After spending nearly two decades in prison under California’s the Three Strikes Law, Chrisfino Kenyatta Leal went home from San Quentin a free man under California’s Proposition 36.
“I knew that one day my number was going to be called and I would have the opportunity to be released,” Leal said.
With that knowledge in mind, he made a commitment to do everything that he could to be prepared for that moment.
“I got my Associates of Arts degree from the Prison University Project while I was in San Quentin and I enrolled in several other self-help programs,” said Leal. “I was involved with No More Tears, VOEG and a few others.”
Leal, 44, was sentenced to 25- years-to-life for possession of a firearm. He was released after 19 years in prison.
Voters approved Proposition 184, commonly referred to as “Three Strikes and You’re Out,” in 1994. It gave longer sentences to certain repeat offenders and mandated that a person convicted of a felony who had previously been convicted of one or more violent or serious felonies be sentenced to state prison. The minimum prison term was an automatic sentence of 25 years to life.
“For a long time I blamed the law, and the way it’s applied, for the problems I was looking at and the time I was facing,” said Leal. “But in actuality, it wasn’t the law that gave me the time; it was me. I’m the one who put myself in the position to be struck out.”
Leal said his confinement in the Pelican Bay Prison’s Security Housing Unit triggered the transformation in his life.
“I thought to myself that I could spend the rest of my life in a prison within a prison, or I could start taking control of my life and move toward freedom — mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically,” Leal said.
“Going to Pelican Bay helped me clearly identify my priorities and develop a program that would help me achieve them on a daily basis,” he added.
One way Leal did that was by committing himself to San Quentin’s program called The Last Mile. It is a program designed to teach incarcerated men about the world of social media, entrepreneurship and teamwork.
“My role has been two-fold — first, as a participant in the program and giving a 150 percent to the process. The second part of that was I work as an evangelist for The Last Mile inside San Quentin,” he commented.
“The Last Mile emphasizes collaboration, cohesion and creativity and all of us who have participated were able to accomplish that.”
On April 18, Leal was honored with a “Shorty Award” in the category of Quora Answer of the Year. Quora is a website that permits users to ask and answer questions about noteworthy issues in society and social media.
Due to his incarceration, Leal could not accept his award in person, so The Last Mile creators Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti went to New York and accepted it on his behalf.
“The Last Mile was started when Chris Redlitz came into San Quentin with Kathleen Jackson,” Leal explained. “He did a talk about entrepreneurism, then Chris and Beverly actually came to a San Quentin Trust graduation. From there, the Last Mile was started.”
Leal explained that The Last Mile has helped him develop a fundamental skill set that is going to open doors for a new career in the free world.
“ The name of my tech company is called Coach Potato and one of my goals is to have it in the app’s store soon,” he said.
“ Every man that leaves prison and doesn’t come back serves as an example for those of us that are in here,” said Leal. “Those guys who get out and don’t come back are beacons of light they raise the hope for us.”
“It gives people on the outside a different set of facts to formulate their opinion. It allows people on the outside to see that we have redeemable qualities,” Leal said. “It shows that if given the right opportunities, that we can be productive members of society.”
“I know that there are many men doing life in prison who have done the work necessary to successfully reintegrate back into society,” he said. “Many of the positive lessons I’ve learned were taught to me by lifers. And studies show that lifers have the lowest recidivism rate of all people leaving incarcerated settings.”
After doing 19 years, he said his first goal is to re-connect with his family.
“They’ve done all the years with me,” Leal said. “They never wavered and they supported me every step of the way.”
His other goal is to establish himself in the business community. Leal said he wants to create opportunities for other men leaving prison. As for The Last Mile program, he said he definitely will be working with its leaders.
“Absolutely, yes. The Last Mile is more than just a program; it’s a fraternity of men and women committed to empowerment and success in life out side of prison,” said Leal.
