Donna Ann Smith-Marshall is a native of California.  She is a wife, mother, writer, publisher, national television and radio motivational speaker, reformed ex-offender, prison reform activist, and author of “TIME ON THE INSIDE: Behind The Walls In A Maximum Security Women’s Prison From An Insider’s View.” Donna Ann has worked for the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) and General Services Administration (GSA) government agencies prior to going into healthcare which she then worked in management for King-Drew Medical Center as a Program Administrator in Pediatrics, and as a Supervisor for Child Health and Disability Prevention Program, and Healthy Families Program for Molina Healthcare, a combination of 15 years between these employers. Donna Smith, at the time of her sentencing, was ordered to serve a prison term of three years and eight months, of which she completed two and a half years, from 1993 to 1995.  Though she’s been released for ten years, she continues to see the newcomers and recidivism rate grow, as women going into the penal system this year alone increased from 8,000 to 13, 500.  This is a huge increase and travesty as women of all ages—some who are mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, aunts, even grandmothers. Donna Ann has lived and worked in the United States Largest Maximum Security Women’s Prison, Central California Women’s Facility in Northern California, where she processed newcomers and parolees into prison.  She handled the relocation of inmates to various housing units during their sentencing to balance out the inmate yards, as well as resolved/prevented conflicts between inmates.  She also handled secretarial services for the kitchen management.  Donna Ann was also responsible for processing non-inmate men and women—civilians to come into the prison to handle numerous business accounts within the Prison Industry Association. Donna Ann has been a viable part of inmate reform and youth prevention as she served on the CCWF Women’s Advisory Committee, which works as a go-between for inmates and prison officials to build a better understanding of inmates’ needs and concerns and to organize various committees and organizations to prevent prison disturbances or outbreaks, as well as, to assist in any community efforts to deter youth from a life of crime which will ultimately lead them into the penal system.

Donna Ann has been given numerous awards from various organizations where she has done motivational speaking and/or volunteering