Ladji Ruffin was sentenced to life for a murder he committed at age 19. By statute, his sentence made him parole eligible after serving seven (7) years. He served twenty-three (23) years in prison before the Parole Board approved his parole, releasing him in 2016. Ruffin was a guest speaker at the State Board of Pardons and Paroles' February meeting. Ruffin called it a humbling and exciting experience to speak to the board and to others who have really helped him.
“At 19 years old within the prison system I was very confused and I understood that I had an anger problem, so I took every class that the Department of Corrections had to offer,” Ruffin said.
He remembers being told by parole staff that parole is not a right, parole is a privilege and that’s something that stuck with him.
“That was something I wanted to fight for (parole) and when I got it, I wanted to continue to have it. Thank you for allowing me to serve the remainder of my sentence out on the street,” Ruffin said.
During his incarceration, Ruffin’s reentry got a boost when he was approved for the Department of Corrections’ braille program at Central State Prison in Macon. He credits the program with helping him continue with his reentry plan.
“I could never express enough words, because at the particular time when I went into the braille program I just didn’t really know how instrumental it was going to be in my life.”
Ruffin through the Atlanta Transitional Center later worked as a member of the Governor’s Mansion Detail and he gave credit back to Georgia’s former first family for his success.
“Governor Deal was very instrumental in my life. They (Mr. and Mrs. Deal) were very hands on with (my) transition.”
Today Ruffin is a certified braille transcriber and operates his own braille business and he’s a mentor to other state inmates as he returns to various Department of Corrections’ prisons to speak to inmates. He also works mentoring inmates in the new Metro Reentry Facility as they prepare to be released from prison either on parole or after the completion of their sentence.
(Monthly Board Meetings- cont. next page)
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Parole Review/Spring 2019
Former Offenders speak of success at Parole Board Meetings