A man from Florida, USA, that was serving a 90-year prison sentence for selling marijuana has been released from prison.
The man that we are talking about is Richard DeLisi.
When DeLisi was inside prison, his wife, his 23-year-old son, and both his parents passed away. Not only that, but his adult daughter was involved in a horrific car accident and suffered a paralyzing stroke.
DeLisi walked out of a prison in Florida on the morning of Tuesday this week.
The man is currently 71 years old.
He was greeted by his family, who were in tears.
The man spent 31 years in prison.
The man said he wants to restore the time that he lost during his time in prison.
DeLisi is the longest-serving non-violent cannabis prisoner.
After getting out of prison, the man met his 11-year-old and 1-year-old granddaughters for the first time.
The Last Prisoner Project released images of Richard being surrounded by his family.
In the picture, you can see his granddaughter Sade, son Rick, his daughter-in-law Vida, two granddaughters Aya and Vida all together.
He was released from prison on December 8, 2020.
When he was 40 years old, the man was sentenced to 90 years in prison for marijuana trafficking.
In 1989, the typical sentence was only around 12 to 17 years.
The man said that he was targeted with a lengthy sentence because the judge thought he was part of an organized crime.
The man is Italian and was living in New York at that time.
The man said that prison changed his life.
The man also prefers not to talk about the time that he will never get.
DeLisi added:
Prison changed me. I never really knew who God was and now I know and it changed the way I talk to people and treat people. For me, being there so long, I was able to take gang members from gangs to gentleman.
When DeLisi was placed in jail, the man did not know how to read and write, but he taught himself how to do both.
Right now, he wants to release other inmates that have similar sentences as his.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the DeLisi family, may they make the most out of their time with each other, and may their bond grow stronger.