receiving and release unit. here there's an ebb and flow of new inmates checking into the system while other inmates are there to pack up and move on. on this day, anthony nelson is going back to his food distribution company in lake tahoe after a year in folsom. and 23-year-old jesus acosta, a gang member from east l.a., is being released after serving four months. >> first name. >> i'll see you when you come back. >> i'll see you when you come back. >> all right. >> i'll still be there. >> you never know. that's why you've got to be careful. it's kind of good to know that you'll come right back if you're not on your toes out there. it's easy to get in trouble. you come right back. >> will they be back? young jesus has been in prison once before.

and for anthony, this was his fourth time behind bars. ♪ one day you'll find me on the main street ♪ ♪ i'll be the one who's looking square ♪ ♪ oh yeah >> if the goal of prison is to deter, punish, and rehabilitate criminals, maybe folsom is doing something right. in the past ten years, folsom inmates have provided about 1.5 million hours of community service. at that rate in a single year, the labor saves community agencies over $2.5 million. the true test is whether these inmates can continue using the skills they learned inside folsom to help their community once they are released. for msnbc investigates, i'm john seigenthaler

due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. there are 2 million people behind bars in america. we open the gates, "lockup." >> i report out front and i seen that 35-foot brick wall, and it's like a reality check, you know. >> this place is full of snitches running around thinking they're cool. >> monday, i was totally discharged. and i got tickets to see the minnesota twins play the kansas city royals thursday. >> i shot three people. he cut up two. >> and i made two knives. >> you know, they trusted me with their daughter. i ended up killing her. >> how can you put a padlock on? >> i saw it was a weapon, a class "a" violation. >> okay, i have a life sentence. >> life sentence.

>> life without parole. >> i'm doing a life sentence. >> i have a life sentence. >> life sentence. >> no parole. >> anamosa state penitentiary is a maximum security facility located in eastern iowa. home of some of the state's most violent offenders. one would think that the overcrowded conditions would lead to a constant barrage of bloody confrontations. well, think again. behind the walls of anamosa is a world of unusual contrast. >> to the security office. >> for new inmates arriving at anamosa state penitentiary, the very look of the prison can be intimidating. more than 100 years old, it was built entirely of limestone from nearby quarries. over the years, as the criminal population increased, so did the size of the prison. today, some 1,300 inmates live behind the massive 35-foot-walls and, like any prison, the threat of danger is everywhere. >> around our perimeter we have seven gun towers. they're manned throughout the

day. >> the danger is there each time you walk through that gate, you know. you don't know what's going to happen from the time you get on shift to the time you get off shift. >> there's only two types of people in prison. you got the predators and you got the prey. >> i stabbed an inmate 12 times. over some dope in front of the chow hall. >> you got somebody in your face everywhere you go around here. >> always keep in mind where you're working. try not to compromise any advantage you have. >> don't ever assume anything. >> you always have the chance of an inmate trying to escape. you don't know when. you don't know how they're going to try it, you know. >> when inmates break the rules, they're sent to the disciplinary unit also known as the hole.

here prisoners are allowed only one hour of exercise a day. the other 23 hours, they're locked in their cells. >> this is like the prison within the prison so to speak. they come here, basically, due to the actions of out on the yard or in a living unit they've somehow broken the rules and misbehave and they're brought up here for corrective management to try to improve their behavior. anamosa has a zero tolerance policy for rule infractions, so it doesn't take much for an inmate to end up here. but some inmates complain that the prison is infested with rats. inmates who trump up charges against another inmate to try to gain favor with guards or simply as a form of revenge. >> so many people want to tell you on and this place a full of snitches running around thinking they're cool. >> inmates often rat out others by writing an anonymous

complaint called a kite. >> say i want to get him off the yard because i'm mad at him. all i have to do is drop a kite, saying, okay, he's thinking about escaping. i drop it in the mailbox. the next thing you know, he gets locked up and investigated because that's a serious offense. >> when an inmate is suspected of any violation, he's allowed to defend himself at a disciplinary hearing. >> they appear before the administrative law judge on major reports, and it's his determination whether to retain that as a major violation which could result in loss of earned time, cell rest or placement in disciplinary detention. >> often, the charges against inmates are for minor infractions and the penalties are minimal. but in cases involving violence between inmates, the punishment can be severe. daunte bullock is accused of assaulting an inmate with a padlock. it's a very serious charge. if convicted, he could spend the next year in the hole.

