Katie meets Whitley, who was convicted of killing her brother after an argument. Whitley claims it was self-defence, but Katie learns she left the house and came back with a gun.

Katie meets Kia, who is accused of attempted murder after shooting a man while working as a security guard. She claims self-defence, but Katie wonders if she used reasonable force.

Katie meets Kimberly, who is accused of killing a woman she was dating, and learns that Kimberly's life derailed after she got into a car accident and became addicted to opioids.

Katie meets Candice, who is facing a second-degree murder charge, and learns that she was born into a gang and has grown up around violence.

Katie meets Tonica who is accused of killing her husband. Katie learns that Tonica has suffered a lifetime of abuse, as a child and then at the hands of her husband. During a particularly violent attack, Tonica shot her husband in an act of self-defence. Tonica is charged with second degree murder, which in Louisiana carries a mandatory life sentence.

Tonica's story of domestic abuse leads Katie to ask if she had fought back during her own attack, could she have found herself facing her own prison sentence? Katie weighs up what choice Tonica had – was it either her or him? And should anyone be locked up for life for saving themself?

Katie also spends time with Jodi who has had a lifetime of drug abuse, through which she lost touch with her children. She's facing a charge of second-degree murder but insists she's innocent. Jodi doesn't have time on her side after being diagnosed with terminal cancer and must come to terms with spending her last months locked up.