I didn’t realize how addicted I was to my phone—until I went to prison

P.G. Sittenfeld, The Wall Street Journal
8 min read6 Aug 2026, 07:17 AM IST
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P.G. Sittenfeld shares his journey through incarceration, highlighting the emotional toll of leaving his family and the disconnect from technology.
Summary
A former Cincinnati politician writes about the irony of his involuntary separation from his constantly chirping device.

P.G. Sittenfeld is a writer and public speaker who lives in Cincinnati with his wife and three sons.

Sitting in a car in a McDonald’s parking lot in January 2024, I made a final call to my wife, Sarah, to tell her I loved her. It was the last time I’d be in possession of my iPhone before self-surrendering to the Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland, Ky.

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