>> what happened was inmate had got assaulted. my defense to him was telling him that i was in the area. i was just pushed out of the way as the inmate was trying to get away from the person who assaulted him. >> extra precautions have been taken to move bullock from his cellblock to the area of the prison where his hearing will take place. >> your number? >> 747686. >> the notice is from lieutenant collins. he cites violations 2, 11, 23, 27, 43 and 9. on april 8th, at 10:30 account allen was assaulted in area b. i determined that inmate bullock assaulted allen with a weapon and it was used in the assault. allen sustained injuries to his head above the right eye and required stitches and broke his right hand trying to block the

weapon that required a cast. i have here the photos of the scene of the incident that i will share with you. also before me i have a sock with the padlock inside. >> i didn't have nothing to do with the assault. when the assault took place, i was in the stairs and the inmate ran by me. mistaken by somebody, me being pushed aside when he was running, they thought he was the one that assaulted him. >> do you have any enemies in the institution? >> i'm not going to disclose their names. >> i'm trying to help you with your defense. because i read to you is confidential information available that i've read, that i've considered, and those are the statements from the various witnesses to this incident. and it's my responsibility to establish their credibility. i'm giving you an opportunity to provide to me names of people

that may not be credible. >> i didn't -- i didn't hear no confidential information from nobody. >> it's in your disciplinary notice. you've had every opportunity to present a defense to this issue. >> how can i defend myself against the report when you said there was a weapon involved and i don't even know what the weapon is. >> i showed it to you. >> now you tell me what the weapon is. in a report it don't say nothing about what the weapon is. >> is there anything else that you wanted to say today? >> yes. if you're going to find me guilty of something, find me guilty by connecting me with that padlock, dna, fingerprints. >> the standard of evidence is some evidence. the courts have ruled that that can be the report of a staff member. if you choose to be hard-headed about it, which apparently you are, then there's nothing more i can do. >> how can you put the padlock in my hands? >> i'm not going to let this hearing continue at this rate and at this point -- at this point i'm going to conclude your testimony. and you may have a chair. >> you tell me the padlock is mine. that's what i'm talking about. they said the padlock is mine. they can't even prove that it's mine. >> have a seat. >> the administrative law judge

must decide if there's enough evidence and eyewitness testimony to convict bullock. >> i feel like i've been manipulated through their -- their policy. >> after 20 minutes of deliberation, the judge makes his decision. >> mr. bullock, my finding is assault with a weapon that is a class "a" violation per i.d.o.c. policy. the accountability for that is 365 days of disciplinary detention and a forfeiture of 365 days of earned time. you'll also be required to pay any medical costs that may be associated with this incident. you may go. >> bullock received the maximum punishment, one year in the hole. coming up -- >> i haven't felt the sun on me for -- since 2001 now. >> for one inmate, self-imposed isolation is the only way to survive behind bars. for some inmates, the idea [ rosa ] i'm rosa and i quit smoking with chantix.

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for some inmates, the idea of spending life in prison is impossible to accept. >> i don't see my life as being in prison. i see it as being outside the walls. >> larry morgan was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering a young girl in 1994. he is serving a life sentence without parole. >> well, i didn't do it. you know, they convicted me of it anyhow. and i've got to live with that. but there's been a lot of threats against me, so i've been locked up the whole time. >> fearing for his safety,

morgan asked to be placed in the protective custody unit at anamosa. >> at first it's kind of claustrophobic being in a little cell 23 hours a day, but it's -- you know, after a while you get used to it. i've seen people lose their minds in these little cells. what i miss most about freedom is just probably being able to be outside. i miss the sun. i haven't felt the sun on me for -- since 2001 now. for me, i've got to hope that somehow or another truth will prevail in the end and my convictions will be overturned. otherwise, i'm probably sitting in a little cell for the rest of my life. >> spending days, months, and years living in a cramped room the size of a closet can take its toll on any prisoner. >> a claustrophobic dude couldn't live in here. he'd freak out.

