My Journey

The following is the testimony of a guy that was in our court last week for a sentence modification. I thought his testimony that he wrote was extremely powerful and I wanted to share it with you all. It's entitled My Journey...

MY JOURNEY:

My name is Brandon Robinson. I am twenty-two years old and I am currently incarcerated in a southern Indiana prison serving a 28-year sentence. I was born to Dan and Cheryl Robinson in a small town in northern Indiana in 1979. I was very fortunate to be raised by both of my parents. They loved and cared for me unconditionally.

At an early age I began defying authority, especially that of my parents' and the school administration's. Through my adolescence and early yeenage years I was constantly in trouble at school for talking back to teachers, skipping class, and smoking on school grounds. I was suspended from school for several days at a time, but nothing seemed to affect my defiant attitude. Finally, during my senior year of high school, I was sent to an alternative learning center. Even though the school tried to work with me, I eventually decided my education was unimportant and I dropped out.

During this time, my actions spiraled out of control. I was arrested for battery and later picked up for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The seemingly harmless actions of my adolescense had finally escalated beyond the boundaries of the law. As if this weren't enough, on June 12, 1998, only a few weeks after I should have graduated, I was involved in an auto accident. I was driving three friends back to town from my house when I ran through a four-way stop sign and collided into the side of a small four-door car in my full-size diesel 4x4 pick-up truck. The car was smashed beyond recognition.

After both vehicles came to a stop, I quickly ran over to the car to check on the passengers. Three were dead and other two were unconscious. In total disbelief and fear I ran to the side of the road and collapsed, crying refusing to believe what I had just seen and experienced. The scene of the accident quickly became crowded with spectators and emergency personnel who were attempting to free the individuals from the vehicle. It was into the night before they were able to extract the last victim from the wreckage.

Even though I was uninjured in the accident, I was taken to the hospital any way. I had been drinking. They drew blood and collected urine and determined that my blood alcohol content was 0.099%. That was 0.099% over the legal limit for an 18 year old. As a result, I was arrested and taken to the county jail. Five days later I was charged with three counts of reckless homicide, three counts of operating while intoxicated causing death, and two counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury. For many months to follow, I made the cover of several newspapers and became the topic of evening news reports.

Regardless of being badly shaken by this tragedy, once I was released on bond, I quickly fell back into my old rut. I was eventually tried anc convicted of the three counts of operating while intoxicated causing death and two counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury. The jury acquitted me of the three counts of reckless homicide. My five convictions resulted in a twenty-eight year prison sentence.

Here I am, three years later, confined to an 11' x 7' concrete cubical, separated from my family, friends, and freedom. Despite having grown up in a stable home, in a quiet neighborhood with my parents, and never having been exposed to alcohol or drugs, I was obviously not invincible or immune to the perils of drinking and driving. I had no intentions of hurtin or killing anyone on the day of the accident, but unfortunately it happened. Now, several parents are without their children, a young girl is without her brother and two best friends, and a baby girl is without her mom and dad. Many people have suffered needlessly because of my careless actions. I have forever destroyed the lives of innocent people. The families and friends of those individuals who died or suffered serious injuries have endured an incomprehensible amount of heartache. My attempt to go out and have fun with no regard for others came with a consequence.

Although I could never make up for what has been lost, some good has evolved through all the pain and grief of this tragedy. During the first couple of weeks in prison, I was introduced to Jesus Christ. During a Sunday morning church service, as I sat in the back row, I felt like I was the only person in the service-as the preacher was speaking directly to me. Shortly thereafter, he led me to ask Jesus into my life. I had tried religion before, I was trying to grab onto something in an attempt to make the whole nightmare disappear, this time I was looking for salvation from my sins. I wanted to be a new person.

As I embarked upon the Christian journey, Jesus began opening doors in my life. He blessed me with the opportunity to graduate from high school and attend a Christian college while in prison. He took away my desire I had to smoke, drink, and use drugs. He also brought about a change in my overall attitude, helping me realize that family, friends, and above all, a close walk with Him are the most important things in life. Even though walking in faith is at times difficult, I have found that having a relationship with Jesus is what life is all about.

If you are like I was, living life with little regard for the consequences of your decisions, I urge you to stop and consider what you are doing. Although I've wished a million times I could relive my life, I will never be able to change what happened. You still have the opportunity, however, to avoid the same mistakes. If you are living recklessly, it is not a matter of if something will happen, but rather when. And when it does, you could find yourself confined to this same 77-square-foot concrete hell from which I write this letter. You will be severed from your family, friends, and society. You will no longer be recognized as a person with feelings, but rather you will be seen simply as a number, a criminal, a convicted felon.

Don't be like me and wait until you are in prison to make the right choices. Do it now!

Brandon's sentence modification did not go to hearing last week before the judge like intended. His new hearing date is May 4, 2006. He's been in prison since he was 18, eight years. What happened was unforgettable for so many and such a tragedy, but I believe he has done his time, and I pray that the judge will modify Brandon's sentence so he can begin his life over outside of prison. He obviously has done so much, and learned so much, and developed a relationship with Christ. He has spoken at many conventions, and written to many kids in school about drinking and driving. God has used his life in such an incredible way, and it was such an experience to see Brandon and hear his story.