"The company I owned went down the drain and over a dozen employees who depended on me were left out of work with families to feed. Addiction has a way of crumbling lives."
My name is David Rostan. I have been in federal prison for the last 22 years. My sentence is mandatory life without parole. I got a life sentence for crack. It is hard to explain what a life sentence is like. It is your worst nightmare.
I grew up in a loving family. My father was a Navy Lieutenant and physics professor. My mother worked for the local hospital in South Florida. I tried cocaine for the first time when I was 26. I was wandering and experimenting. I started using crack in 1994. I used cocaine on a daily basis. My drug use was like an earthquake that hit my life. Two years after my first hit, I got a life sentence for crack.
I hurt many people. I threw away a beautiful marriage to a loving wife because of my decision to break the law. My family watched as I was carried off to prison for life. I broke my mother's heart. She has since died while I've been in prison. The company I owned went down the drain and over a dozen employees who depended on me were left out of work with families to feed.
