Pregnant, 15, and the oldest of six kids in a crowded Detroit home, Charnell Scott could feel the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders. When her baby girl became the seventh child in the household, a sense of duty and pride kept Charnell going—but it also kept her from asking for assistance. When things got tight, she started stealing clothes and food to help her family survive.
It wasn't long before she got caught. Charnell was 18 the first time she went to jail.
Over the next 17 years, Charnell got married, had five more children, and continued to shoplift. She didn't need to steal anymore, since her husband was providing for the family, but she wanted to give her kids gifts she couldn't afford, like expensive Christmas toys.
She was arrested for shoplifting three more times, eventually leading to a two-year prison sentence.
