Behind 'Facing Life'

After decades in prison, how does one re-enter society? How does life look and feel? What guidance do returning citizens receive? In recent years, California's reforms — such as Prop. 36, Prop. 57, SB-260, and SB-1437 — have led to the release of people who previously had little-to-no-realistic shot at freedom. 

In 2018, Pulitzer Center grantees Pendarvis Harshaw and Brandon Tauszik set out across California to profile and follow the re-entry experiences of eight former lifers. The result is Facing Life, a multimedia digital documentary project. 

This community discussion is anchored by the testimonies of Myra Burns and Fahim Reese, who were profiled in Facing Life. The conversation will be moderated by Alexandra Bailey, End Life Imprisonment Strategist at The Sentencing Project. 

Extraordinarily long sentencing laws are uniquely American. Their rigidity and cruelty are just one lens through which we can examine the prison industrial complex. Join us for a conversation that promotes the urgent stories of system-impacted individuals within context and analysis provided by professionals and advocates who’ve worked on the front lines for years.