Breaking Free

A 28-year-old Maryland man who spent nine years in prison in Virginia for an armed robbery and carjacking he committed at the age of 16 has published a memoir recounting his long road to redemption, which has included graduating from college with top marks and delivering the commencement address at the University of Maryland.

The son of an imprisoned father and single mother, R. Dwayne Betts appeared to be headed down a path all too familiar for disadvantaged young black men when he was convicted and sent to prison as an adult in 1996. He spent part of his sentence in a maximum security facility cited for poor conditions by Human Rights Watch. But rather than become just another statistic, Betts decided to prove to himself and others that he could do better.