man, at first, i ain't going to lie. i come over here and i was like, you know, man, i can do that and not even extend my arm. >> my bed is six feet long. there's a couple of inches at that end of the bed and there is this space here, a couple of feet where the toilet and the sink. so it's probably eight feet long. >> these inmates are lucky. through good behavior, they have earned their own cells. >> it's the sweetest reward ever to finally be by yourself. i can come in here and i close off out there and watch tv, read a book, do whatever i want to do. draw. it doesn't matter. >> but the majority of inmates here don't have that luxury. >> this is l-u-b. they call it animal house. >> if you ever saw the movie "shawshank redemption," that's what it's like except without like all the death. >> it's pretty tight. but, as long as you have a good cellie, and you just got to

learn how to learn each other's routines, each other's ways, the ways they live. you just work around each other. >> we got three men in here, top and bottom. somebody got to use the bathroom, we will leave. put the sign on the door. we just kick back, watch tv. listen to music, eat food. kick it. that's about it. that's about all you can do in here. >> the hot pot is easy, full it full of hot water, plug it in and cook whatever you want to cook. if i wanted to cook a hamburger from the window that's cold. fill it full of hot water, you take your cup, set it upside down, put your hamburger on there open in the package and the steam -- you can steam heat it and then, if you want to make big meals, we got shoeboxes which we call tubs. they are shoeboxes built to store stuff. but you empty them and then make a good dip bowl. nachos, 10 or 12 soups, a bag of

chili, a tub of cheese, summer dogs, fill it full of water, mix it up, dip it into your bowls and eat. >> after spending so many hours in a confined space, inmates value time spent outside their cells. exercise is the most popular pastime, along with getting a shave and a haircut at the prison barber shop. >> i like to talk people into doing a little something, something a little more stylish instead of the same old same old. makes them hold their head up higher. >> you can't rehabilitate your appearance and self at the same time, you are going to stay in these tombs forever. >> right behind is the shaving mirror. in that shaving mirror you usually see three people

standing in line, tidying up their faces. that's a daily thing all day. they get a good haircut and feel better about themselves. up next, an inmate confronts the parents of the girl he murdered. >> the victim's mom and stepdad are here today. vickie and greg. they trusted me with their daughter and i ended up killing her. vo: always one step ahead with an intuitive motion activated lid and seat,

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anamosa is a state penitentiary that houses hundreds of violent inmates. like most prisons, it's a place where faith is often in short supply. >> there is nothing in here. the best thing to do is to try to keep your mind as focused as possible so you don't -- every time you come in here, it takes a piece of you. i don't want it to take a piece of me where i don't have who i am anymore.

>> it makes you question religion. it makes you question politics. it makes you question anything you ever believed in. >> prison life can be especially hard for inmates like 24-year-old romeo hardin. >> my original conviction i came to prison at 15 years old for felony murder. and my sentence is life without possibility of parole. so, if i don't get any justice through the penal system, then i will die right here in this prison, probably in this cage. >> when he is not exercising, hardin spends his time writing poetry. >> poetry is one of the things that helps me cope with my confinement. it's like you can escape through your words, maybe no one hears them but you have them. i used to be a banger but now i

talk to the enemy in isolation, where walls become memories, memories become pain. pain becomes thunder soaked in the grief let it rain. life is death yet livable and continual. i was resenting, photographic reflections of lost times and psyche and imagination, ejaculating with passions of all kind. bound by concrete and steel. totally detached, i lost my -- that's called "concrete and steel." >> in an effort to give inmates a chance to restore faith in themselves, and atone for their crimes, the prison started a unique program called s.a.v.e., seriously acknowledging victims' emotions. >> not enough attention is paid towards the victim. >> this group here, you know, it gives guys chance enough to come and sit down and understand and find out why they have the behaviors that they have. >> typically inmates tend to hide from their crimes. but those who have attended today's session, they've made the daring decision to confront their victims face to face.

