Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Lawrence and Ronnine Bartley share their unconventional story of love and family in the shadow of America's incarceration system. What started as a childhood romance was shattered by a sudden tragedy that led to Lawrence's arrest and incarceration. Despite spending 27 years in prison, he and Ronnine's love endured. The Bartleys reflect on the challenges of building a family while one parent is incarcerated, as well as the unlikely moments of joy, from getting married in a visiting room, to taking their children trick-or-treating in prison cells.
“Beyond Incarceration” is part of The Thread Documentary series by Life Stories, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing inspiring stories on social justice, history, and culture. See the next episode of The Thread, featuring Ken Chenault, on Sunday, January 11, 2026 on our YouTube channel @lifestoriesdotorg
Educators, teach The Thread episodes in your classroom with free lesson plans here: lifestories.org/learning/resources-items/teaching-the-thread-documentary-interview-series
Chapters:
00:01:20 Introduction to Lawrence and Ronnine Bartley
00:01:44 The Marshall Project: Reporting on the criminal justice system
00:04:24 Meeting and falling in love: Lawrence and Ronnine Bartley’s childhoods
00:06:03 Gun violence in NYC: remembering the events that led to Lawrence Bartley’s arrest
00:13:04 27 years to life: coping with a conviction
00:15:07 Surviving life inside an American prison
00:16:44 Celebrating Christmas in prison
00:19:05 The importance of education and rehabilitation in jails
00:21:58 Staying informed while incarcerated
00:23:15 Sustaining love from the inside
00:26:47 Remembering their prison wedding ceremony
00:28:35 Building a family in and out of prison
00:34:12 Reforming the criminal justice system
00:38:03 Mental health and rehabilitation: guidance for families of inmates
00:40:13 Fatherhood after prison
00: 41:56 Working towards prison reform in America
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About Lawrence Bartley and Ronnine Simmons Bartley
Lawrence Bartley is a journalist, publisher, and former inmate in Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. He was arrested on December 27, 1990 after being involved in a shootout on Christmas. After his release in 2018,he joined The Marshall Project as founder and leader of Inside News, a publication dedicated to bringing information to incarcerated people. News Inside is distributed to over 950 prisons and jails in 44 states across the United States, Canada, and Tijuana, Mexico. Bartley was also host of Inside Story, a video series by The Marshall Project that aired in over 750 prisons and jails across 40 states, examining the realities of the American criminal justice system. His wife, Ronnine Simmons Bartley is a dean and educator for New York City Public Schools. The Bartleys married while Lawrence was in prison and now live in Queens, New York with their two sons.
Original Title: Beyond Incarceration
Interviewee: Lawrence Bartley and Ronnine Simmons Bartley
Interviewed by: Teddy Kunhardt
Interview Date: June 26, 2023
© Kunhardt Film Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
Lawrence and Ronnine Bartley share their unconventional story of love and family in the shadow of America's incarceration system. What started as a childhood romance was shattered by a sudden tragedy that led to Lawrence's arrest and incarceration. Despite spending 27 years in prison, he and Ronnine's love endured. The Bartleys reflect on the challenges of building a family while one parent is incarcerated, as well as the unlikely moments of joy, from getting married in a visiting room, to taking their children trick-or-treating in prison cells.
“Beyond Incarceration” is part of The Thread Documentary series by Life Stories, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing inspiring stories on social justice, history, and culture. See the next episode of The Thread, featuring Ken Chenault, on Sunday, January 11, 2026 on our YouTube channel @lifestoriesdotorg
Educators, teach The Thread episodes in your classroom with free lesson plans here: lifestories.org/learning/resources-items/teaching-the-thread-documentary-interview-series
Chapters:
00:01:20 Introduction to Lawrence and Ronnine Bartley
00:01:44 The Marshall Project: Reporting on the criminal justice system
00:04:24 Meeting and falling in love: Lawrence and Ronnine Bartley’s childhoods
00:06:03 Gun violence in NYC: remembering the events that led to Lawrence Bartley’s arrest
00:13:04 27 years to life: coping with a conviction
00:15:07 Surviving life inside an American prison
00:16:44 Celebrating Christmas in prison
00:19:05 The importance of education and rehabilitation in jails
00:21:58 Staying informed while incarcerated
00:23:15 Sustaining love from the inside
00:26:47 Remembering their prison wedding ceremony
00:28:35 Building a family in and out of prison
00:34:12 Reforming the criminal justice system
00:38:03 Mental health and rehabilitation: guidance for families of inmates
00:40:13 Fatherhood after prison
00: 41:56 Working towards prison reform in America
---
About Lawrence Bartley and Ronnine Simmons Bartley
Lawrence Bartley is a journalist, publisher, and former inmate in Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. He was arrested on December 27, 1990 after being involved in a shootout on Christmas. After his release in 2018,he joined The Marshall Project as founder and leader of Inside News, a publication dedicated to bringing information to incarcerated people. News Inside is distributed to over 950 prisons and jails in 44 states across the United States, Canada, and Tijuana, Mexico. Bartley was also host of Inside Story, a video series by The Marshall Project that aired in over 750 prisons and jails across 40 states, examining the realities of the American criminal justice system. His wife, Ronnine Simmons Bartley is a dean and educator for New York City Public Schools. The Bartleys married while Lawrence was in prison and now live in Queens, New York with their two sons.
Original Title: Beyond Incarceration
Interviewee: Lawrence Bartley and Ronnine Simmons Bartley
Interviewed by: Teddy Kunhardt
Interview Date: June 26, 2023
© Kunhardt Film Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
