00:13
Eight weeks ago, I was
released from Rochester Prison,
00:17
having spent 30 years
of my life in custody.
00:20
My own journey started as a young man
00:23
when I tragically got
involved in a robbery
00:25
with devastating consequences.
00:28
Then going to court and seeing the impact
00:30
that had on the victims
family, my own family,
00:33
my son at the time, my ex-wife
00:36
led me down the path of self harm,
00:39
addiction, anxiety, depression,
00:42
a lot of guilt, a lot of
shame, a lot of remorse.
00:45
I just couldn't get out of the dark hole
00:47
and just went deeper and deeper
down, and down, and down.
00:50
And then, I came to Rochester
00:52
and I learned about the Sycamore
Tree restorative justice.
00:56
Put my name down for it,
00:58
I waited about nine months to
get on the course, ten months.
01:00
And when I got on the course it had,
01:03
I'd say, a life changing effect on me,
01:05
because I was able to
see the victims of crime
01:08
face to face, firsthand
01:10
and to see they were
able to forgive people
01:14
who'd committed devastating
acts against families,
01:17
their family, and sometimes
themselves and all that.
01:19
So, that was a healing process, myself.
01:21
Then knowing if people
like that could forgive
01:24
people like myself, well I
could, possibly, forgive myself.
01:28
And it, sort of, made me turn the corner
01:30
and start to feel better about
myself and more positive.
01:34
And, in Rochester, I also
became a born again Christian.
01:37
I attend church outside now,
01:38
as well as, AA meetings and all that like.
01:41
Rochester, most definitely,
was life changing for me,
01:43
the support I got there.
01:45
I'd hope to come back to
Rochester in the future
01:47
and be a facilitator
and to empower other men
01:50
to make the changes in their life
01:52
that I have done, myself.
01:53
And, to get to where I
am now, as a free man.