>> we know that forgiveness only nullifies the pain and hurt and loneliness and tears that we have caused because we truly realize the pain that we brought to so many innocent lives. we thank miss shorts. i thank my victim sidney. and the boys. we know we did wrong. and we realize that. >> i want to thank all you guys for taking the time out to come up. this, today, is very -- i'm nervous, by the way. my victim's name is jenny crompton. i'm doing first-degree murder. i'm doing a life sentence for it. >> 20 years ago mark smith stabbed his high school sweetheart to death on a hot summer day after school. >> she thought i was cheating on her. i didn't want to hear it. she got pretty emotional, you know, upset. i was getting upset. and with her getting upset made me get even more upset.

it just went back and forth. got to pushing, you know. and then she is trying to tell me, well, you better go. you better go. i'm like i really don't care, you know. you're not going to tell me what to do. you are not going to push me around. she went to the kitchen. she come back out with this knife in her hand, right? from the kitchen block that she had in the kitchen, right? what are you going to do with that? you are trying to tell me to get out of the house and you are going to try to scare me out of the house to get me going. it just clicked. something snapped. this ain't gonna happen. this ain't happening. you are not going to do this to me. you know. so she got closer to me i went to try to snatch the knife from her, right? as we are struggling with the knife i ended up stabbing her with it. okay?

it was like a hit of adrenaline, you know, a shot of adrenaline, i just -- i mean, i just -- i couldn't stop. you know, i snapped -- i snapped. and i just kept going. man, i stabbed her multiple times. there is a lot i want to say. right now there's so much on my mind, i can't say it. my victim's mom and stepdad are here today, vickie and greg. i want to thank them very much for coming. i took these people's trust. because, you know, they trusted me with their daughter, you know, not to hurt her in any way, and i ended up killing her, you know. i can say that, you know. i can, i can admit that i've killed somebody. >> when we made the decision to come to the prison to visit with mark, a lot of our friends and family were like, are you crazy? well, you know, i was full of rage and i was not healing very well. and i wanted to tell him about that. and so we brought with us, do you remember, some pictures of you guys when you were dating and then i also had this photograph of jenny dead on the emergency room table. and i remember we kind of pulled out the nice pictures and mark

was smiling and kind of talking about them and then pulled out this other picture. and i know that, mark, you didn't want to look at it. and i was so angry. i just wanted to keep shoving it in front of your face. i remember, i said to you, i want to hear you say that you killed jenny. and i realized how hard that was for you. but you did it. and everything just changed. because mark's reaction. and so that has given me a peace. >> no prison can ever reform every inmate or heal the wounds they've inflicted on society. but the s.a.v.e. program offers inmates a way to reach out from behind bars to those who have suffered at their hands. >> hearing mark say i'm sorry was a very healing thing for us. so i don't want you to think that it doesn't mean anything. i think it's really powerful to

say that i am sorry. >> it takes a lot out of you. i mean, emotionally, it just drains you, you know. like these talks that we have and, you know, it's hard. it's hard, you know. tires you out. good-bye. thank you, guys. okay. thank you. up next, one man's journey from violence to redemption. now back to "lockup." for more than 200 inmates at nipotent of oppounity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro.

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for more than 200 inmates at the anamosa state penitentiary in iowa, there is one thing for certain, decades from now they will be exactly where they are today. behind bars. you're about to meet some of these lifers, men who have had to accept a harsh reality that a life in prison is the only life they'll ever have.

