Monthly Archives: September 2014

Post-Incarceration: Part of Freedom is Pushing Yourself in New Directions

  By Lashonia Etheridge-Bey | September 28, 2014 - 2:42 pm |
Leave a comment

Early this morning as I sat at my dining room table drinking my coffee, trying to prepare myself for the day ahead, I found myself reflecting on my days in prison. It’s been almost three years and I still feel like I’m in the initial stages of reentry. I’m looking forward to the day when this will all feel normal: waking up in the free world with a ton of choices to make and no longer being affected by my distant past in prison. Continue reading →

Wardens in FPC Alderson in Conversation with Jeri Kirby, West Virginia University Professor of The Inside Out Program

  By Lashonia Etheridge-Bey | September 4, 2014 - 7:04 pm |
Leave a comment

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking to the Bureau of Prisons Warden’s Advisory Council in reference to programming in female facilities and reentry efforts. I spoke alongside Jeri Kirby of West Virginia University. She is a professor who served two years in prison two decades ago. Since her release, she has obtained her degree and currently teaches the Inside Out Program to incarcerated individuals. Continue reading →

Parole, Early Termination, and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA)

  By Lashonia Etheridge-Bey | September 3, 2014 - 7:02 pm |
Leave a comment

July 11, 2055 – That’s the day my parole sentence expires. In 1993 I was sentenced to 20–60 years. After serving 18.5 years I was granted parole after my initial hearing. I have been on parole for a little over two years. Even though I have been called “The Poster Child” for reentry in D.C. I remain on high-level supervision with Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA). Continue reading →

Coping with Life on Parole

  By Lashonia Etheridge-Bey | September 2, 2014 - 6:59 pm |
Leave a comment

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote to his daughter when she was struggling to overcome the pain of a past mistake. He said, “Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; but get rid of them and forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day and you should never encumber its potentialities and invitations with dread of the past. You should not waste a moment of today on the rottenness of yesterday.” Continue reading →