Carrying two brown bags full of papers and Bible study materials, he stopped briefly to contemplate his independence as the wind whipped pear blossoms around him. He grinned nervously, then sauntered down the stone steps of the Metropolitan Transitional Center, walking with a release officer towards the prison's accounting office -- the last stop before freedom.

Other prisoners cat-called and yelled at Banks from the prison windows, their words echoing past the stony walls. After paperwork and a quick ID check, a clerk handed him $25, the balance of his prison bank account.

Banks, 21, was now a free man.

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Photographs and special report banner and design by Adam Newman / Maryland Newsline. Print stories edited by Steve Crane. Web package edited by Chris Harvey.

Copyright © 2003 University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism

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For Prisoners, Preparing for Life Outside Can Mean Shedding Their Old Selves

A Year in Prison Brings a Promise to Begin Life Anew