TEENS
By Michael Friend


Hey you! Yea you in front of me reading this. Listen up and listen good. Look around you and what do you see? Now think about how it would be if you lost all ability to see those things. Pretty rough huh? No car, no calling on the phone, no going out for pizza or concerts. Fun things. Now that you have seen what most third world countries always see, try it again but this time imagine chain linked fences all around standing 15 to 16 feet high with razor wire strung along the top. Now picture yourself in a 9 ½’ by 6 ½’ cell with a stainless steel commode/sink combo, concrete bunk and sliding bar door! Well how do you like it? Not a very pretty picture is it? How do I know what it’s like, because I’m here! I see it everyday while you go to the mall, movies or girl/boy friend’s house. I’m not a common criminal, never have been in this type of trouble before. The worst I have ever done was a hot check. Oh yea, the bars and cell? This is not the worst part! I’m on Death Row also. See if I wasn’t, you might not listen or read on. But I am. For starters, I did graduate from high school in the top half of my class, scored 31 out of a possible score of 36 on the pre-ACT. Haven’t taken the S.A.T. yet. Had some technical college in electronics and computers. I had a truck with a brand new engine, had money, am from a middle class family, and had lots of friends. Oh I’m sorry, I forgot something important. I am 20 years old. When I came here, I was 19 and still the youngest on Death Row! Pretty serious isn’t it? I was a member of the DeQueen Church of Christ. I am SAVED. But yet, I’m on Death Row. Those who make it here are hard pressed to get off! One guy has been trying for 18 years, longer than some of you have been alive! I am white by the way. I played and lettered five years in football and track. I had a chance to be a manger of McDonalds and am supposed to be in the army right now. The bad part is this could have been avoided by sticking with the teaching of Christ’s and God’s laws. I can’t blame anyone for my troubles, even though there are three more involved. Two are 19, and one is 16. At the time, we were 19, 18, 18, 15. I’m the only one to get death by injection. One plea bargains for life without parole, one went to trial and got life without parole, and the other is too young to receive the death sentence. All of us come from sometime stable families, but yet had almost everything we wanted.

In closing, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you are, or if you have money (Scharmel Burnett of Little Rock is an example), you can fall just like those who make crime their life. Please follow the straight path for it leads to God, while the easy path leads to Satan and his hell. For being a Christian is harder than it seems but it is worth the final reward.



By the grace of God, Michael Friend is not on death row now, but continues to serve out a life sentence. His address is Michael Friend, #104152, 2501 State Farm Road, Tucker, AR 72168.