This piece is an amazing document of a young woman, named Cristel, as she is released from prison after serving three years for an incredibly violent crime she committed when she was a troubled (and pregnant) 15-year-old.

Like all great documentaries, the piece offers a subject that is relatable, but doesn't fit into predictable patterns or clean outcomes. When you first hear this piece, there is a nagging feeling that you are about to experience a cliche: showing how "the system" really does work. However, the more time you spend with Cristel, you realize the change she has experienced has nothing to do with the penal system and everything to do with the emergence of her own character. She is the source of her success.

When the piece ends, we see Cristel happy and excited to have a chance at life with her daughter, but everything isn't rosey and resolved. We're left with Cristel commenting on seeing her first sun rise, commenting, "It was so beautiful...it made me think this is what normal life is like. I remember that."

Strangely, it would be a mistake to try to "peg" this piece to a topic or program "theme"--that effort won't serve the piece or the program well--it's too universal for that. Stations should just drop this in as it fits. It is engaging, inspiring, and tremendously human.