It’s the fifth Sunday of the month as men and volunteers stream into a trailer to begin another session of Juvenile Lifer Support Group. But this is no ordinary meeting. Today, over 40 individuals came to support one of their own.
Michael Tyler, 32, was 16 when he committed second-degree murder and was sentenced to 18 years to life. He was found suitable for parole on his second hearing, his first under Senate Bill 260.
As the men and volunteers arranged themselves in a large circle, they each took turns sharing their own experiences with Michael.
Kid CAT member Nghiep Lam, said, “It’s hard to express my feelings, one of the things that resonated with me and him is that we were both juveniles coming in. Now I see him as a grown man. For me, he is very inspiring, and I hope to get to the stage where he is at.”
“Mike Tyler contributed immensely, and undeniably he will contribute to the outside world. He brings heart, integrity, honesty and courage into his interaction as a facilitator, a leader, and as a friend,” added Monique LaSarre, a lead outside facilitator for the Kid CAT curriculum.
As tears of gratitude streamed down his face, Tyler responded. “I feel that I don’t deserve the accolades because a baby had to grow up without a father and today I still feel that.”
Reflecting on his incarceration, he commented, “In the beginning of my incarceration, I felt inadequate and didn’t belong, which kept me doing my own thing. However, it got to the point where I had to change, because I didn’t like the feeling I was having.”
Bankston, a support group participant said, “Today, I realized that it was my own negative-self-talk that kept me away from Mike. When I finally decided to talk to him, I found someone different. He helped me with issues I had about my mother, and he even checked in with me afterwards.”
Tyler credits his rehabilitation to three groups that had a lasting impact in his life,
“TRUST (Teaching Responsibility Utilizing Sociological Training) was the first group that mentored me. VOEG (Victim Offender Education Group) gave me the opportunity to look at myself and helped heal the pain in my past, realizing the events that transpired did not define who I am, and it offered me the opportunity for growth. SQUIRES (an at-risk youth mentorship program) gave me the opportunity to share what I learned with young men,” says Tyler.
“When I committed my crime, I was a person who didn’t trust people. I had a lot of people in my life who would say one thing and do another. My mother was a drug addict and she chose drugs and alcohol over me, and that hurt.
“I did everything that was asked of me and it got to the point where it didn’t matter anymore,” said Tyler. “I wanted acceptance, and a few friends gave it to me. By then, my life had little value, and murder became an option for me.
“Now I realize too late that I had many options that I didn’t use. A man, a father, and a son was taken from this world by me, all because I couldn’t deal with my emotions,” said Tyler.
“Everybody’s process of transformation is different; it’s clear that Mike has gone from a young man that felt he had to protect himself,” said Sonya Shah, VOEG program director. “Today his willingness to open up his deepest wounds leads to true healing by allowing himself to learn how to place those negative experiences in the past.”
Tyler said his message to juvenile offenders is, “There is light at the end of the tunnel. The decision is yours to be accountable, honest and truthful. Don’t worry about the ramifications; be honest with yourself. There is no reason why you should hold onto lies.”
At the close of the meeting, Tyler confided, “I don’t want to leave people behind, I don’t want to abandon people; this is all I have known. I will not forget any of you and I am grateful to have met all of you.”
