NCJ Number
166069
Date Published
1995
Length
7 pages
Annotation
A death row inmate in Tennessee for approximately 10 years writes that he listened to his peers rather than his parents when he was a youth and that what they told him was wrong.
Abstract
He became involved in drugs, crime, and associated with people he should have avoided. He lacked respect for himself. His parents were always telling him to mow the yard or help clean the house. They were teaching him responsibility and respect. Now he lacks the freedom to mow the yard, wash the dishes, or see his nieces and nephews. People on death row lose their families, their lives, and their self-respect. Youth who follow this patch will end up in the same place. They will look back and see that the people they thought were their friends were not their friends at all. They were leading their peers down the same path they had taken. Youth need to realize that their parents love them. That is they try to keep their children out of trouble and in school and to teach them the difference between right and wrong. Youth should avoid peer pressure and make their lives stand for something.