Summary of Show:

Today’s episode is the story of Richard Smith, who has lived almost three decades inside some of the worst prisons in the state of Texas. At age five, his family moved to the big city of Houston. There, his life spun completely out of control, resulting in drug abuse, violence, and multiple incarcerations as a juvenile.

At sixteen, he was arrested for murder, merely fifteen hours after being released from a juvenile facility. After being tried as an adult, he entered prison at age seventeen with a ninety-nine-year sentence.

After experiencing violence in some of Texas's worst prisons, he joined the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang. He worked his way up to the rank of captain and got lost in its world of violence and racism. He was placed in long-term solitary confinement in 1993 and spent the next thirteen years locked in a cage within the cage. He was moved around to some of Texas's most violent prisons until one day, he woke up to the insanity of his life and decided to change.

In 2006, he was released from solitary confinement and began the long road of rehabilitation in a place not designed to rehabilitate. He achieved two associate's degrees, as well as completed vocational trades in diesel mechanics and welding. At thirty-nine years of age, he turned his life to God and began living as a godly man inside the ungodly walls of prison.

The title of this book, God Don’t Lie, rests on a statement made by his grandmother during a frantic call from his mom when he was arrested for murder. His mom thought he would be given the death penalty. His grandmother assured her that he would not because God had great things planned for his life, and "God don't lie."

We also talk with his wife Lisa and her granddaughter Sophia, who she is raising. Sophia’s mother is in prison and her grandmother, Lisa, is raising all five kids. Now she has help from her husband Richard. They met through facebook dating over a year ago and tied the knot on July 30, 2022.

We’ve never interviewed a minor about their parent being incarcerated, but they all felt compelled to have Sophia share her per

To buy Richard’s book, check out the link below. Check out more pics below.

Resources Mentioned in the Show:

Watch the Forgiven Felons Documentary on Roku: https://therokuchannel.roku.com/details/7abf5e84134e54a394b5b42544c08caa/forgiven-felons/season-1

Buy Richard’s Book: https://smile.amazon.com/God-Dont-Lie-All-Around-Miscreant-ebook/dp/B094YSVK4S/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

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