Archive List for close up al jazeera

‘It’s nice to be free’: Otis on re-entering society | Al Jazeera Close Up

After 44 years behind bars, Otis comes out to try and rebuild his life in a world that seems to have changed completely. When Otis Johnson was 25 years old, he was sentenced for the attempted murder of a police officer. Forty-four years later, at the age of 69, he was finally released, having served an additional eight months for a juvenile shoplifting charge from when he was 17. Leaving the prison, Johnson was given an ID, documentation of his criminal history, $40 and two bus tickets. Johnson had lost contact with his family during his time in prison, so he relied on Fortune Society, a nonprofit that provides housing […]