Award winning prison journalist Wilbert Rideau has been freed from jail after 44 years. After he was jailed in 1961 for killing a bank teller, Rideau learned to read and write. He eventually started his own publication called “The Lifer” and became editor of the Angolite. In 1977 the Angolite became the first prison publication ever nominated for the National Magazine Awards. He also wrote and narrated an award-winning National Public radio documentary and directed the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Farm.” In 1999 Rideau said “I didn’t want a criminal act to be the final definition of me. I picked up a pen and tried to do something good. It allowed me to weave meaning into what would have been a meaningless existence. It also gave me a chance to try to make amends.”