on a hill overlooking anamosa is a small cemetery. it's a quiet, desolate place. and like the prison itself, the gravestones are old and weathered. >> being buried in our cemetery is an option for any inmate regardless of whether they're a lifer or whatever. some of the old-timers who have done a lot of years, this has been their home for a long, long time. and they make the request that they want to die here, where their friends are and want to be buried here. >> for most of the inmates at anamosa, death is a long way off. the average age of these men is 36. and some will have a second

chance at life on the outside. but for many of the inmates serving life sentences, death is the only way out. >> this all i got. this is my life. you know, i'm going to die here and that's the reality. they're going to take my body, because there ain't nobody going to take it. >> james "t-bone" taylor was once considered one of anamosa's most notorious criminals. a former street gang member, he's serving a double life sentence for killing two police officers. >> i hate that i'm going to die in the penitentiary. i'm not happy about it, but i accept it, because i don't have no choice in it because i'm not going to take my own life. but i'm going to make the best of this life sentence. >> when he first arrived at anamosa, taylor was considered one of the most dangerous inmates to ever step foot inside the prison.

>> they was on pins and needles right when i got here, then they heard i was going to get here. they was on pins and needles. they didn't know how i was going to behave. i got a stack of disciplinary reports because i disobeyed direct orders. i wouldn't take no orders you know, because i thought i was above that, right? so they locked me up, because they didn't want no gang bangers running this institution. >> but after years of violent outbreaks, defiant behavior, and long stretches spent in solitary confinement, taylor decided to turn his life around. >> it took a while to get me a job. it took about six months. i had to go around and really, really convince certain staff that, you know, that i want to do right. >> eventually taylor got a job in the clothing room where he has worked for the past two years. he also found a new lease on

life as a mentor to many of the younger inmates at anamosa. >> are they two different? >> this one is about all the poisonous animals. >> sean gathercole is taylor's cellmate. he's serving 25 years for first-degree theft and assault. >> we became cellies about a month and a half ago. it was really inspirational to know even though with the hard times he's gone through, he still has that power in him to help other people and not just turn their backs on them like everybody else does. there's still times i get scared like when trouble comes up. or i get con front by someone else. but i'm not as scared as i was when i first came in. because i see there is a lot of people like taylor, there is is lot of people you can sit down and talk to when you have a bad day or when you're just getting home sick. >> the show i was just watching

is about these frogs. >> yeah, i seen that. >> but inside the prison's general population, perhaps taylor is most admired for his efforts to reach out to new inmates arriving at anamosa. prisoners come here from a variety of jails and correctional institutions. most are repeat offenders. some are transferred here as the result of disciplinary problems. >> we average on an annual basis approximately 750 inmates that are brought into the institution. >> for these inmates, processing into anamosa can be shocking. the prospect of spending prolonged periods of time confined within these walls in close quarters with violent criminals shakes many men to the core. >> i've been in trouble with the law since i was 17. i'm 41 now. >> you know, a majority of my life is going to be missing again. you know?

>> you know, it's the feeling that you miss decades over decades. and here comes almost another decade again. i got to do what i got to do. i got remorse for what i did. i can't change that. i got to lay down and do my time and get out and just live a productive life this time and change my lifestyle, you know. >> for lance mccutcheon, who received a five-year sentence for selling drugs, arriving at anamosa is a bitter realization of a life gone wrong. >> when i pulled out front and i seen that 35-foot brick wall, man, it's like a reality check, you know. this is my first time being locked up. i'm locked up for selling drugs. i feel hatred but, you know, most of the hatred i feel for myself because there wasn't nobody forcing me to sell drugs. i sold drugs, you know what i'm saying, to try to have a better

life for myself and my family. i was walking around with thousands and i jumped off somebody over $65. when the police came i had 56 grams of marijuana on me in my underwear and it cost me five years here, you know? just to sit back and think about it, you know, i could have let that $65 go. i'd still be in the world with my family. >> you have huge -- just do upper bodies and make note if they have any others, too. >> upon arrival, new inmates are photographed, and digital stills are taken of any tattoos that they might have. these photos often help identify gang affiliations, which can influence housing decisions. >> i've had a headache for about the last five, six days, you know, it's mainly just due from stress. thinking of my family, my wife, kids. it's like a -- it's like a real bad dream, you know? and you're awake through it the whole time, you know. >> all right. thank you. >> after being photographed, inmates are strip-searched for contraband or weapons. when the procedure is over, they

are given an issue of clothing prior to receiving their housing assignment. while prison officials strive to make the experience as humane as possible, the rules and procedures, loss of personal freedom and the fear of the unknown, can be unnerving for any inmate. >> i just got to do the best i can while i'm here. take every day for a day and learn from my mistakes, you know, so i can get back out there. i don't have to worry about coming back into a place like this, you know. >> when these inmates are finally ready to be integrated into the prison population, they attend a program that prison officials have allowed james "t-bone" taylor to facilitate. >> when there's a dude in his cell, man, trying to kill himself, it ain't going to be me, man, pop my door, to save joe blow. it ain't going to be me. i ain't going to save you.

