Welcome to The Prison Post Podcast! Our guest this week is Tommy DeLuna who was sentenced to Life Without The Possibility of Parole (LWOP). Tommy was charged at the age of 17 for a murder robbery, convicted at 18 and sentenced at 19 to LWOP. Being sentenced to LWOP is essentially giving someone a slow death sentence. He served 25 years and has been out for a little over 2 years, holds two jobs, co-owns a business, and attends Sacramento State University. He's a busy man to say the least and I was honored to have my friend on The Prison Post Podcast.

Tommy shares his story, accountability, remorse, and responsibility. Tommy is very remorseful and takes responsibility for the life he took, and although he never had an intention to murder, the results equated to an LWOP sentence. Society expects us to be honest about what we did and what we caused while going through the court system, but why would anyone want to be honest when the results that come from honesty result in sentences like LWOP.

We had a detailed conversation about what it was like for him to be incarcerated for over two decades with LWOP. He shares his current values and beliefs about LWOP and the death penalty. He shares what he believes about the punishment model California's prison system utilizes and what's happening around related LWOP laws today.

If you have a loved one with LWOP, you don't want to miss this episode.

It’s tough to maintain hope with LWOP, but he maintained hope behind prison walls and razor wire. He generously shared how he came to be free and he had shared special messages for family and loved ones of the incarcerated sentenced to LWOP.

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