A lot of people know me as an innocent prisoner who served sixteen and a half years before a federal court vacated my life sentence and sent me home, only for the United States Supreme Court to reinstate my conviction with a per curiam decision and ordered me to return to prison, ignoring my innocence. I’m known to strictly write about wrongful convictions and injustices, but this writing, I’m going to invite you into my nightmare, minus my legal nightmare. I’d like to give you some insight of who’s Lorenzo Johnson in the middle of the chaos and confusion I’m surrounded by.
Behind these walls, my innocence means nothing. I’m just another prisoner. DF, 1036. I share space with murderers, armed robbers, drug dealers, child molesters, rapists and people convicted of all types of other crimes. I’ve been subject to this living environment for the last twenty years. What I do to get by every day? I’m an avid reader and writer. I read a lot of books, from non fiction, educational, sports, to books dealing with inner peace. I work out five days a week. I try to keep my mind, body and soul in good shape. Since I’ve been in prison, I’ve not only achieved my GED, I went on to get college credits in business education. I’m certified at two of the GED classes. I’ve also completed a business cluster that consists of Word, Access, PowerPoint, Accounting, Business Education and Human Relations. As of this writing, I am now certified in OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and NCCER National Center for Construction and Education Resources, through their 10 hour safety courses. I am now enrolled in a warehouse material management training that also certified me in driving and working multiple forklifts.
I try to keep myself busy. I do not belong here, and I have not once ever got comfortable. I’ve never considered myself as a lifer. I’m innocent. I always knew I was going to get out of prison. I just didn’t know when. I plan to use my education to get a better job when I come home. I keep my association very limited behind these walls. Yes, you have people here that I wouldn’t want around any of my loved ones, but there’s people here that’s not bad either. There’s people here that have been sentenced to life sentences at the age of fourteen years old. People who got extreme sentences on their first offense due to mandatory minimum guidelines. People who got caught up in the mass incarceration epidemic. Let me not leave out people such as myself, that is innocent, have committed no crime To learn more about me and sign my freedom petition, please go to freelorenzojohnson.org. The pain within, free the innocent.
These commentaries are recorded by Noel Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
