"Funny, you don't look like an ex-felon." I get that a lot but actually I do. Inmates are just like everyone else. I learned that when I went inside at 57 with advanced breast cancer for securities fraud. I wanted to die from the cancer. I was humiliated and disgraced; my life was over. Instead my 25 year old cellmate Gina died a horrible death of medical neglect. Upon my release six years ago, her parents and I co-founded Gina's Team to bring educational programs back inside the prison and to educate the public on the costs and conditions of confinement. We have an unprecedented recidivism success rate of 6%. Our motto: "Education, not incarceration, is the cheapest form of crime prevention."-Sue Ellen

If I had died, I would have missed the most incredible experience of my life, prison and the opportunity to help that forgotten population behind the walls.

My lesson: Never, Never give up. You might miss something extraordinary that will change your life.