What It’s Like to Get Out of Prison Now

One woman’s story

Out of prison, and into a pandemic. Vanessa Santiago recently left prison after 22 years. The outside world has changed in ways she was unprepared for.

“I was bewildered by the self-checkout at Walmart. And how do you stand in line? In prison, we always had to be close, and now I have to be six feet away from everyone? I didn’t know the regular outside rules or the new Covid rules.” Read her story below.

I Served 22 Years in Prison and Was Just Released Into a Pandemic