“My name is Ernesto Murillo, I was serving a 110 years to life sentence. My recovery started in 2015 in Soledad State Prison however it felt something missing. Like someone I can relate too. In 2016, I transferred to the California Institute for Men and met Jesse C. and Tod C. They invited me to a group called Friends in Recovery Standing Together (F.I.R.S.T), a 12 step group.
In 2017 , I joined the group F.IR.S.T. It was an amazing experience, with fellow incarcerated men that I could relate to and had similar childhood traumas. I was able to work the 12 steps. The most impactful module was writing a forgiveness letter to myself. I gained understanding of my destructive life and poor choices I had made in order to gain acceptance and validation.
After completing this group, these two men motivated me to be a facilitator so that FIRST could also help the Spanish speaking community. I’m grateful for this opportunity. I gained insight and was able to share my testimony. On November 23, 2024, I was released from prison, largely due to the work I did in FIRST.“
