CHANGE

I've been walking and dreaming in prison for a long time. 15 years to be exact. And it amazes me how much I misunderstood the seriousness of life and now my mission is to get it back. At the age of 21 I stood before a judge and from the bench he looked at me but didn't "SEE" me. Seeing me would have meant thinking of my past, my parents, my traumas, what led me to him. But the system does not allow that.

The year was 2000. I was 10 years into the mess I had created, 7 years into fighting a death sentence I asked for (hold that thought, a future blog will cover this). I was talking with my Mother (who passed in October, 2022), known to us as Mama, and she asked me, "Robert, what do you do?" Mama was French, born and raised in France, only coming to America the first time in 1955, and even 45 years later her thick French accent was pronounced.

Fellow underdogs, we have come to a point in this journey of life where sharing our stories of perseverance has power. It's our duty to...

I am very grateful I came to prison 30 years ago when I was 19 years old. if I had never came to prison, I would have not realized my mistakes and had a desire to become sober, later, I would not have begun a journey in my life that would lead to the evolution of change. Does it seem silly I am grateful to be incarcerated? I don't feel silly, however, I do feel the redemption of my mistakes.

Taylor Swift's enemies today could be her best friends tomorrow. What is happening in colleges and universities seems outrageous to me. Israel...

Robert Shafer, 54, serving life without parole, shares his transformative story from prison. Despite committing murder, he seeks redemption and shares a message of hope. Embracing personal growth, he invites others to join his journey. To contact him, use the Securus website and search for Robert Shafer in Missouri.

Choosing to forgive someone for murdering a loved one or any sort of violation that robbed you of your innocence or sense of peace proves difficult. More difficult than that stands the unfamiliar and grossly antithetical politically correct position of feeling that forgiveness is mandatory. I stand firmly convicted in this position although it produces a shock to one's comfort level.

Since 1996, I've been free for about 15 months. I spent 17 years straight in some of the worst prisons America has to offer. I've been...