Her Art Career Took Off While She Was in Prison. Now Shes Starting Over. [Video]

A day after her release from prison after serving 27 years of a life sentence for aggravated robbery, Jamie Diaz headed to a Dallas salon to have her makeup done. She sat in a chair, her cane within reach, waiting for her appointment. She wore a pink long-sleeved sweater and thin black sweatpants. Her large hands were folded in her lap, left over right, the latter swollen and clenched in a fist since her stroke earlier this year. With gray hair that fell to her shoulders, a furrowed brow, and thin lips that formed a slight smile, Diaz wore an expression both warm and quizzical. She attempted to say something, but her speech was severely impeded.

It was the first time I’d seen Diaz. She barely appears in Love, Jamie, a short documentary about her that’s now streaming on PBS.com. She shows up only in a few photographs, including one of …