An American writer and prison activist, Kenneth Hartman, spent nearly four decades in the California state prison system. He was sentenced to Life Without The Possibility of Parole LWOP at the age of nineteen. Kenneth was known as a prison rights advocate and made many contributions toward creating change within the system. 

Finally, in 2017 Governor Jerry Brown decided to commute his sentence. He was finally released in December 2017. Hartman is also a writer. He has been published in the New York Times and Harpers Magazine, amongst others. He also authored his memoir “Mother California: A Story of Redemption Behind Bars.” Hartman recounts his story and fathering his daughter while serving life without parole. 

Fast forward to being released, he continues this work out in the free world while learning to be a father while respecting boundaries. 

During an interview with Lucy Copp, Kenneth and his daughter Alia Hartman share her experience growing up visiting her dad in prison. Truly heart-wrenching to hear her account of this and then finding out her dad being released and meeting for the first time outside the walls and fences. Kenneth Hartman is a prime example of what a second chance can do not only for him but for his family as well.