My name is Jerome Jeter I am a 43 year old first term prisoner sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP).
In the mid to late 80’s I got involved with the street gangs in the neighborhood.
I became a very well-known member of this gang throughout the city where I was born and raised. I also got into the drug trafficking side of the life this ultimately led to me committing multiple gang related murders.
One day in 1993 while making a drug transaction I was shot and robbed. Later in the same month the same individuals that were responsible for shooting me, attacked a cousin mine. It was at that moment I made a life altering decision to kill those responsible. I shot and killed those individuals.
As I sit here, I now realize how wrong a lot of my life choices were. As a youth growing up in Compton, we were taught to be very aggressive. As I matured in the California Penal System, I became very violent and destructive. I continued to commit various crimes on behalf of the gang. While sitting in Pelican Bay Shu I realized how destructive I had become and vowed to change my behavior.
I started my pursuit for change in the late 90’s. I took architectural as well as mechanical drafting. I also got involved with the prison’s wood shop to learn. Although I failed at total change numerous times in 2014, I obtained my G.E.D. and in 2016 I became a Peer Education Master Facilitator. I still struggled from time to time until I enrolled in various self-help groups to deal with the anger and violence. During all this I married the loveliest lady in the world. My love for my wife and our daughters has made me realize that I have to do better. Not only do I owe this to my family, but to society where I hope to become a productive member of. I am now a grandfather of a lovely 3-year-old granddaughter and she really keeps me honest.
I am very sorry for the acts that I committed against my victims and those who loved them. I can never change those actions but I can attempt to change and help the youth through the ARC program that I am a part of.