The Baltimore Sun "Allow children sentenced to life a second chance”
Chris in 1993
By CHRIS WILSON
MAR 06, 2015 AT 9:35 AM
I am a successful Baltimore businessman and nonprofit leader, but when I was 17, I made the worst mistake of my life. I overreacted during an argument and took a man's life. I was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in Maryland.
I accept full responsibility for my actions and live with the knowledge that I can never restore what was lost. Sadly, my story that leads to that day is strikingly similar to that of most young people who get into serious legal trouble. As a kid, I experienced almost constant hunger, neglect and physical abuse. In the months that led up to the crime, my grandfather, my only real mentor and source of moral authority, was battling cancer. All of our bills were overdue, and we had just received an eviction notice at our home. My mother, a recovering addict, had recently suffered through a very abusive relationship with her boyfriend, a D.C police officer. He had assaulted both of us several times. He once bashed in her skull so severely that she nearly died, and he pistol whipped me.
By the time of that fateful argument that led to my shooting a man I didn't know, I was experiencing the increased tension and post-traumatic stress syndrome that many researchers say are common among children who are exposed to violence. And despite the gravity of my action, like most children, I possessed a tremendous capacity for change.
Maryland lawmakers are now considering two bills (SB 366 and HB 337) that would provide opportunities for sentence review for people sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole before they were old enough to vote. I am proof that children — even those who commit violent crimes — can be rehabilitated and can make important contributions to our communities. And I am not unique.
After about 18 months behind bars, I wrote "The Master Plan," a personal outline for turning my life around. My goals were to get out of prison, earn a college degree, write a book, build a business empire and one day serve as an example to all those still locked up that success is possible upon release.
