My name is Richard Allen Washington. I was a teenager when I was charged with murdering two people just a day after my 18th birthday. I was convicted and sentenced to Life without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP). I was submerged in gang activity and its lifestyle. I was raised by a single mother and though she eventually married, my stepfather was also a gang member. I feel as if early on I was “forced” to accept that gang affiliation was my reality and my environment was almost entirely gang infested. My natural father was in and out of prison and was never around long enough to provide the nurturing that I now know necessary for a positive self-image Without embellishing the truth, I can honestly say that the young teenage boy I was when I was convicted is not the man I am today. I realize the immense impact of my decisions and how they have changed multiple lives. Taking a life is a decision that as a “man” I could never make, not only because of the criminal penalties I suffer but because my present consciousness would not allow me to injure the hearts and minds of others in a way that my actions did 18 years ago. In quiet times, I reflect on my actions and my heart aches for the two lives I’ve taken and the physical absence that their families have had to endure. While I have remained in prison physically, I try to liberate my mind from the emotional binds of my youthful actions that have produced such a tragedy. A tragedy that has left the family of those victims in a “prison” of their own pain. In spite of having the belief that I will never be released from prison. I’ve worked hard to change from the young boy with no true appreciation for mine or the lives of others into a man that knows the consequences of his actions. I have a greater respect of humanity as a whole. The man I am today would never knowingly cause a tear to drop from another’s eye unless it is from joy. The lives of others, my own included, are not toys to be used and discarded. The gift of “life” is the ultimate gift from God and it is to be protected and reassured. Sincerely, Mr. Richard A. Washington