i'm not here to save you. you've got to save yourself. >> part orientation and part shock therapy, it prepares new arrivals for the harsh realities of prison life. >> they already understand. what we do here, man, this ain't no scared straight. or nothing like that. guys that have been in the joint before, they already understand. this is for the cats that have never been behind the wall. i talk about the gang affiliation. i talk about the homosexual activity. i talk about the different types of diseases in here. i talk about the gambling. >> we utilize mr. taylor because he's a person who's done approximately 25 years on a life sentence. he has come forward to change his life around from being a gang banger for years to somebody who wants to help other people, especially young inmates who come in. >> do your time, do your own. you ain't got to impress anybody. the only way you can impress me is if you can get back outside

to the free world. then i'm impressed. >> i think that's one of the best things that an institution can do for an inmate is have somebody like mr. taylor, who's been through the system the way that he has, you know, and then he comes one-on-one with inmates and explains to inmates, don't do this, don't do that. i took it beyond just a talk, you know, because i needed that talk, you know what i'm saying? because i don't know what's out there. up next -- >> they threatened our lives. we left, went to my trailer, grabbed a 20-gauge shotgun, a machete, went back out there. that's where it went down. [ bells jingle ]

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there is a brotherhood among inmates, a friendship and loyalty which often develops between the men over time. but nowhere is that bond stronger than with family. >> one good thing about coming to prison is it made us that much closer. >> michael love and his brother brad have been at anamosa for the past 12 years after committing a brutal crime at a christmas party. >> they tried to throw us out of the party and take our -- the liquor that we had brought. and two of them jumped brad and they had him pinned up against the side of the trailer. i had three of them attack me. they threatened our lives. we left, went to my trailer, grabbed a 20-gauge shotgun, a machete, went back out there and that's where it went down. i shot three people. he cut up two. >> one guy's got, like, partial

brain damage and the other one just got his arm -- >> he'll never be able to use his right hand again. >> although both men faced life sentences for murder, michael pled guilty so brad could plea bargain down to lesser time. >> brad didn't kill anybody. i'm the one that shot and killed the guy. so i didn't think it fair for him to spend the rest of his life in prison, which i didn't want that anyway. he gets to go home, where i'll probably end up dying in prison. >> the brothers live in separate cell houses on the prison grounds. but outside, they're always together. >> lifting weights, it keeps me from bugging out on somebody or hurting them. it's a good way to release your frustration. >> growing up, i wanted to be him, you know? he's almost four years older than me. >> so, when i was like 11, he

was already 14, in his teens and stuff. i see him running around and drinking and breaking into stuff and doing whatever he is doing, and i'm like, i'm going to be like him. that's my big brother. that's my idol. so, you know, i kind of followed in the same footsteps. >> i love him to death. i would do anything for brad, anything, short of killing somebody again. we're really close. he makes doing time so much easier. he was 18. he had a whole life ahead of him. he could have been a pro football player or a rock star, whatever he wanted to be. and i feel in my mind, in my heart, that i ruined that for him. there's no way to explain how much guilt i carry around. >> brad hopes he will be paroled from anamosa in eight to ten years. but his freedom will carry a high price. >> if somebody is on probation or parole, they cannot be on a visiting list of a person that's incarcerated.

