These visits offer an opportunity for dialogue between prosecutors and incarcerated people, allowing for genuine conversations that transcend the barriers of judgment and stigma. Unfortunately, prosecutors rarely know the backgrounds of defendants and most prosecutors have never stepped foot inside a prison. However, to fulfill this duty effectively, they must not only comprehend the law and work to advance justice for victims, but also understand the individuals whose lives they influence. Prosecutors are entrusted with an immense responsibility: to uphold justice and protect society. In facilitating visits that immerse prosecutors in the reality of incarceration, we foster understanding, empathy, and compassion between those who broke the law and those that enforce it.

Today, as an advocate for reform, I am working on a transformative idea that might seem radical at first: taking prosecutors behind prison gates to meet with incarcerated people. In this crucible of isolation, my perspective began to shift, and I realized the need for mutual understanding and empathy between those who prosecute and those who cause harm. It was during this time that I embarked on a journey of self-reflection, striving to understand my actions, the pain I had caused, and the system that had condemned me.

I would go on to spend 21 years of my life behind bars at Pelican Bay, eight of those years in solitary confinement. In 1994, I was sentenced to 19 years to life in state prison. And together, we’re bringing about positive change within the criminal legal system. We’re working together to ensure District Attorneys know about the prisons they’re sending those they prosecute. Today, I’m working with the Prosecutors Alliance of California to make sure that when District Attorneys across the state look across the aisle at those they’re seeking to hold accountable, that they don’t see monsters–they see people. It never occurred to me that 30 years later I would be collaborating so closely with prosecutors. At that moment, I viewed the prosecutor as a monster as well, an anonymous figure who knew nothing about me or my background except for my crime–the worst thing I’ve ever done. It remains etched in my memory how the prosecutor branded me a monster, someone beyond redemption, and deemed me worthy of a lifetime behind bars. I was young, terrified, and just 16-years-old, and I was shackled both physically and emotionally.

I vividly recall the sensation of sitting in a courtroom.

Breeding log monster legend