My name is Henry Inocencio
I am a human who was brought into a world of amazement. As a kid I was happy, loved, and blessed to have the opportunity to explore this unlimited frontier we call life.
But soon, the winds of the street were molding my character. As my heart held on to the promise of restoring the dignity of my family, I lost sight of myself.
I am a husband, father, and a man in search of proving himself worthy of a second chance in society.
I stand today as a man 38 years old, serving a sentence of Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP) for a crime I committed at age 23.
I could have never envisioned taking a man’s life, and yet I committed the crime of murder. The impact was devastating, the effect it had on his family and community was crippling. For this I’m sincerely sorry.
I took a man’s life. A father, a husband, a productive member of society, and I can never change that. I regret my lifestyle choices and every day the choice of taking a man’s life pains me.
What I can tell you is that LWOP is not the answer. Many men and women serving the sentence defined as death by incarceration have human value. We have the ability to change.
Through education and exploring my past, I have redefined myself. I now have core values and every decision I make reflects them. I am now a resource of education and I have redefined my character. I’ve created my own self-help curriculum, I facilitate and participate in self-help groups, and I’m currently enrolled in college here at SCC.
In our own state of California, we treat those who have made mistakes with little regard for the individual making those mistakes. What in a person’s life led to him/her making such fateful decisions? And, we treat those making the mistakes with such a heavy hand of retribution that it cripples and stigmatizes for generations.
If given a second chance, I believe that many of us can and will make a positive impact on our communities