--- title: I'm an Inmate at the Prison That Obama Visited and This Is My Hope description: Compiled from a series of emails Evans sent to TIME after President Obama's visit to the Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno canonical: https://time.com/3962579/inmate-el-reno-prison-obama-visit/ author: Kenneth Evans article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-17T21:07:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T09:21:21.310Z article:section: Ideas og:title: I Am an Inmate at the Prison That Obama Just Visited and This Is My Hope og:description: I agree with what President Obama said this week—"America is a nation of second chances" og:url: https://time.com/3962579/inmate-el-reno-prison-obama-visit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: I Am an Inmate at the Prison That Obama Just Visited and This Is My Hope twitter:description: I agree with what President Obama said this week—"America is a nation of second chances" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # I Am an Inmate at the Prison That Obama Just Visited and This Is My Hope > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=ccc79b74-f449-4d9b-834b-f149f7bf46b7&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=ccc79b74-f449-4d9b-834b-f149f7bf46b7&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=ccc79b74-f449-4d9b-834b-f149f7bf46b7&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Kenneth Evans](https://time.com/author/kenneth-evans/) ## Kenneth Evans Jul 17, 2015 9:07 PM UTC by [Kenneth Evans](https://time.com/author/kenneth-evans/) ## Kenneth Evans Jul 17, 2015 9:07 PM UTC I was very excited when I heard that President Barack Obama was coming to visit the federal prison in El Reno, Okla, where I am an inmate. To be honest, I would have been excited to hear the president was visiting any of the prisons within the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He’s demonstrating his focus and commitment to working diligently to create real change within the criminal justice system. I love that he is moving forward with his [clemency project](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/us/obama-commutes-sentences-for-46-drug-offenders.html) to commute sentences for nonviolent criminals. I’m even more excited by his call to Congress to substantially change the system. He’s making history, and I’m glad to be a part of it. I agree with what President Obama said this week—”America is a nation of second chances.” I look forward to having mine one day. I am currently serving a life sentence for a non-violent drug offense. I was a low-level street drug dealer, and I fully acknowledge that my activities as a teenager and young adult did harm to my community. But I was sentenced as if I were a drug lord. I walked into prison when I was in my 20s, and I am now a few months away from my 50th birthday, a grandfather, and a completely different man. I have learned a great deal here. I have become a better, more organized, more business-minded, more mature person. I have learned many skills—from cooking to accounting to teaching to making dental prosthetics—that have encouraged me to change. I have watched landmark Supreme Court cases right wrongs of the past but have no retroactive effect. I have watched Congress pass new drug laws that have no effect on many who have been incarcerated the longest. And I have watched so many leave prison, only to return because the necessary programs, educational opportunities, and community support were not there to assist them. The one thing that I would tell the president about life inside El Reno is that rehabilitation does not take 20 or 30 years. Prison time as a punishment is one issue, but that punishment should fit the crime. The rest of the time should be used for genuine rehabilitation and correction. Living in El Reno has forced me to see both the depravity of mankind and simultaneously the incredible missing dynamism within families and communities out there. It has provoked me to not only face my circumstances, but also face my country and ask whether the intentions of federal courtrooms are being met by this facility. I have applied for clemency, and my application is under review. After Obama’s visit, my hope transformed into more of a confident expectation. Even though the president only spent a very short time here, it seems that he has now made himself a part of the very important struggle for fairness and true justice. Thursday was a very good day for not only me and the men here at El Reno, but also for America. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3962579/inmate-el-reno-prison-obama-visit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3962579/inmate-el-reno-prison-obama-visit/"},"headline":"I Am an Inmate at the Prison That Obama Just Visited and This Is My Hope","datePublished":"2015-07-17T21:07:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:21:21.310Z","description":"This article was compiled from a series of emails Evans sent TIME following President Obama's visit to El Reno Federal Correction Institution where Evans is an inmate. Evans was convicted of charges related to crack-cocaine possession and distribution, among other charges, in 1993","url":"https://time.com/3962579/inmate-el-reno-prison-obama-visit/","keywords":["politics","Crime"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kenneth Evans","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kenneth-evans/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/politics/","name":"politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3962579/inmate-el-reno-prison-obama-visit/","name":"I Am an Inmate at the Prison That Obama Just Visited and This Is My Hope"}}]}] ```