The countdown is on.

Only 384 weeks—give or take a few hundred days—until Silicon Valley’s most iconic criminal is released from prison. 

That’s 88.5 months, or 64,608 hours. Or 3.87 million minutes.

Perhaps no one is marking the time more fervently than the outlaw herself. Understandable, considering the “pure pain” Elizabeth Holmes—a.k.a., inmate No. 24965-111—claims to be suffering at her sleepaway “camp” in eastern Texas.

“…it’s been hell and torture to be here,” Holmes told a People magazine staff writer of her incarceration at Federal Prison Camp, Bryan. “Human beings are not made to be in cells. It goes so far beyond understanding.”

Beyond her understanding, really. It’s not surprising that Holmes cannot comprehend the point of incarceration when she refuses to admit (and accept) her guilt. In the People interview, Holmes maintains her innocence and considers her federal fraud trial and conviction to be a “miscarriage of justice.”

A federal judge thought otherwise, rejecting Holmes’ bid in February to overturn her 2022 conviction on wire fraud charges. Both Holmes and her former business partner/lover Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani appealed their respective fraud convictions and prison terms by accusing the lower court of major violations. The judge, however, found no evidence of any court-specific errors.

“I truly did not think I would ever be convicted or found guilty,” Holmes shared with People. “I refused to plead guilty to crimes I did not commit. Theranos failed. But failure is not fraud.”

Holmes has a point. Failure is not necessarily fraud; but refusing to admit failure will almost certainly lead to fraud. The investors and patients who lost more than $600 million in Theranos’ downfall would surely agree, as they were duped into financing the startup based on Holmes’ word about the accuracy and testing range of her company’s blood analyzers; the technology’s use on the battlefield; and the firm’s rosy financial prospects.

Little did those investors know that Holmes’ word at the time was about as genuine as her back-of-the-throat contralto.

It’s been six and a half years since Theranos closed its doors, and Holmes has still not yet fully processed the loss. In the People interview, she is steadfast in convictions (beliefs) yet hints at some regrets, admitting “there are things I would have done differently.”

Much differently, maybe, depending on the “things” in question.

Those “things” are most likely not her children, William, 3, and Invicta, 2, whose births coincided with the start of her fraud trial and sentencing, respectively. Telling People she “always wanted to be a mother,” Holmes cherishes the twice weekly visits with her kids and their father (her husband, Billy Evans), and relives the heartbreak each time they leave. The magazine article describes the ritual Holmes and her children follow before every goodbye: the kids press their fingers together in the shape of a heart and together say, “Mommy this is our love.” Holmes responds with “Our love is a superpower.”

Then they depart through a secured glass door, leaving Holmes completely shattered. “The people I love the most have to walk away as I stand here, a prisoner,” she says, “and my reality sinks in.”

That reality is not so bad, actually—it enables Holmes to follow a mostly vegan diet (the ocassional salmon and tuna help ward off anemia), maintain a toned physique (via 40-minute daily workouts), and teach French classes. To escape such a harsh reality, Holmes immerses herself in books; recently read titles, according to People, include the ancient Chinese divination manual “I Ching,” the Harry Potter series, Rick Rubin’s “The Creative Act: A Way of Being,” and Zen teacher Cheri Huber’s “The Fear Book.”

Pure hell and torture.

In between her morning workout and downtime foray into self-improvement and fantasy, Holmes works as a re-entry clerk, helping soon-to-be released inmates with their resumes and preparing  them to apply for tax credits and other government benefits. She also (ironically) works as a law clerk, helping women gain compassionate release, and counsels rape survivors.

“So many of these women don’t have anyone,” Holmes revealed to People, “and once they’re in there, they’re forgotten.”

Besides giving her the opportunity to be a mentor, prison also has allowed Holmes to pursue her “life’s work”—fighting injustice in the U.S. legal system. People reports that Holmes has researched and drafted legislation to reinforce the presumption of innocence in the justice system.

Likely inspired by her own legal troubles, the proposed seven-page American Freedom Act bill would reform the criminal justice system by “allowing suspects to defend themselves before grand juries and expanding their rights to discovery before trial and after conviction,” the magazine article states.

“I’ve poured my heart into protecting the presumption of innocence,” Holmes said. 

It may take more than passion to get the bill enacted, however. People spoke to former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, who said Holmes’ proposed law “has no real chance of passing.”

Too bad. It might have come in handy for Holmes upon her return to the healthcare entrepreneurship sphere. Indeed, Holmes has not given up her own dream of working in healthcare again (as per People), though she is fully aware how that might be perceived by the public.

“People who have never met me believe so strongly about me,” she said. “They don’t understand who I am. It forces you to spend a lot of time questioning belief and hoping the truth will prevail.”

Keep hoping, Elizabeth.