My Journey
Introduction and Current Reality
My name is Ricardo. I am currently incarcerated and navigating the federal justice system. While I never imagined my life would lead me here, I have taken full responsibility for the choices I made and the consequences that followed. This journey was first written while I was confined in a small county jail, where I spent over nineteen months locked inside a dorm-style cell without windows or access to the outdoors.

Days blended into nights, and time felt suspended. It was in that space—isolated, stripped of comfort and forced inward—that I began to truly examine my life. Although I am now in a larger federal facility with more structure and programming, the mindset of confinement remains the same. The environment may change, but the responsibility to change ourselves does not.

Reflection and Accountability
A few months into my incarceration, I began documenting my journey as a commitment to change and as a way to help others. This experience, as difficult as it has been, gave me the opportunity to reflect deeply on my past, recognize where I went wrong, and understand the true impact of my actions. My goal has never been to tell a perfect story, but an honest one—one that shows transformation is possible regardless of circumstance.

Before my incarceration, I spent many years as a successful business owner. I attended a recognized university, built profitable companies, and employed thousands of people over the years. From the outside, my life appeared successful. I had risen high, but success without balance, integrity, and self-awareness is fragile. When I fell, I fell all the way to the ground.

Confronting the Truth
Being incarcerated for the first time was overwhelming, and the early weeks were filled with brokenness and desperation. As I looked back, I realized that what once seemed important—status, money, and control—now felt empty. As a functioning alcoholic, I allowed greed and unhealthy patterns to take hold. I convinced myself that money was everything, and that belief blinded me. It led me away from my values, my family, and myself.

Those decisions cost me my freedom and ended the life I once knew. More painfully, they caused deep harm to the people I love most. Yet in losing everything, I was finally forced to confront the truth. What felt like the end became the beginning of something new: a chance to rebuild with humility, clarity, and purpose.

A Shift in Mindset
I realized that real change required a shift in mindset. I had to take responsibility without excuses and understand that mistakes, while costly, could become lessons. Everyone falls at some point, but the true measure of a person is not whether they fall, but whether they choose to rise again.

In prison, choices are limited, but mindset is not. I chose to use my time to read, study, reflect, and help others. Through mentoring and conversations, I began to see how deeply hopeless many people feel in these environments. I saw repeated patterns rooted in trauma, lack of guidance, and broken support systems—patterns that fuel generational cycles and recidivism.

The Birth of WIG2P
The county jail where this journey began lacked programs, and many people believed there was nothing to gain from being there. I often heard, "I'll change when I get out," or "I'll do better when I get to prison". But waiting is what keeps people stuck. I knew that if I waited, I would waste the most important opportunity I had.

So I chose to act. From inside a jail cell, I envisioned a platform where justice-impacted individuals could share their own stories, document their growth, and show commitments to change. That vision became WIG2P (When I Get To Prison). What started in a county jail has grown into an organization with members across the country. WIG2P exists to bring voices out of the shadows to show that rehabilitation is not a theory, but something lived and practiced daily.

Looking Forward
This organization was born behind bars and continues to grow behind bars. Even now, in a larger BOP facility with more resources, the same truth applies: change does not come from programs alone. It comes from personal responsibility, action, and community.

Today, my focus is different. I am focused on my family, rebuilding relationships, and maintaining a close, meaningful connection with my children. I am committed to spending the rest of my life creating positive change and helping others avoid the mistakes I made. I want WIG2P to continue growing as a national nonprofit organization that proves people are more than their worst decisions.

This is not the end of my story; it is a comeback story. It proves success does not come from money, power, addiction, or empty beliefs, but from integrity, accountability, and service. I wake up every day knowing that if I can make a difference in even one person's life, then everything I have endured will have meaning.