>> once he gets out, i will never be able to see him again because he will be on probation or parole the rest of his life. >> well, i hope they make an exception and at least let me talk to him. >> as unusual as the love brothers' situation might seem, they are not alone. >> i wonder what kind of [ muted ] they got up into the food hall, man. >> dustin maples and dennis creal are half brothers. they have the same mother. >> get out of here, come home with us. >> home, boy! >> you know what i'm saying? >> dustin is serving five years for second-degree theft. dennis is doing ten years for first-degree theft. >> time is a lot easier on our side when you got family on your side, you know what i'm saying? that way you can stick together no matter what. help each other out, you know what i'm saying? >> you know, you can talk to them about anything you know

what i'm saying? you can't talk to a friend like you can your brother. >> yeah, mike. yeah, we talk about the garbage-ass food, man. there ain't no taste to it. they boil all the [ muted ] out of it. >> they don't care how it was cooked, as long as they get us fed. you know what i'm saying? >> growing up, the brothers became active in gangs and have been in and out of jail since their early teens. >> i love the dude to death, man. we've been -- we were best friends on the streets. we've always struggled together. momma had to do what she had to do to put a roof over our heads and clothes on our back. she struggled to make things work for us, and it did. >> she always tell us, you know what i'm saying, that we should have listened to her, which we should have. we chose to go off on the wrong path with the gang life and cause trouble for ourselves. we caused our mom a lot of pain and struggles through the years.

we understand that. >> i don't know my dad. i was always referring to him as a sperm donor, you know? he left when i was, like, 3 months in my mom's belly. i guess he tried to kill me, kicked my mom down the stairs when she was pregnant with me. >> my father, he left when i was like 5 years old. i ain't seen him since. i don't even know the dude. i don't care about him. you know? you ain't got to care about somebody that don't be there for you. you know what i'm saying? >> be out at 10:30 tomorrow. i'll holler at you tomorrow. >> all right. i love you, man. >> i love you, too, dog. up next, how solitary confinement may assure one inmate his freedom. >> i don't want nobody else on the yard that's not going home this decade to screw my time up. color, and design. showing up where we least expect it and taking inspiration from our wildest dreams.

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for many inmates, a calendar is a bitter reminder of lost time. for others, a simple "x" means they're one step closer to freedom. >> this helps a lot. i've marked down my last 63 days. my wife made this for me. she always tells me to stay true. that's the first three letters of my first name and first three letters of my last name. >> although stacey was sentenced to five years for an altercation with his neighbor, his good

behavior at anamosa cut that time in half. >> i got through it with no write-ups and no loss of good time. my wife has never missed a visit. any time we have the opportunity to have visits, she has always been there. >> in just three days, his wife will visit with him again. only this time, he's going home with her. >> monday, i will be free to go anywhere i want to go, and i got tickets to see the minnesota twins play the kansas city royals thursday. >> fearing that he might become a target of other inmates jealous of his parole, he asked to spend his last three months in the protective custody unit. >> being in pc, i'm not allowed to be around other inmates and they not allowed to be around me. my wife and children have waited long enough for me to come home. i don't want nobody else on the yard that's not going home this decade to screw my time up. >> albert ware is another inmate

expecting a visit from his wife. unlike stacey, ware will likely never leave anamosa. 20 years ago he killed a man in a bungled robbery attempt and was sentenced to life without parole. >> although i didn't intend to kill a man, i did kill a man. i just have to be a man about it. >> ware is one of the few inmates who has remained married while serving a life sentence. >> it's rare. most guys that were married when they came in here, they don't stay married long. >> al, you got a visit. >> all right, thanks. my wife is the most important person in my life. the visits that we have here are the only contact we have. she'll come and visit me.

when she leaves, i'll just sit back and i will wait for the next visit. we just have to take them as we get them. >> hi, honey. good to see you, honey. >> same here. >> it's been a while. >> yeah. >> how long has it been? >> a couple months probably. >> how are the boys doing? >> fine. >> staying out of trouble, huh? >> yeah. i usually come as often as i can. because he's my life. i just want to be with him. any way i can. >> this is all we can do is just sit here and hold hands. there's prisons that allow conjugal visits and, man, if we could get there, you know? yeah. but we'll take what we can get. this is all we can get.