“Life Without Parole is Slow and Agonizing Death Sentence”
I am an incarcerated person who has been serving a life without parole sentence for the past twenty-nine years. At the age of 23 I participated in a robbery that would cause the death of another human being. There is no way to really explain the horror that comes from knowing you are responsible for the loss of the most precious thing, that is, life. I was not armed, nor did I intend to kill anyone, but I was a participant in a robbery which laid the basis for the loss of life. During the time of my incarceration, I’ve learned to take responsibility for my actions and have taken meaningful steps towards my Rehabilitation. For one who has not been impacted by a life without parole sentence, it’s difficult, If not impossible to understand the magnitude of the cruelty behind this death by incarceration sentence, It is complete and utter deprivation of hope, It means that no matter the extent of Rehabilitation, remorse and real change, a person like myself will never have a chance to go before a parole board and demonstrate that an end to my incarceration is appropriate and consistent with the interests of justice and Public Safety. LWOP is a government- imposed death in prison sentence, a sentence which will only cease with the end of life itself. Now, I want to believe that Justice demands more than just locking up a human being and throwing away the key, I am not seeking a get out of jail free card, I’m only asking for the opportunity to earn my way out of prison. After nearly three decades in prison, My Hope Is that others would deem it reasonable to take a second look at Public Safety on a case-by-case basis.
God Bless you All.