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My life in the Virginia Department of Corrections began when I was still a child. In this episode, Charles Smith III explains how life in prison changed him and how the people who cared about him helped change the direction of his life.

These prison phone calls are recorded with Charles from inside the Virginia Department of Corrections, where he has been incarcerated since age 16 and is serving a 69-year sentence.

Charles talks about the period when he responded to prison with aggression, ran toward conflict, and began believing he might never make it out alive.

Then people entered his life who challenged that thinking.

Dorothy Montgomery began writing to him when few people did. She sent Bible courses, encouraged him to read, and gave him a blue bookmark with his name on it that he treasured.

Later, friendship and years of conversation inside prison helped Charles learn more about himself, discipline, dignity, and the kind of man he wanted to become.

He also talks about the people outside prison who continued to believe he could do something productive with his life.

The central question of this episode is simple: what can happen when someone who believes nobody cares discovers that somebody does?

Phone Calls from Prison with Charles Smith III is a prison podcast about life in prison, juvenile incarceration, accountability, transformation, prison reform, and second chances, told through Charles's own recorded calls from inside the Virginia prison system.

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6802972658

RSS:

https://media.rss.com/irredeemable-with-charles-smith/feed.xml

#PhoneCallsFromPrison #LifeInPrison #JuvenileJustice

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The Promise He Made to His Grandmother | Charles Smith

DESCRIPTION

At seventeen, Charles Smith answered a question through a prison vent: How old are you?

In this excerpt, he remembers the grandmother who raised him, the family he has lost, and the promise that keeps him working to do better.

From Podcast 3 of Phone Calls from Prison with Charles Smith III. Recorded by phone from prison. Produced by Amanda Coles.

Charles reflects on childhood, grief, accountability, and his hope that sharing his experience can help another person.

Subscribe and find full episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@irredeemablewithcharlessmith

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6802972658

Podcast RSS feed:

https://media.rss.com/irredeemable-with-charles-smith/feed.xml

Charles's books:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Charles-Smith-III/author/B0G528P5PX

The Solo Revolution workbook:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2TJFKK4

Read more on Substack:

https://substack.com/@irredeemablewithcharlessmith1

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thesolorevoltion9

#CharlesSmith #JuvenileJustice #PhoneCallsFromPrison

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Can a child outgrow the worst thing they ever did? Charles Smith III entered Virginia’s adult prison system at sixteen and is currently serving a sixty-nine-year sentence. Through recorded prison phone calls, he speaks in his own words about juvenile justice, accountability, solitary confinement, trauma, transformation, redemption, and second chances. This documentary podcast examines what extreme juvenile sentencing does to a developing child, what real responsibility requires, and whether a person can become more than the worst decision of their life.

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At 17, Charles walked into Red Onion State Prison and was placed in long-term solitary. The cage broke him — and built the man he chose to become.

At 17, I walked into Red Onion State Prison and was placed in long-term solitary segregation. 44 cells. 44 men. Alone.

This episode is about what that cage actually did to me. The beatings in a back sally port where there were no cameras. The sound of the elephant lock closing on the door. The moment I did the math and decided one hour of rec wasn't worth who I was — and stopped going outside.

But there was one thing that never stopped: my grandmother, who sent me $20 every month for 24 years. Never missed a month.

It sounds like a paradox, and it is. Solitary broke something in me. And it's also where I found my weaknesses, my strengths, and the person I decided to become.

This is Irredeemable — because no child should be sentenced to die in prison.

Recorded from inside. Subscribe and turn on notifications for the next episode.

All gas, no brakes.

🏷️

solitary confinement, life without parole, prison reform, juvenile justice, solitary confinement stories, red onion state prison, prison podcast, prison life, prison stories, life in prison, mental health, irredeemable with charles smith, charles smith iii

#Irredeemable #SolitaryConfinement #PrisonReform #JuvenileJustice #RedOnion

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Episode 1: Sentenced at 16: Surviving Solitary, Losing Everyone, and Finding My Mind

Sentenced to an adult prison at just sixteen years old, Charles Smith III opens up about childhood trauma, the mental toll of solitary confinement, and the heavy reality of losing everyone you love while serving time. Writing and speaking directly from inside Virginia's correctional system, Charles shares an unfiltered look into accountability, survival, and what it truly takes to rebuild a mind behind bars.

In This Episode:

• The transition from childhood into adult maximum-security prison
• Surviving long-term solitary confinement and protecting mental health
• Grieving the loss of family on the outside with nowhere to turn
• Accountability vs. punishment: Redefining what a "second chance" looks like

Books by Charles Smith III:

• Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Charles-Smith-III/author/B0G528P5PX

Essays by Charles Smith III (Prison Journalism Project / Prison Writers):

• One Man's Transformation: https://prisonwriters.com/one-mans-transformation/
• Learning to Learn: https://prisonwriters.com/learning-to-learn/
• Prison Relationships: https://prisonwriters.com/prison-relationships/

Connect & Follow:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IRREDEEMABLEWITHCHARLESSMITH
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.smith6720

Can a child ever outgrow their worst mistake? Subscribe and join the conversation in the comments below.