Hope Can Come From Behind Bars, Too
By Marlon Chamberlain
My name is Marlon Chamberlain, and 10 years ago I was released early on a 20-year sentence because of the Fair Sentencing Act. I know exactly how it feels to be inside around the holidays. Even though I’ve been out a while now, those memories are vivid. When I went in, I was only 23, and my kids were little. There were three of them, and I wanted so badly to be with them and make things right. I wanted to see them open presents and I wanted to have dinner with them — all of that. It was rough.
But I also remember some good things about being inside, especially this time of year. I don’t know if it’s because of how much time you spend with each other, but me and the people I knew inside made those holidays special. We made the most of it. No, it wasn’t the experience of being home with your family, but being able to experience the holidays with people I spent a lot of time with — that was a good thing. And those people helped me through even when it wasn’t the holidays. I went through some rough stuff — I lost a lot of family members outside — and those people helped me so much. They talked with me, walked with me, prayed with me. I am grateful to this day for those men.
I hope that if you are reading this and you have a loved one in prison, that your loved one has people like that in their life. And if they don’t, I wish that maybe they will soon. Those people doing time with me also helped me stay hopeful — not an easy thing at all. I was facing so much time when I went in, but I made up my mind to keep my head down and put all my energy toward changing the one thing I had control over: Me. I developed a passion for learning. The more I learned, the more free I felt. It’s okay to say, yeah, I messed up before and I need to change. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. And once you say that, you can move forward and get better.
Since I’ve been out, I’ve been extremely active in the criminal justice reform community and I’ve been laser-focused on my family. You and your loved ones should know that I am doing all I can — as loudly as I can! — to show the world that people like us can get out of prison, even early, and be successful and make our families and communities stronger. That we deserve reform.
Hope is so important. And this is the season of hope. I’m sending you and your loved ones inside hope and best holiday wishes.
Marlon Chamberlain is the manager of Fully Free, the campaign to end permanent punishment in Illinois. His story will be featured in FAMM’s January Free to Succeed program.
