He is now in his second stint at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Terre Haute, an Indiana prison that houses many drug and immigration inmates. During that time, he has been the focus of many letters from children who struggle to find the words to express their feelings. When his fellow inmates read about him, some have reached out to give him encouragement. But he hasn't always had that backing, particularly as a teenager and even into his 20s. One of the most heartbreaking letters he received was from a girl who was 5 when her father was convicted of possession with the intent to deliver. He wrote that when she was a little girl, she would cry and scream whenever she saw her father. "And when he came to visit he'd give you a great big hug and tell you I love you," she wrote. "I know that he loves you. He just gets mixed up and needs help." A few years ago, the two finally became Facebook friends. The young girl told her father that her life was "nothing like what she ever dreamed of having." He wrote that he did the best he could to support his children but with little money and an out-of-work husband, he wasn't always able to provide what they needed. "I know that sometimes they get hungry and maybe we're not as good at being fathers as we could have been," he wrote. He was convicted of three drug-related felonies and sent to prison in 2004, but he maintained his innocence, said his former sister-in-law and aunt, Lisa Sells. The man was released in December 2010 and moved to the West Coast, where he met his current wife. When he had legal issues in Oregon, he was granted probation but remained in a halfway house for three years. Sells said he did well in those three years and showed signs of being a good father to his children. "They love him," she said. "It's sad what happened, but I think this is going to be something that he's going to be able to deal with." Sells said the family had been close, and since the day she brought her children, now ages 6 and 8, to her parents' home for the first time, the four of them would hang out and have "fun times." She never saw the signs of the struggles he has faced because she said he had always been there for his children. "He was always there when they were sick or he'd be taking them to school," she said. "We had a lot of fun. I think he was always there when they needed him." She said she was devastated when her nephew was convicted in March 2012. Sells believes that her nephew's former in-laws conspired against him because of jealousy. She said they felt like the mother of her sister's children had stolen her nephew. "They are always getting into trouble, always doing something wrong and always getting in trouble," she said. "He's always doing things that he's not supposed to be doing. He's a good father, a good person and he deserves to be a father and he deserves to be out there raising his children." Sells said her nephew knew his wife was struggling and he was the one who suggested she do drugs. She believes her sister's husband has been dealing with some demons since he was a young child. "They had different families and different everything and I think they're trying to build a new life," she said. Sells said her niece had recently sent her a letter asking for advice and she said her niece "felt as though she was just being a nanny and a housekeeper." The family is still struggling to come to grips with the situation. "She calls and asks him, and I know she cries," Sells said. "She wants her father back. He's always been a good father. It's just that he's been caught up with the wrong people and been so used by them." She added, "It's got to be heart-wrenching for him to get mail from a 5-year-old telling him how it affected her. It's got to be heart-wrenching." In a letter last week, he told his children he loves them very much. He told them he wants to see them again, "but it has to be the right place for both of us to be safe for my children." "I love you very much, you are my children," he wrote. "I hope and pray that the time will come when I will again see your sweet faces, hear your sweet voices and kiss your sweet faces." The next time his children ask him for money, they should not be disappointed, he said. "They will not be disappointed. I will do the best that I can," he wrote. "I want you to know that your father is doing the best he can right now." He said the most difficult thing for him to bear is that he can't be there for his children when they need him most, he said. "I'm a better father in jail than out on the streets," he wrote. "I'm your father and I love you and I would love nothing more than to be able to be there with you every day, every hour and everyday, you have a question or a need. "When I say and believe that I love you, it is because I do. I have tried my hardest to give you everything I possibly could and to provide for you." He said he's seen all sorts of families in the 14 years since he was convicted of child abuse, and many of them have done things he wouldn't allow his children to do. "If you have brothers and sisters that live in my area you should try to get to know them," he said. "They may not live up to my standards but just try to get to know them." His children will be much more secure with money in their own bank accounts and homes and a car that they can call their own, he said. "I also want you to know I feel like I've been living in prison for some time," he said. "I think when the court system makes mistakes the punishment should fit the crime. If the person has got some time left on their parole, then they should do their time and then be released." Sells said she doesn't know when or if the government will grant her nephew's request, but she just hopes it happens soon. He has no other charges on his record, but he can't get a job, she said. Sells has set up a MySpace page where people can keep up with her nephew's case and check on his progress. "He needs a new start and we have to give him that," she said. "He needs a lot of help." Sells doesn't know what her nephew's future holds, but she's holding on to a hopeful attitude. "I believe my nephew is going to walk out that door one day," she said. But her wish for him is that he get the proper help he needs, and that he gets the time he needs to make things right for himself and his children. "It's so unfair what he has gone through, and he deserves better than this," she said. "He's an exceptional father and he's an exceptional person." For Sells, the hardest part is when her family receives the correspondence from the children she loves. "I'm a mother and I love my nephew very much," she said. "But it's very hard."