[Music] my name is Howard broadman I was a judge in terer county for a little more than 13 years I call myself a Barry Goldwater Republican um I'm a tough on crime I sentenced Shane Taylor 25 to life for a nonviolent third offense his first two offenses were not significant and I made a mistake and I'm sorry I'm really sorry this recorded call is from an inmate at a California correctional facility when I was a little kid I was always bounced around from house to house and then when we didn't have a house I lived with friends neighbors wherever wherever we could stay 11 through 14 I started pretty much living on the street a little bit after that I started using me means it was real rough gr [Music] up I was 16 years old and that's when we started dating my mom introduced me to him and she told me he was a lovely guy and uh so if I wanted to start talking to him then it was okay when I met Shel we dated real quickly she was just so super nice she didn't do drugs she was going to night school it just seemed like we were going to be together forever I do love him and always will but it was very hard when I was 18 I got into doing burges to get the drugs that I [Music] wanted when I went to prison the first time I learned my lesson and I stayed home for a long time when I found out shy was pregnant with Alicia I was just Overjoyed that was a point in my life where I wanted to change Alicia BR out a lot of happiness in him they always played toys together you know they would play ball he's funny he always made us laugh he was a good father I was working as a prep cook and supporting my family and then when I hit 27 they got me for $5 wor of drugs and they gave me 25 years of life I've never done anything Violet in my whole life and never will I just remember the judge just saying you're getting 25 to Life it was a shock really I don't understand how the system works the system doesn't think beyond the person who's getting prison time or jail time they don't think about you know the burden on the family I was about 4 years old when my dad got 25 to life in prison when I was little when I would go see my dad I couldn't wait for that day to come you know I was always look forward to it we play checkers cards um Domino just all every little thing I mean he taught me how to throw a football right in the yard I started the rout with the Nerf footb she'd get up on the bench so she could be as tall as me it's like I had a little PT Manning or something right over there even though you know I don't really get to spend a lot of time with him when we are around we do have like a great Bond he tells me to stay in school he tells me you know I'm very proud of you you know you take care of your mother because I've been working since I was 16 years old it just it's emotional he's been in there for 15 years I'm eight I'm 19 that's my whole life people are getting get prison for manslaughter and for you know attempted murder or stabbing people or raping people and you know they don't even get that long how are you going to give somebody that doesn't have a violent record that doesn't have nothing but drugs you just tell him oh no your life's over you get 25 to life that's it it's just ridiculous how messed up the system is it really is there's not a day that goes by that I don't believe that my wife and my daughter just ain't begging for the day to come to get me out