In this installment of We Are Witnesses, Celia Colón told the Marshall Project that she has been impacted by the justice department her entire life. At four years old, she walked through a prison door for the first time during a visit to an uncle serving life. As a 12-year-old, Colón took action when her mother was beaten unconscious by a boyfriend, spurring a move to the South Side of Chicago. However, she didn’t realize that the apartment her family had found was populated by a gang, which she later joined. “Gangs back then, in the '80s and '90s, weren't the way they are now,” she said. “They were more like a community organization.” Colón was charged with attempted murder at 18 and served the next 15 years in prison. Here, she talks about her experiences behind bars and how she found a way to heal on her path to reentry. Colón now works in prison ministry and advocates for prison reforms for women.

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