Ricky is currently serving a 15-year, 8-month sentence for multiple counts of robbery. His earliest release date is December 6th, 2026. This is not his first time in prison. Ricky has been in and out of institutions since the age of 12. Even before the age of twelve, he watched family members be arrested, convicted, and sentenced to prison. For him, it was merely a way of life. Joining a gang is something kids in his community aspired to become. The thought of going to jail became ingrained in his mind as inevitable. Portland in the '80s was a desperate era for many African American families. Systemic discrimination, such as the disastrous practice of redlining, left many communities in desperate poverty.

The oppressive atmosphere of the time cultivated drug use and crime as a norm. It was the context of this time that formed Ricky’s worldview that would lead to a life of crime and incarceration.

Now, after spending the majority of his life in prison, Ricky’s mind has opened to new possibilities. Personal tragedy and loss forced him to deeply examine his life. Ricky has dealt with darkness and has come out on the other side with a better vision of himself and the world, a vision that is hopeful, that seeks positive change, and is ready to take responsibility to become the man that Ricky was meant to be. This is his personal Redemption Mode journey.