Prosecutor offers 4 years to rat on family, Douglas chooses life instead for first offense
Laid off from his job, Douglas began dealing drugs to make ends meet. He was accused with 23 others, including his father and uncles, of participating in a large crack cocaine distribution operation that operated in Fort Worth, Texas. Following a trial with 16 co-defendants, Douglas was convicted of conspiracy to possess and distribute crack cocaine; and carrying a gun.
When he was 31, Douglas was sentenced to LWOP. Had he been convicted for an equal amount of powder cocaine instead of crack cocaine, he could have received a sentence of 15 to 20 years. Douglas says prosecutors offered him a plea deal of only four years in prison if he testified against his coconspirators; he says he refused because he would not testify against his relatives. Three of his uncles who were co-defendants in his trial have since died in prison.
During his incarceration, Douglas says he has focused on acquiring and sharing skills with other prisoners. Since completing a welding training program, he has taught other inmates the trade of welding and fabricating metals. He was also selected to participate in the Better Path program, where he shares his experiences in prison and his past poor choices with troubled youths and advises them about the alternatives they should pursue.
Read full story at ACLU Special Report. A Living Death: Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses.