He spent 19 years in prison. His last day was a surprise
He waited nearly two decades for his freedom.
Jesse Crosson (@second_chancer) was sentenced to 32 years in prison after two separate incidents of robbery and shooting. But after only serving 19 years, Crosson said he was unexpectedly freed on what seemed like a normal day.
“I got up and made a cup of instant coffee, and I walked back to my bunk and did my reading and meditation,” Crosson told TikTok, detailing the start of his day in prison. At six in the morning, he went to the phone booth and tried to make a call but couldn’t because of the long lines. He skipped the phone, ate breakfast, worked his prison job, had his lunch, and even worked out at his dormitory.
He tried going over to the phones again when the counselor called him into the office. The moment he got to the room, Crosson noted somebody was on the speakerphone. He was nervous at first, thinking that he was about to receive devastating news from the outside.
“You’ve been granted a pardon,” Crosson recalled the woman’s voice through the speaker. After hearing those words, Crosson said he started tearing up. They told him to get ready, and Crosson decided to take a shower before leaving. He came across another inmate who didn’t have any support from beyond prison and motioned for him to come over.
“I don’t really know what’s going on, but I may not be coming back. If I don’t, I want you to keep all this stuff. But if I do come back, I need it,” Crosson told the man. He gave his food, clothing, and tennis shoes away to a stranger from prison because Crosson knew the man needed them.
Released after 19 years
After taking a shower, he was called over through the speaker. He signed paperwork but also went to medical and property for clearance. Despite going through the motions, Crosson still couldn’t believe he was about to be let go. Eventually, they brought him back to his dormitory while accompanied by an escort.
“Apparently, at that point, I was actually a free person. So, anything that would’ve happened to me would have been their responsibility,” Crosson said. But when he returned to the dorm, he said the other inmates were clapping, shaking his hand, and giving him hugs. Crosson still had some items in his cell, so he started giving them away.
“I made sure somebody got a TV, somebody got food, and somebody got everything else,” Crosson said. People were happy to see Crosson released, just as this ex-correctional officer was glad to see an inmate who served a 37-year sentence freed.
Although it was generally an exhilarating day, Crosson said he had one big regret. “There was a guy I was really close to who was walking down the boulevard, and I was going the other way when they were finally letting me go,” Crosson explained. He wanted to run back to his friend for a hug. However, Crosson was still overwhelmed and opted to wave at his friend instead before walking out of the prison gate.
“There’s a sign that says ‘no inmates past this point,’ and they walked me past that point. And that’s when it started really hitting me, like, I was actually going home,” Crosson said. When he walked through the sliding doors, Crosson saw his mother 20 feet away.
Life after prison
“What do we do now?” Crosson asked when he and his mother got into the car. He dreamed of getting out of prison for a large chunk of his life, and now that he was out, he didn’t know what to do with his newfound freedom.
One of the first things he did was meet his then-girlfriend. They hadn’t met in person before, making the moment all the more magical for Crosson. Then, he went with his mother to Costco to get clothes and tools but quickly got overwhelmed and went back inside the car. When his mother gave him her phone, he started looking at Facebook. His mother posted about his freedom, and immediately, people reached out to offer him a place to live, a truck, and other tools. They sent him their congratulations, but it did little to calm Crosson’s nerves.
“I was both numb and completely emotionally overwhelmed,” Crosson expressed. On one hand, he was in awe to see the outside world again—the cornfields, the mountains, and all sorts of greenery. But on the other hand, Crosson felt anxious about his freedom. He was so overwhelmed that he couldn’t sleep for three days.
Instead of forcing himself to go to bed, Crosson went out onto the porch and sat there, hearing the animals and watching the moon. “I remember sitting there, and that’s when I really started to realize I was free,” Crosson said.
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