I feel that prison has changed me.
Incarcerated: 2 years
Housed: High Desert State Prison, Susanville, California
May 2nd, 2015 was the day my sister passed away and something in me changed forever. I became careless about people around me, including myself. I began to get lost in my own world and into drugs. I felt like a part of me died with her. Things haven’t been the same in my life to this very day. I was a gang member and further immersed myself in it. I was dealing with the wrong people who led me to where I am today, in prison serving a Life Without Parole sentence for 1st degree murder. A crime that I did commit.
From the minute I was handcuffed my life flashed in front of my eyes. Within seconds my sister popped into my mind and I knew she wouldn’t want this for me: a life in prison, leaving my family behind. I have a son I barely know. I traded my street life and gang over my own son. I was childish myself.
Now that I am in prison, I have learned how to appreciate the littlest things in life. I am doing my best to be the father that my son never had. I am fighting each and every day to become a better person for my family, my son, and most of all, myself.
I feel that prison has changed me.