My cover story is a sequel, one that’s almost a quarter century in the making. In 2001, the Monitor reported a story about inmates performing Shakespeare plays in a Kentucky prison. It inspired filmmakers Hank Rogerson and Jilann Spitzmiller to create the hit 2005 documentary “Shakespeare Behind Bars.” In turn, they invited the Monitor to join them this summer in Louisville, Kentucky, for the filming of a sequel, “Shakespeare Beyond Bars.”

Staff photographer Melanie Stetson Freeman and I spent five days with Jerry Guenthner and Sammie Byron, pivotal figures in the earlier article and in the documentary. Both men had been imprisoned for murder.

After spending time with them, I reflected on how perilous it is to judge others.

“In the first film, they were people that were really working hard on transforming themselves through the power of art,” says Mr. Rogerson. “We can’t be defined by one action. We need to be defined by all of our actions.”

Jerry and Sammie now work at The Spot, an opportunity center for at-risk youth. We observed Jerry teaming with a young woman named Lia to perform a scene from “Julius Caesar” for a class. Earlier, Sammie imparted a life lesson to his students about how he maintains a relationship with his son, who he says is a drug dealer, by avoiding talking to him in a judgmental way. Where you start out isn’t always where you end up.

“When we put a label on someone or we put them in a box, we all miss out,” says Ms. Spitzmiller. “Culture has gotten so complicated that we’re trying to simplify things with stereotypes and labels and boxes more than ever.”

I’ll never forget watching a minor league baseball game with Jerry and Sammie. Over the crack of bats, the cheers of the crowd, and the crunch of Cracker Jack, they talked about how their postprison lives will never be fully normal. One example: They avoid the grocery store cereal aisle; after decades behind bars, they get overwhelmed by copious breakfast options.

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They hope other people will assess them on their efforts to steer others away from making the same mistakes.

“I’m very blessed to have the opportunity to show that everybody has a chance at redemption,” says Jerry, who was utterly entranced by the postgame fireworks display. “No matter what you’ve done in life, no matter what kind of prodigal son you’ve been, you can always return.”