Justine Morgan's life takes a dark and unexpected turn when she is swept into her boyfriend's criminal underworld and thrust into the labyrinth of the penal system. What begins as an infatuation with Carl Davis, a charismatic yet mysterious classmate, quickly spirals into a nightmare that leaves her facing an armed robbery charge. Despite her protests of innocence and her privileged, sheltered upbringing, Justine gambles on a jury trial-only to lose, resulting in a five-year sentence with no parole. Inside the cold, unforgiving walls of the state prison, Justine is stripped of everything she once knew. But in the depths of despair, she discovers a new purpose. Surrounded by fellow inmates who have lost all hope of a future, Justine becomes their advocate, fighting for their dignity and second chances. In a world that's forgotten them, Justine rises, determined to reclaim not just her own life but the lives of those trapped alongside her. As she navigates betrayal, loyalty, and the harsh realities of prison life, Justine's story becomes one of resilience, redemption, and an unexpected battle for justice. Can she find a way to break free-not just from her prison sentence, but from the shadow of injustice?
A deeply nuanced look at the criminal justice system in America and the unequal treatment of women offenders within it. Justine Morgan had made some bad decisions in her young life but by far the worst of those was to fall in love with a charming man who would ultimately lead her into a world of trouble and crime. A law student at university, Justine was heading toward her desired goal of becoming a lawyer when Carl sat down beside her one day in her statistics class. Love and naivet allowed Justine to meekly surrender her dreams, drop out, and blindly follow Carl wherever he commanded. When Carl and an accomplice pull off an armed robbery, she finds herself unwittingly driving the getaway car. Tried as an accomplice to armed robbery, Justine quickly finds herself incarcerated in federal prison for five years. Bewildered and lost, how is a middle-class, privileged white girl going to survive in the harsh environment of the U.S. Federal prison system?