First, she isn’t writing “absurdly dramatic martyr prose”. It’s a list of experiences and worries. What is dramatically absurd is that such lists exist for so many people in “1st world,” free, democratic, and industrialized nation.

As for your response, “stop committing crimes… Live a healthy and productive lifestyle,” perhaps you missed the part where she points out there is no rehabilitation in prison and no forgiveness in society, “You know forgiveness, what it does and does not look like. It does not look like the denial of a job on the basis of the sins of sixteen years ago. It does not look like no food stamps for your felony.”