The Best Part of Prison

“What if the worst thing you’ve ever done didn’t define the rest of your life, but taught you how to live it? … Crosson doesn’t just take us inside the prison system. He takes us inside himself. The violence, the shame, the silence. And then—almost impossibly—the spark of accountability, service, and hope. I’ve spent years fighting for second chances. Jesse’s story reminds me why.” —Louis L. Reed, author, activist, and film producer “With raw honesty and unflinching detail, Crosson brings readers into the darkest corners of addiction, violence, and incarceration, and then shows us what it takes to claw your way toward redemption. Too often, stories of prison life get flattened into clichés of either horror or redemption. Crosson resists both. He does not shy away from the pain he caused others or the depths he sank to himself, but he also makes space for humanity and for the people who offered him kindness, for the small acts of dignity that sustained him, and for the difficult, uneven road of accountability.” —Glenn E. Martin, formerly incarcerated entrepreneur and activist “Few books capture both the pain of incarceration and the hope of transformation like this one. Jesse shows us why second chances matter—not just for individuals, but for families and communities.” —Jessica Jackson, CEO of REFORM Alliance “The Best Part of Prison is a rare and radical story of transformation. With honesty, grit, and grace, Jesse Crosson turns the darkest chapters of his life into a blueprint for redemption. This isn’t just a story about surviving prison—it’s about the power of self-reflection, accountability, and community to make us fully human. Jesse shows that change is possible not because the system works, but because the human spirit refuses to give up. His writing is raw, wise, and deeply moving—a testament to what can happen when we stop throwing people away and start believing in their capacity to change.” —Lara Love Hardin, New York Times bestselling and Christopher Award–winning author of The Many Lives of Mama Love “A painful and powerful story that demonstrates hope and resilience after incarceration.” —Michael Kostis, coordinator for Florida Coalition Higher Education in Prison “Jesse Crosson takes readers deep inside the walls of himself, and deeper still into the human spirit’s capacity for both damage and repair … The Best Part of Prison reminds us that no one is beyond redemption, and that the hardest walls to break are the ones we build within ourselves.” —Chandra Devam, NASA Award–winning CEO and cofounder of Aris MD “The Best Part of Prison is stripped to the bone. It’s not polished or performative; it’s a naked, honest truth about what it means to fall apart and find your way back. Jesse Crosson doesn’t hide behind excuses or pretty words; he faces himself and invites you to do the same.” —Scott Edgar, NASA Award–winning chief technology officer and cofounder of Aris MD “Jesse is such a phenomenal character … How many other people in his situation would have done what he has done, spent so much of his time and energy working to help other previously incarcerated people? Read this book to understand his journey and the impact he has made since leaving prison.” —Sue Black, OBE, professor of computer science at Durham University “A raw, unflinching account of how a life shattered by addiction, violence, and despair can be remade through reflection, accountability, and transformation. Crosson takes the reader from the chaos of his teenage descent into drugs and crime, through the crushing realities of prison life, to the moments of clarity, mentorship, and self-discovery that opened the door to healing.” —Rev. George T. Chochos, cofounder of Listen Out Loud Media, national public speaker, prison reform advocate, and public theologian

Jesse Crosson believes in second chances because he needed one. Strung out on drugs and out of his mind, he committed crimes just after his eighteenth birthday. He caused great harm and was sentenced to serve the next 32 years in prison. Through a combination of support and determination, he turned his life around while inside and was offered a second chance. Once out, he was determined to create second chances for others. He took to social media, amassing more than a million people who followed his story and the adventure that is his life. He started the Second Chancer Foundation to provide resources and opportunities for others in the same situation as he was. He is determined to make the best of his second chance and is grateful to see others on that same journey.