"Hard to Stay Motivated"

"Hard to Stay Motivated?" -Karen Brown

There's a new trend in Kentucky and I'm sure true in other states and it's called death by incarceration. 44% of inmates here in Kentucky, that are doing life, are over 55 years old. In the women's prison where I am, the parole board, has actually changed sentences that judges and juries gave us from parole eligible to death by incarceration. For women, that including myself are over 60-years-old, I'm not saying, not all of us have done the programs, or taken advantage of the opportunities to improve life and enhance our rehabilitation. But I and others have done that. To stay motivated we have to ask ourselves what am I supposed to do with 100+ programs, what am I supposed to do with all the programs I took on a spiritual level and a moral recognition level? What do I do with an A.A., A.S., A.G.S., B.A., and master's degree even that I've earned while being here in prison?

There's a lot of articles that come out led by the Kentucky Legislators but if they truly cared about returning fully rehabilitated, no risk, completely turned around people back into society...they could do that with just a stroke of a pen! Instead of parole board reform or presumptive parole or even creating guidelines to govern paroled board power...just this month they honored the Parole Board Chairwoman, this month! A woman who barely allowed me to speak at my parole hearing, asking me questions from a Facebook page! This can be verified on the website created by a team fighting for justice for me.

After 40+ years, I long ago built a strong case for release. Seventeen states have abolished parole boards for these very same reasons. But Kentucky Parole continues to release people who come right back, while giving others death by incarceration, who have served, kept a positive institutional record, mentored other people...

Many reports by the Prison Policy Initiative, Ashley Nellis at American University, College Inside, Inside Out, commentaries on Prison Radio, REimagine Justice, the Marshall Project, FAMM and more, they're all talking about, describing parole systems like Kentucky they're politically motivated, and dysfunctional.

On paper...education and programs, clear conduct, taking accountability for your crime, they all seem to matter but in the actual results of parole boards, these achievements don't ever seem to ever outweigh or overcome the factors of politics, and publicity. The Kentucky Parole statues, they just pay lip-service to what we're supposed to do in order to gain parole, they say rehabilitate yourself, prepare yourself, get public support letters, get an education. I brought all that to them but still haven't overcome. The Kentucky Parole Board, it just doesn't recognize nor does it reward transformation.

How do I stay motivated? I thank the good Lord, there are people who are seeing the injustices and doing something about it. Organizations like I mentioned before who are giving many issues a voice, and many of those who are incarcerated well beyond our original sentence, they're giving us a voice.

...and I ask you to please continue to believe that I and other people are worth more than worst mistakes made more than 4 decades ago!

As recorded by PrisonRadio.org Commentary Hard to Stay Motivated, February 20, 2026.