Melissa Doran is a beautiful, inspiring, and unbelievably caring young woman. She is selfless, always has something thought provoking to say, and her opinions are valuable and motivating. The only problem is that Melissa Doran has been trapped in the California State Prison system for the past 15 years.

Melissa grew up in shared custody arrangement after her parents went through a very difficult and devastating divorce. Melissa and her mother forged a loving relationship. However, Melissa's relationship with her father was a troubled one. Her father, a police officer, was a person filled with rage who abused his family. At the age of fifteen, Melissa and her father had a disagreement and weeks later he took his own life. From that point on, Melissa’s life seemed to derail.

Soon after the suicide of her father, Melissa turned eighteen years old. She met James, a thirty three year old man with two strikes who had recently been released from prison. Though he was controlling and possessive, Melissa turned to him to fill a void in her life. That void was created the day her father took his own life.

In May of 2000, James committed a house burglary. Melissa was aware of the crime he committed and admitted to helping James place the stolen merchandise in the trunk of his car the night of the crime.

Hours after the burglary, James was driving under the influence of multiple drugs and alcohol. Melissa was a passenger in the vehicle, she noted James' compromised state and offered to take the wheel. Soon after, Melissa was pulled over by a patrol car for a routine stop. James instantly became outraged and pulled out a concealed gun.

As noted in court, this was the first time Melissa was aware that James was armed with a weapon. Melissa panicked, pulled away from the traffic stop, and continued to drive with James directing the weapon towards her. A police chase ensued. James took back control of the vehicle and crashed the car. Melissa, who was not wearing a seat belt, was knocked unconscious. Subsequently, James had a shoot-out with the police and he was shot in the shoulder. No police officers were injured. Melissa could not recall any events after the crash because she was knocked unconscious in the collision. She later awakened in an ambulance.

Both James and Melissa were arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer. In 2001, 19 year old Melissa lost her trial and was given a sentence of seven years to life with the possibility of parole. She was convicted of four counts of attempted murder of a police officer and four counts of assault with a firearm. James was convicted of similar counts and given a third strike. He has no chance of ever being released from incarceration.

During Melissa's trial, the police officer that was shot at by James the night of the incident came to Melissa’s defense. He insisted that she should be released, because she did not fire a weapon. However, even with this testimony, Melissa was still convicted of attempted murder of a police officer.

Melissa has been in prison for nearly 15 years. She accepts responsibility for her actions that night. She believes that she deserved to spend time incarcerated due to her involvement with James and the subsequent series of events. But, it’s also important to remember that no police officers were injured in the commission of this crime.

Melissa has been to the parole board hearing five times. Each time has resulted in denial of parole.  In 2006, the board praised Melissa on her respectable record, but insisted she needed more years served before being released. No reason was given. In 2009 and 2012, Melissa was before the parole board again. She was commended for her behavior and positive demeanor, but she was told she needed to serve more time. In 2013, she was denied parole again and was told she has to wait another three years before she can be screened. In 2014, Melissa submitted a petition to be seen by the parole board sooner and her petition was granted. But yet again, she was denied parole.

Melissa will not allow these unfortunate obstacles to dampen her spirits. While incarcerated, she continues to train service dogs for those in need and participates in almost every rehabilitation program offered in the prison. She is seen by other prisoners as a leader and often mentors other incarcerated women.

Melissa Doran is a daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend, mentor and so much more. But, she is also a prisoner. Melissa will do great things in her life, but she needs the chance to start a new life.

Please sign this petition! By doing so, you are giving Melissa the chance to live the life she truly deserves. Her unjust story needs to be brought to light and reevaluated by those who hold the power to grant her release.