Incarceration does not end at release

I met Mr. X on Tuesday, June 10th, as he was walking through downtown Chinatown at a quarter past midnight. He asked to remain anonymous for this story.

He stopped me to ask if I had a cigarette. I told him I didn't, but mentioned there was a Walgreens just down the street where he could buy some. That's when he told me he had just been released from prison, had no money, and was facing a 15-hour walk ahead of him.

I insisted on buying him a meal and asked if he'd be open to a few questions about his time in prison.

He said he had served 8 years on charges of distribution and conspiracy to distribute. I told him 8 years seemed excessive for a nonviolent offense - he responded that others have received life sentences for similar charges.

I asked how he ended up in D.C. if he had just been released that day. He explained the prison gave him a train ticket into the city, but provided no way for him to get back to his home in Germantown - more than 28 miles away.

In a sense Mr.X was still in a prison, still trapped, for a crime he has already served his sentence for.

This image depicts Mr. X having his first soda in 8 years, shortly before lighting a cigarette.