Claudia Contreras’ life was at a crossroads. Born in the United States to Mexican parents, her childhood had been marred by violence, abuse and repeated stints in prison. At 21, she was back inside on a drug offense, just one year after completing a three-year sentence for a previous crime. She took in the view of Colorado’s mountains through her cell window and realized that, unless she took the right fork at the crossroads, the dreams she had carefully nurtured during her turbulent childhood would slip away.