My name is Hailey Martel. I am 30 years old. I grew up in a family of addicts, and I fell down the same path in life, unfortunately. I am a mother of a 4-year-old little boy, and I am doing everything I can now to better myself because it is no longer just about me anymore. I need to do better and be better for myself and my child. I am sitting in federal prison today for bad decisions I made a few years prior to having my son. I was dating a man who sold drugs and got caught up with him. I am serving an 87-month sentence for conspiracy to distribute “crack” cocaine. I am taking responsibility and trying to set a better example moving forward for my son. I have taken the Non-Residential Drug Abuse program, I am on the waiting list for RDAP even though I don’t qualify for the year off. I have also taken other classes that are helping me better myself, such as National Parenting, Women’s Relationships 2, Basic Financial Literacy, Assert Yourself, Women’s Career Explorations, and Foundation. I am also on the waitlist for other classes as well like the Family Programming series. I am also looking into jobs on the compound here that can further my skills and help me seek employment when I am released. I am also interested in correspondence classes, but at this time, I cannot afford them and don’t have a family to help me. I am taking FULL advantage of the opportunities afforded to me while I am incarcerated so I can become a better version of me.
