Melanie’s story has been lightly edited for clarity.

My name is Melanie Ray and I have been serving a death by incarceration (DBI) sentence the past 13 years for felony murder. When I participated in this heinous crime, I was 25 years old and in the throes of active addiction. I was part of a plan to hijack a vehicle in which the owner was shot and killed by my codefendant, who was 20 years old at the time.

I do not offer this as an excuse, for I take full responsibility for the part that I played and will carry the weight of this senseless act the rest of my life. That volatile cocktail of codependency, substance abuse, and immaturity caused me to lose sight of the values instilled in me from a young age.

I came from a good family filled with love and support and I know the value of hard work, which shows with my impeccable work ethics. Since being incarcerated I have addressed, and conquered, my substance abuse issues and now use my story to help young girls in addiction with the hope of preventing another senseless act of violence.

I participate in as many groups as possible in order to gain knowledge and become the best version of myself. I have worked in the maintenance department most of my time here and have acquired countless skills in carpentry and electrical. I enjoy learning new things and take pride in my work. I am an excellent artist and volunteer my free time painting murals here in the prison.

If granted this second chance, I would continue to be a positive role model to try and save as many lives as possible. I now understand what it means to be a part of a community and will do my part to continue what I’ve learned. Though I can never take back the wrongs that I’ve done, I can say with 100% certainty that I am not the same person I was. My only hope is that you can see past my worst mistake, to see the person I am today.

Being in prison for most of my adult life, I have missed out on so much. I’ve lost multiple family members and know the years are limited with the remainder. I have a loving wife who is patiently awaiting my return and we plan on living close to home for when we are needed to look after my mom and stepdad.

I have a great reputation as a cook in my area, and work for me was always easy to come by. My biggest passion is cooking and I plan on continuing what I love. The hustle and bustle of a kitchen is a delicate dance that’s not for the faint of heart but to me it comes so easy. To incorporate my art into every dish makes it like it’s not even work at all.

I plan on immersing myself into any organization aimed towards rehabilitation for drug addiction because I know all too well how substance abuse can ruin countless lives. I’ve never had the chance to actually be an adult and my dreams are simple. I want to own a home and live in a community. Someday I want to own a restaurant or bakery and have a garden of my own, to sit on a porch and drink real coffee before starting my day, and actually have nature around me instead of chaos.

These are things I’ve taken for granted and something I never will again. I just want to know what it’s like to actually LIVE life instead of merely existing. To me that is the ultimate dream.