After multiple charges in his youth, at 17, Damion was certified to stand trial as an adult and sent to prison for aggravated robbery, among other charges. When he stepped into his first adult facility, a gang member showed him how to handle a sharp instrument in one hand and punch with the other.
Damion struggled to adjust to life in prison, very aware of the danger and violence around him. But Damion also realized he needed to make changes both to survive while in prison and when he was finally released.
Damion accepted Christ and began to grow in his faith. He completed his GED and started college courses behind bars. He was also mentored by other incarcerated men—and even began to mentor other prisoners.
Then Damion found out about the Prison Fellowship Academy and knew it was what he needed. He joined the program and spent time studying the Bible, fasting, praying, and connecting with other Christians. In addition to all he was learning in the Academy, Damion enjoyed helping in the prison chapel.
“I learned about God through service,” he says.
Once Damion was released, his faith and a good support system helped him persevere. He earned a college degree and worked a variety of jobs to reestablish himself in the community.
Today, Damion serves as a liaison between defendants, the court, and families—working within the same court system that once held him in custody.
“If I hadn’t been given a second chance, I don’t know where I would be.”
Learn more about how the Prison Fellowship makes life transformation stories, like Damion's, possible.
