This is Carrie Zumbrum and her boyfriend, Loren. They live in Eugene, south of Portland, Oregon. Carrie presents a radio programme called The Concertina Wire.
Yes, her radio programme covers prison issues but its brief is bigger than that. The Concertina Wire includes stories from people who aren't necessarily in prison but are 'locked up' in different ways. For instance, they might be locked into a destructive habit like self-harm or locked into a violent, abusive relationship. Carrie has very cleverly found a way to connect everyone who feels "locked up" whether they're behind physical bars or free. It's heavy, heavy stuff and even starts off with a warning that it's not suitable for children.
Prison issues, though, play a very big part of the programme and Carrie knows what she's talking about because she was in prison for two years not that long ago. She was released in 2007. She was found guilty of making money through internet fraud. She says she could make 30 or 40 thousand dollars easily in 15 minutes. She also injected drugs for 29 years but she says her crime wasn't really about getting money for her habit. "I did it for 'whatever'. Just 'cos I could. And that's so selfish." She also had an escort service and was a gang member.
Carrie believes prison was a blessing in a way. "I laid in my cell and I looked around and I thought: 'Is this really my life? Is this REALLY what I want out of life?' I feel if I hadn't gone to prison I would have been dead. Sticking the needle in your arm every single day meant that eventually I would have died. Or been shot because I was in a gang. It's hard to explain, but prison gave me, 'me'."
Carrie's story and how she tells it is compelling and dramatic. With all its underworld elements it's almost a movie but she doesn't talk about it on the radio.
"Here on The Concertina Wire we do not talk about our crimes. We don't allow boasting. If you're gonna boast I don't need you on my show."
This is to make sure crime isn't glamourised and to prevent imitative behaviour. It's also to protect any victims listening. And there's yet another element to Carrie's story. A year and a half ago her son was murdered by a man high on drugs.
"So if you heard your son's murderer on the radio," I ask, "how would you feel?"
"I would be devastated. I would be, like: How does this guy get time on the air to talk about this?"
"What if he wants to talk about how he's turning his life around, or explain that he's getting educated in prison?"
"That would still be pretty harsh. I understand your question though. For The Concertina Wire I always have that warning at the start, and a week ahead of time listeners know who's going to be on the show through the Facebook page. But sometimes we do get repercussions about some stories."
Carrie flags up the challenges of making a prison radio programme to be broadcast on the public airwaves. She has offenders and ex-offenders on her radio programme because she thinks it's important that they have a forum to speak. But as a mother who's still grieving for her son she knows what impact that could have on innocent victims.
It's complicated.