“I served 29 years and two months. I went in at the age of 16; I was arrested and ultimately convicted of second-degree murder. I’m someone who they call ’the worst of the worst,' who’s taking complete advantage of the opportunities that are in there. I was dead in the water up until about 37 years old. I was going to die in prison. I had accepted it, and I knew I was. Then they opened the door. I just got a glimmer of hope, me and a bunch of guys that we ran with it.”