Todd Chrisley claimed that he witnessed systemic issues firsthand while he was in prison.
Todd, 56, shared his experiences at a press conference in Nashville after his release from FPC Pensacola, Florida, which was facilitated by a pardon from President Donald Trump.
“I have encountered some amazing individuals and heard some shocking accounts of what happens in our system,” Todd expressed, with his daughter Savannah Chrisley supporting him.
The “Chrisley Knows Best” star committed, “I will keep advocating for all the men I interacted with and was fortunate to be alongside at FPC Pensacola. I pledge to continue revealing the injustices occurring there and within the Bureau of Prisons.”
Todd continued, “Being in the prison system, anyone that says that it’s a fair shake — it’s not. “Because I dealt with young African-American males in the prison that I was in that were not treated the same.”
“They were denied programming. They were denied access to certain things,” he claimed. “I was not denied that, but we know why I wasn’t denied that. And so I think that that is a much bigger picture that we all as a society as a whole need to look at: that we are one.”
Todd also revealed what his fellow inmates’ reactions were to his release.
“When I left that day, there was only 317 men at our camp, but they were lined up shouting when I was walking out and they were saying ‘Dont forget us, don’t forget us’ and my commitment is to them that I will never forget them,” Todd shared.
Todd and his wife, Julie Chrisley, were pardoned by Trump, 78, after they were convicted faking documents to obtain over $30 million in loans, and then dumping them by declaring bankruptcy.
Todd, 56, was released from his 12-year prison sentence at Florida’s FPC Pensacola, while Julie, 52, was pardoned from her seven-year stretch at FMC Lexington in Kentucky. They each served a little over two years of their sentences.
During the news conference, Todd insisted that his conviction was unjust.
“Even though this pardon has happened, I still was convicted of something that I did not do,” he said.
“It could be you. It could be any of you,” Todd told the group of reporters. “And somewhere in this room, someone has had a family member who has been affected by this system. I understand the shame that’s around it, but I refuse to feed into that because shame is like a cancer that just spreads, and I have no shame.”
Todd and Julie, who have been married since 1996, reunited at their Tennessee home after their prison releases in front of the cameras for a new reality show.
Savannah, who fought for her parents’ freedom, told People that it’s “been amazing” to have Todd and Julie home.
“We were going to bed last night. We’re like, ‘Is this real?’ And then, I wake up this morning and my mom’s walking into my bedroom and I’m like, it’s absolutely insane!” she said.
