” You know what …
I don’t remember the month because it was just like a blur. I don’t remember the month I was sentenced, but I know it was a few months after that I went to prison …
and I went to prison in December of 2001 …
and I spent 21 and a half years locked up.“
Joe: What 2 or 3 accomplishments are you most proud of since your release?
Gina: My release being the first one. I’m a registered drug and alcohol counselor now. I’m not too sure if I’m going to go through with getting certified because I don’t feel like that’s where I’m supposed to be. I believe and feel in my heart that working with the LWOP community is where I need to be. That’s my second accomplishment. My third accomplishment would be being able to see my niece give birth to her first child. My niece, her and her husband, had a daughter. She’s about 2 months old now, and they named her after my mother. Her name is Rosaline Angel. She is so cute.
Joe: Yeah, that’s definitely an accomplishment. Something to be proud of.
Gina: Yeah.
Joe: What 2 or 3 accomplishments are you most proud of since your release?
Gina: My release being the first one. I’m a registered drug and alcohol counselor now. I’m not too sure if I’m going to go through with getting certified because I don’t feel like that’s where I’m supposed to be. I believe and feel in my heart that working with the LWOP community is where I need to be. That’s my second accomplishment. My third accomplishment would be being able to see my niece give birth to her first child. My niece, her and her husband, had a daughter. She’s about 2 months old now, and they named her after my mother. Her name is Rosaline Angel. She is so cute.
Joe: Yeah, that’s definitely an accomplishment. Something to be proud of.
Gina: Yeah.
Joe: What is a significant challenge since you’ve been out, and how did you overcome it?
Gina: I would say a significant challenge would be… I’ve had a few of them. One would be the disappointment of where … because I only had a certain amount of time to adjust to the thought of going to the free world in like less than a month… and so, what I had in my head was not what it really was when I got out. I had no clue of what to expect, and so that was… would be the disappointment and how hard it was for me, how hard it has been. It seems like I’ll take 100 steps forward, and I’ll get pushed like 50 back. But, when I feel like giving up, I think about how it felt in there.
Joe: So, that’s how you overcome it?
Gina: I refuse to give up. I refuse to give up out here, if I didn’t give up in there. So, yes. I have to. I have to keep pushing. I overcome it by remembering where I came from and how hard it was to fight just to have somebody hear me out.
Joe: I can totally relate to that one, and I’m glad you’re overcoming it. I often think about it, even going in there, it’s a reminder every time. Every message that I return on the tablet is a reminder, every collect call is a reminder.
Gina: It is. It is a reminder, and it’s a complete learning experience. There’s a lot you can say about it, but it’s just been difficult for me. Actually, it’s been really difficult.
Joe: So, with that said, you said it’s been difficult, what’s been your greatest support since your release?
Gina: My nephews.
Joe: What does that support look like from your nephews?
Gina: Since the day I stepped out of jail, they’ve been by my side. There has not one day where I have not been in contact with them. When I left, they were little boys. Then, one day when I got out, they were grown men. And, they’ve been by my side, and I’m grateful for them.
Joe: What would you like to say to others coming home?
Gina: What would I like to say to the other side coming home? Mentally prepare your mind… mentally prepare your mind for the real world because it is crazy out here. There’s so much violence and everything, it’s just ridiculous. Prepare your mind, protect your heart, keep your ten toes down, and just push. Just keep pushing because we’re given an opportunity at life again.
Joe: I know you talked about traumas. How have you freed yourself from the trauma of incarceration?
Gina: By leaving that place. I haven’t really dealt with the trauma of that place. I lost a lot of really good friends there. I saw one of my really good friends hanging. There were a lot of things that I went through, that I never would have out here.
Joe: How do you see ending the sentence of life without the possibility of parole? How do you picture ending it?
Gina: That one’s sort of a difficult question because I have so many different things that I want to say. But, I think that, in sentencing, a person should be evaluated. It doesn’t matter what time they’re given, or what they’re looking at, everyone needs to be evaluated not just by a psychologist or psychiatrist, but by a probation officer. Something like that. Like, for felony murder, if you were there, you were charged with felony murder back then. It shouldn’t be because you were there, you should be sentenced to LWOP. No. That’s crazy. I was never in trouble, never had a ticket, never been to jail, anything and they gave me LWOP. I was only 25.
Joe: I know you talked about being spiritual, being religious. Has that helped you deal with the trauma of incarceration?
Gina: Yes. Just asking for God’s peace everyday. If I’m upset or angry, it’s intense and I know that’s not from anything out here. It’s from what I went through in there. PTSD is real. Completely real. Even if nothing physically happened to you, you still see things. I saw girls get beat down by the cops, you name it. It’s ugly, but I just ask God for peace because that’s the only thing that helps me.