Out of the many worries and reservations Demetrius Washington had when he was preparing to leave prison, he had one thing he was looking forward to.

He wanted to eat.

“I went to eat at some of the places that I hadn’t ate in years,” Washington said. “Man… Pizza Hut, KFC, soul food, a lot of pies and cakes and stuff.”

After reuniting with his wife, ________, of _____ years, Washington had the opportunity to experience many things he had missed during his incarceration. While relaxing in Texas and Florida with his family on vacation, the fears and paranoia from his early days in the prison system melted away as he looked ahead to his future. Washington, a father of three and grandfather of ______, had something bigger to look forward to. He finally had the opportunity to make up for lost time as his family supported him through his transition back to normal life. 

“That’s what makes me be motivated,” Washington said. “Knowing that they’re content with me. I put my family first, because at first I didn’t. As a young man in society, we don’t think about our families [and] close friends.”

Washington was born in St. Louis, but moved to St. Charles in 1988. He retained his friendships from his life in the city, where he became involved in the Bloods gang. He began selling drugs and drinking heavily.

“I had to go back and do a self-examination and say, ‘These are the things that I did as a young person,’” Washington said. “Now, I’m a man. Let me start doing the right thing.”

In 1993, Washington was sentenced to 25 years in prison. His gang life overflowed into his incarceration. During the first 12 years of his sentence, he was known as a pusher, someone who is charge of standing up for the other members of his gang.

“The gang didn’t love me, and I didn’t love myself, because I was digging myself deeper and deeper into the prison system,” Washington said.

His parents visited him in prison often, but couldn’t do much to prevent Washington from becoming more institutionalized. His mother was hurt by the violent path her son had taken in prison. One day, an older inmate watched Washington interact with his parents, and pulled him aside in a conversation that would change his life forever.