She was convicted, but the state appealed; she was re-tried, pleaded insanity, found guilty and given life in prison. One in four women, and nearly one in two black women has a family member who is in prison. Picoult moves the story along with lively debates about prisoner rights and. The mother of four has not been seen since her release from prison until mid-January but the. This invasion of the war, the prisoners in the cast.