Where do people go when they get out of prison?  How do they adjust to society?  In this episode of After Orange #ThePrisonProject you'll meet Cassandra Hein as she explains the backstory and how After Orange came to be.

In 2007, Jamie Hein began a 10-25 year sentence in a women's facility within the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC). Upon her entry into prison, she immediately realized that inmate rehabilitation was not a priority for the NDOC. She became increasingly frustrated with the lack of recovery and educational programs for inmates. During a visit with her sister, Cassandra, Jamie shared her observations and frustration with the system. This conversation inspired them to develop a plan to raise awareness. Cassandra immediately began filming the stories of women leaving correctional facilities. This project eventually evolved into the documentary series: After Orange.  That evolved into opening a transitional home for women, which blew the lid off of a major issue in the Las Vegas area.

After Orange is a project dedicated to discovering, documenting and sharing programs transforming the correctional system and influencing change in the judicial system.  

Vanessa Murphy with CBS Action News 8 investigates our home and the parole problem in Las Vegas. 

Vanessa reports that nearly 400 inmates in Nevada prisons are ready to be released. This is a big problem because, due to the lack of transitional housing, many of them have no place to go.

While the inmates are waiting to be placed, the cost of keeping them incarcerated is $23,000 a day, according to numbers provided by the Department of Corrections.  Imagine how far this money could go if it were invested in transitional opportunities!  In this news story, Vanessa indicates that there are 28 places for people to go. Unfortunately, the problem is actually so much bigger that this number makes it seem. Most of these ‘licensed’ facilities are in Reno and are not actual ‘Transitional Living Facilities’. They are recovery-based programs which just happen to accept ex-offenders (which makes them far too expensive for most parolees).

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There is major tension between law enforcement and urban communities in our country. Last year, Hope For Prisoners hosted a summit called ‘Repairing The Breach’ in Las Vegas. The summit focused on grassroots organizations from around the country that are transforming poverty, violence, crime, despair and recidivism from within the communities that those tensions exist.

After Orange is continuing to follow the efforts of those community leaders and grassroots organizations. What is working? My goal is to cover how law enforcement and communities across the country are working together to ‘bridge the gap’. If you are interested in the cause, please watch and share this video.  

I would like to thank everyone who donated to After Orange: Halfway Home. Unfortunately, we were unable to keep our doors open due to funding, zoning and life. Jamie’s interstate compact was successful (thank you Parole and Probations) and she is now back in California getting her life together after ten years of incarceration.  

With that said, I am so thankful to everyone who has participated, donated and inspired this incredible journey. Many lessons have emerged throughout this ‘After Orange’ experience and it all started with the concept of documenting people as they left prison in Las Vegas. As I followed a woman into Hope For Prisoners about 4 years ago, I fell in love with this program. Inspiring and authentic, I continued to document the program along with the women coming out of FMWCC (Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center).  

As I observed the housing problem in Las Vegas, after seeing first hand the backup of women up for parole who were not being released, After Orange transformed into a housing project – After Orange: Halfway Home. 

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Jamie was released in June, 2016 and is continuing to pursue her higher education.  She hopes to transfer to UC Berkley (she was enrolled at Ohio University while in prison) and is currently working for a therapy office as the receptionist as she continues to follow her passion of helping the mentally ill.  We are still processing our own 'After Orange' experience, as it's been an adjustment for the entire family.  We hope to share this experience with you soon!

- Abraham Lincoln

Producer / Director

"It's time to change the prison culture in our country from the inside out.  In ways that are for the highest good of us and everyone involved."

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