Felicity Huffman Feels ‘Humbled and Blessed’ After Leaving Prison — Inside Her Time Behind Bars

She’s a free woman. Felicity Huffman is “truly feeling humbled and blessed” after leaving prison on Friday, October 25, a source revealed to In Touch exclusively. The actress has been serving time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California since October 15, and she was surprisingly allowed to go home two days before her original release date.

“Felicity knows she’s going to get a lot of flak for only spending 11 days behind bars, but prison really opened her eyes to a whole new world,” the insider shared. “It was very isolating, she felt trapped and claustrophobic, but she never complained. She didn’t have an appetite, she lost a little weight, but she did eat some of the food, which wasn’t tasty at all.”

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As we previously reported, Huffman, 56, pleaded guilty for her role in the college admissions scandal back in May. The Desperate Housewives star used “a purported charitable contribution of $15,000 … to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter [Sophia],” according to court documents. After originally being sentenced to 14 days in prison on September 13, Huffman released a statement revealing that she “accepts the court’s decision without reservation.”

The insider noted how Huffman has been committed to “paying her dues and doing her time” and while she was locked up, the star even met some “great” women behind bars who treated her “very nicely.” On top of that, she formed some friendships.

“She promised to write a couple of the women when she got out,” the source tells In Touch.

Huffman “was so grateful” to be released, even though she did have some family visits during her prison stint. All in all, the experience apparently “did change her, for the better.”

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“She says she’d like to do some work in prison reform,” according to the insider. “This was a huge wake up call for Felicity, she’s a different person because of it.”

So, why did she get let out early? According to a statement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, it had to do with a policy. “Felicity Huffman has been released from the custody of the Bureau of Prisons today, October 25, 2019, per BOP Program Statement 5140.36 ‘Release of Inmates Prior to a Weekend or Legal Holiday.'”

Even so, Huffman isn’t entirely out of the woods yet, as the actress was also given a year of probation and she must complete 250 hours of community service as well as pay a $30,000 fine.