Amber Portwood Has “Grown And Matured” Behind Bars
October 9, 2013 by Lindsay Cronin
Amber Portwood was sentenced to five years behind bars last June, but with the help of good time and her enrollment in several prison programs, the former Teen Mom is set for an early release and will likely go free on November 6. In the meantime, Amber’s brother Shawn is speaking out about how far she has come in the last 15 months.
“She’s really grown and matured — she completed her drug rehab [in prison], she got her G.E.D., she completed parenting classes and she became the administrator of the CLIFF program, which helps inmates get sober,” Shawn recently revealed to OK! Magazine. “She did so well in cleaning herself up, that she spent most of her jail time helping other girls get clean.”
Prior to turning herself in last year, Amber had been struggling with an intense addiction which left her feeling as if prison was her only choice. While some people felt that her decision to do her time as opposed to continuing in treatment was a bit drastic, especially considering it meant that she’d be away from her young daughter, it was what Amber needed to do to kick her addiction once and for all.
Once Amber comes home, she will have to remain strong as she’s faced with old situations, and put the knowledge she gained behind bars to good use — especially when it comes to co-parenting with Gary Shirley.
“Most of Amber’s problems revolved around Gary, so it’s a hot issue,” Shawn explained. “He can keep Leah away from Amber, and in the past when that’s happened, it triggers Amber in a bad way. Her demeanor has changed, so that will help.”
One of the ways in which Amber has changed the most would be in her views on fame. According to Shawn, she’s now completely uninterested in living out her life in the public eye as she had done in the years leading up to her entrance into prison. ”She wants none of that life anymore,” Shawn said. “She’s grown up far more than I thought she would. When I talk to her, she’s changed.”