Why ‘The Best Part of Prison’ Author Jesse Crosson Feels Grateful for Time Behind Bars

Just days after his 18th birthday in 2002, during a period of drug addiction, Jesse Crosson committed a robbery and a nonfatal shooting that earned him a 32-year prison sentence—twice the recommended amount.

“When the judge sentenced me to twice the high end of the sentencing guidelines, it felt like this ultimate validation of that sense of unworthiness,” Crosson tells A&E Crime + Investigation. “I remember sitting in the jail and feeling sorry for myself. I felt hopeless.”

While behind bars in Virginia, Crosson earned a college degree, became a licensed electrician and mentored to other incarcerated men. “I recognized whether I was there for 10 months or 10 years or 100 years, I had a choice of how to spend my time,” Crosson says.

In August 2021, after serving 19 years, then-Governor Ralph Northam pardoned Crosson. Crosson began sharing his journey on social media, racking up 1.3 million TikTok followers. He launched The Second Chancer Foundation to offer mentorship, connection and resources to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, and recently released a book about his experience, The Best Part of Prison: The Power of Second Chances and Reclaiming Life Out of Darkness.

“Getting myself to that point to be able to be considered for conditional pardon felt like I had had all these advantages and other people hadn't,” Crosson says. “My mission became: How do I create that same support and those same opportunities for other people?”

Crosson reflects on accidentally finding social media fame, the hardest part of getting his footing after prison and the most touching moment of his mentorship.

Was there a specific moment when you decided to use your prison time to change?

It was more like two steps forward, one step back. I'm grateful for my father, who is a very complicated figure, but he said, “Jesse, you made this bed, now you got to sleep in it, but what are you going to do with that time?” That combined with the fact that my mother helped me get into college classes allowed me to make these small steps that moved me in a direction towards growth and change.

Were there any programs or books that contributed to your transformation?

There was a book called Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, which is a mindfulness book that really changed my life. But I was 17 years into a 32-year sentence before I took a single program that felt meaningful. This was called the Victim Impact Program. It basically brings people who've committed a crime into contact with the consequences of their actions; not directly with the person they harmed, with someone from a similar situation. There was a room full of guys who were sobbing because we were listening to a woman who was in a wheelchair and who would never walk again because somebody decided to drive drunk. It was one of the most powerful, emotional experiences of my life.

What do you remember about your early days of reentry?

All I wanted for 20 years was to get out of prison, and then I got out and I realized I was overwhelmed by all the responsibilities. The biggest adjustment was the sheer number of choices that I had to make. I didn't realize how exhausting it was.

What were the biggest barriers to rebuilding your life after prison?

There was, how do you start over in your late 30s with nothing and have to figure out how to get a job and get clothes and get housing and get everything? There are a lot of laws and policies that prevent access to everything from education to housing to employment. When you have a system that essentially preys upon people who have the least that are already facing the most barriers, we can't really expect those people to succeed.

What does a second chance look like in practice?

Employment is the easy one. This isn't just about giving people a chance because they deserve it or because it's the right thing to do. When someone gets out of prison and wants to follow the right path and wants to work a job and be able to support their family, they need an opportunity to do that. The more we open these doors, the more everyone benefits.

Why did you get on social media after leaving prison, and how do you think your story resonated?

It was an accident. A friend who was in marketing said, “Jesse, I really think people would be interested in your story. You need to start posting on social media.” I didn't even really know what that meant. I had to download TikTok on the way to make my first video. I had to figure out how to use the smartphone. That night, I called the woman who had recommended that I make something. She said, “Jesse, most people don't get 10,000 views on their first video with no subscribers or no followers. You have a compelling story.”

I kept making videos and I kept answering questions. I really enjoyed it. In a world that's very plastic, I could bleed openly to the world. I think that drew people in because everybody wants to be vulnerable, everybody wants to be honest, but we feel a lot of pressure to not be.

Is there any one story about your impact that stands out to you?

We live in a sensational culture. We want to hear the story of the kid who came from nothing who was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. We don't want to hear the kind of normal success stories of all the kids that I've worked with at the juvenile center. I remember it was 9:00 on an evening night and my girlfriend at the time asked me to go buy a bottle of wine. I go to the grocery store and there bagging groceries is the kid I used to see every month at the juvenile center. He was laughing and he had a smile on his face. I looked at him and he looked at me, and we just kind of nodded. That was it. He's not the CEO of a company, but he's free. For me, success is not changing the world. It's just one person getting a chance and living and going home to their family and being a part of their community.

Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

A second chance is earned. I don't think it's given, but everyone should have the opportunity to work towards that. What that means is addressing and doing the work to repair the harm that's been done. Redemption is not sitting around feeling bad for what I've done. Redemption is getting up every day and doing something good in the world, contributing where I've previously taken or helping where I previously hurt.

How do you deal with criticism from people who don't believe crime should be forgiven?

When someone says that, what they're saying is that they don't deserve to be forgiven for the worst thing they've done either. That's a terrible place to be. These are people living in hell of their own creation. I don't want anyone to live like that.

It was important for you to give incarcerated people free access to your book. What's been the response to that?

It's been pretty amazing. With tablets and for pay or for-profit emails, I get contacted from all over the country—not to mention illegal cell phones. The people on the outside who read this book are really the ones who surprise me. What I've come to realize is that there are people who have never had handcuffs on their wrist, who are living in these prisons of their minds or their hearts. Those are all the more insidious because it's not so easy to recognize that you can get out of that. We're all trapped, and we don't even realize it. But at the same time, it gives me hope because if we're all in this experience together, that means we can all help ourselves get out of this together.

What would you tell your 18-year-old self?

I would give myself a big hug—and I'm sure I'd resist or push back—but I would hold as tight as I possibly can. And I would say, “Just stop. Slow down.” If I could have just stopped, I could have skipped a lot of the suffering and a lot of the harm that I caused. I'm just grateful. I couldn't have imagined being here. My whole life, that's all I really wanted to believe: You are enough. And for the first time in my life, I do believe it. If I'd gotten here earlier, I could have saved myself a lot of heartache. Sometimes it's hard, but if we just keep going, we will get where we need to go.

So, what is the best part of prison?

I was on a path that I was either going to kill myself or kill someone else if I hadn't changed. The best part of prison wasn't the place or the programs, it was the fact that it was the only thing that was able to make me stop. And by stopping, I was able to be present and accountable and face the things that I've been running from. Once I did that, it led me to a world that I never could have imagined.