I'm sorry: Prison inmate acknowledges the hurt he has caused

By Justin Roach

Dear editor: I am writing to ask you a huge favor. Please read this entire letter before throwing it away. Please.

I am 21 years old and am serving seven years in prison for crimes I has committed against people of the community of Cape Girardeau.

During the times of my crimes, I was a lost drug addict and lost person. I am asking you for a great favor. I am enclosing a letter of apology to not only the victims of my crimes, but to the public and police departments.

I have no money, but I am asking you to please publish this letter in the paper. I want to let everyone know that I'm not a cold-hearted person. I was a lost young man, and I am sorry for the terrible pain and insecurity that I have caused. I pray that you would please print this for me.

Who knows. It might give you some more positive publicity by giving an ex-criminal a chance to ask for forgiveness even if I have had a bad past. You would make me an extremely happy young man if you would provide me this opportunity.

I would never be able to thank you enough. And just to let you know, I am serving time for burglary, forgery and felony stealing, so you don't think I'm a murderer or child abuser trying to get one over on you.

Thank you for taking your time for reading this letter, if you made it to this point. It would be more than I expected.

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To all of those affected: My name is Justin Roach. I am 21 years old, and I am serving a seven-year sentence for committing the crimes of second-degree burglary, forgery and felony stealing. I'm not stating this to boast or brag. I am stating this to acknowledge my guilt for these painful crimes I have committed against innocent people.

The reason I am writing this letter to the public is to acknowledge to the people of the community, and also to the victims of my crimes, that I not only deeply regret what I have put them through, but to apologize for taking something away from them that they can't get back. That is the devastation of being violated and also for the time spent dealing with the effects that came after the crimes were committed.

I want the victims of my crimes to know that I am deeply sorry for all that I have caused you. I cannot begin to imagine what you feel or what you had to go through to work through what I had done to you. I want you to know that I realize I can't give back what I have taken away physically, mentally or emotionally, but I want you to know that I am not only filled with shame, guilt and regret for what I've done to you, but also a great sorrow.

I was a severely troubled young man so lost in my addictions that I had no sense of emotion or care for others. And after being clean for a little over a year, I am overwhelmed with the empathy and grief that comes to me over what I have done to you. I want to tell you that I am terribly ashamed of who I became and that I'm sorry in more ways than I can explain for what I put you through.

I also want to apologize to the police departments of Cape Girardeau and Jackson. I want to thank you for saving my life. If you would not have arrested me when you did, I would not still be alive to write this letter. I thank your for saving me from my addiction. You truly saved my life.

And last but not least, I want to apologize to my parents, who are successful and respected residents of Jackson. I want to apologize for the embarrassment, shame and pain I have caused them. They have continuously fought to help me and guide me down the Christian path. I'm truly sorry, Mother and Father, that this is what it took for me to see the light. Thank you for staying with me even through my struggles of addiction. I love you both.

I know this doesn't solve anything, but I need to let the people of the community know that I'm not that same person who terrorized the community for the past five years or more. I hope you take these apologies to heart, for they are sincere and from my heart to yours.

Thank you.

Justin Roach is an inmate at the Moberly Correctional Center in Moberly, Mo.