The Other Death Penalty

How does someone go from a death sentence to freedom? In this part II conversation with Taewon Wilson and his wife Candace, we hear about his spiritual, emotional, and physical journey to freedom. 

Candace awaits the release of her beloved partner and husband, Jamil. When he gets out of prison after over two decades, a new chapter of their life begins. 

Candace met Taewon when they were fifteen years old. Just a couple of kids navigating the turbulent waters of adolescence and high school. They dated for a bit, on and off, and then in a sad twist of fate Taewon got caught up in a crime that sent him to prison, not just for a few years or decades, but for life. Taewon was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, which meant he would probably die in prison. This is the story of how Taewon and Candace reconnected, found love, got married, and are now fighting for his freedom. 

"Nobody serves forever in prison; You'll get out eventually." But what if you don't? What if that hope slips away and you're left with an existence that feels soul-crushing? The existential angst settles in, like a piece of writing from Sartre or Camous. If that's not intense enough, the experience itself exists for your demise. The cost? Scars and dents and a perception of reality that begins to fade into a fantasy world that one can only conjure up in the mind. 

In this episode, hosts Kenneth Hartman and Lucy Copp share the space and pass the mic to Alia Hartman, Ken's daughter. Her perspective of LWOP is that of a daughter who grew up visiting her father in prison visiting rooms across the state of California. Now that her father is home, Alia is navigating new territory and learning that embracing the physical presence of her father is both joyful and challenging. 

Kenneth and Lucy share their own perspectives of "life without the possibility of parole" and discuss the California prison system at large.