward, right? Don't be anything like
the person you used to be. Started school, finished
the first semester. Got a promotion at my job,
got an apartment. Man, that's a lot when I
check off a list like that. Time did not move this fast
in prison, I'll tell you that. Tyler decided not
to come live with me. He loves his Nanny, he loves
his school, his sports teams. And he comes up here and he has none
of that. He's got me, and that's it. That should be enough, but, to a kid
who's never had me, it's not enough. Every day, I hope he changes his mind. Sorry. Did I get you? No, it buzzed on my ear. -Just tickled?
-Yeah. Sorry. Ashton's had to see that
I'm not going anywhere. I had to earn that back,
and it took over a year. Beautiful. Him and I are actually
very close today. It's like having my little boy back, just in an
almost-full-grown-man-sized body. We're going to pour a
little olive oil in the bowl, then put some garlic salt and
seasoning salt. Very nice steak fries. Yeah. They are. They're nice. I would like to say he trusts
me again, but I still feel like there's that doubt in the
back of his mind, just in case. In one mile, exit on the
left onto Grand Street. Down here is where my old restaurant
was, inside of this night club. When I finally do get my
restaurant up and running, I'm going to name it Bailee's. Tablecloths, valet, liquor license. It's just something really nice. But I got to do this until I
could accumulate some money. Turn left onto Haymaker Road. Hey, I'm here with
your DoorDash order. All right, thank you very much. All right. You have a good
evening. You, too. Thanks. Turn left onto Mosside Boulevard. It's rough, starting over. Here you go. One score could make all
of these ideas come to light. But no, I would just be without before
I ever went back into that lifestyle. It's just not worth it. I just can't let you go.
I want to hold your hands. No. And hug you.
Don't be acting like that. No! Bailee, don't act
like that. I love you. Stop it. Before I left prison, I thought that our relationship would be
better than what it actually is, but I missed out on eight
and a half years of her life. Be good. See you after school. Bye, Bailee. I already know that it's going
to be a struggle, but I'm ready. So hello, ladies.
How's everybody today? Of course, you know why we're here. This is parenting plus
relationship restoration. This is a process, ladies,
for the rest of our lives. The system is designed to be punitive, but to me, it's about
getting our lives restored, and we need support to do that. There will be challenges, there will be some good days,
there will be some bad days. You have to keep fighting.
Every time the US invade a place known to produce narcotics, the availability and usage of said narcotics back in the US skyrockets. When they invaded Vietnam and the golden triangle in the 60’s and 70’s, there was a massive heroin explosion in the states (strung out hippies etc). When they went down to Nicaragua and Central America in the 80’s and 90’s there was a gigantic cocaine and crack epidemic. In the 2000’s they invaded Afghanistan which is a centre for opium poppy production. Suddenly, what had been a slow burn of over prescribing doctors in the states explodes into a tidal wave of opiate pills flooding into all corners of American life. Turns out, the key ingredient in those pills is from the same poppy plants they we saw growing and troops protecting out in Afghanistan. Studies are now finding abnormal links between opium production in US occupied Afghanistan and activities of the pill pushers back in the States.
The CIA are infamous for orchestrating the first two, this looks like they got tired of jostling with the DEA and funneled into a more protected outlet for the trifecta. Just saying
"Just say no, what's so hard about that?" -Chappelle