15 facing life - My Memoir
Prologue
My name is Dreshawn Luna. I am a husband to an amazing wife and father to an awesome 5-year-old. I am also a student in Lewis University prison education program where I am currently earning a bachelor’s degree in Professional Studies and Business Administration at Sheridan Correction Center. In 2020, when I was 15 years old, I unintentionally shot and killed someone, and also shot and injured another person. As a consequence, I was charged and prosecuted as an adult, put on trial and ultimately convicted of first degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm. I was then sentenced to 61 years in prison, where I spent a majority of my current 15 years at Menard Correctional Center.
During my 15 years of incarceration, I’ve spent my time reflecting on my past mistakes, processing why I did what I did, and all the pain I’ve caused. I’ve also taken time to work on myself so that I could grow into the best version of myself, and maybe, I’d receive a second chance in society and would be worthy of it. That I would be worthy of forgiveness and a chance to spend the rest of my life trying to make up for what I did.
After years of litigating, and being denied several times, I begin to accept in the back of my mind, the reality that I might actually spend the rest of my life in prison. I began to understand that criminal convictions - especially for violent crimes - are rarely overturned on appeal. It only took for me to look at the other men who were in prison with me to see the reality of this. Many of them had already been in prison for 30 or 40 years. Some had died from old age or disease. Some even committed suicide after losing hope. I had to learn how to process this reality while not losing hope myself. I needed to keep a positive mindset, not just for myself and my own personal growth, but for the close-knit group of people who stood by my side and were doing the time with me.
"this memoir is a collection of memories, stories, and experiences that have shaped my transformation from a 15 year old boy navigating life and death in the streets of my hometown, to finding hope in a maximum security adult prison with a life without parole sentence, and building a life of freedom beyond prison walls. My sincerest hope and intention is that you will connect with the shared human experience of overcoming your circumstances and worst mistakes to become the person you were always meant to be."