This is a request seeking the support in asking for a second chance at freedom, a second chance at life. I have been incarcerated for 11 years, since the age of 17, for crimes against people that were innocent and undeserving of the offenses I committed. I am not attempting to create excuses for my actions. Just know that I did what I did out of youthful stupidity, not from a malicious heart. Those stupid acts ended me in prison with a 60 year sentence, a release date in the year 2062, and the grim reality that I will be 77 years of age one the date of my release.

My request is not for immediate release, only for a time cut. I need some hope, some room to breath, and the ability to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Over the course of my incarceration, I have grown mentally into a man of faith and integrity. A man who fully understand that with every action there's a consequence, be it good or bad depends on the action. Today, I am now equipped with the proper knowledge to avoid negative actions that produce the type of negative consequences that ends with me being in the type of situation that I am in now. I am also aware that actions speak louder than words and I would like the opportunity to walk what I talk.

Since my incarceration I have completed the requirements for my GED. I have graduated a Collegiate Correspondent course and received a diploma in Business Management. I have completed a number of Anger and Conflict Resolution courses. I have also graduated and served as mentor in the U.N.I.T.Y. Program, a gang prevention and teen outreach program. As of today I am in the faith based program P.A.L. - Principle Applications for Life.

A second chance is all I need. A chance to live, a chance to become a better man than I started out as. A man my community can be proud of. I would just like the chance to laugh, and not because I'm masking my tears.

Tyrell Benson