The main characters of “A Retrieved Reformation” and “Stanley Williams” undergo a significant transformation throughout their stories, they change the way they live their lives, however, they are faced with the reality of having to be accountable for their crimes. Both characters, Stanley Williams and Jimmy Valentine, were both in prison for different crimes. They were both given opportunities to change their lives after prison. In the story “Stanley Williams” we learn about Williams' childhood, such as growing up in LA without a father. He would watch “adults get drunk, use illegal drugs, gamble, and stage dog fights”. In his teenage years he “developed a reputation as a vicious street fighter” “he was kicked out of several Los Angeles high …show more content…
The review board asked him what he planned to do with his future and he said he was “being the leader of the biggest gang in the world”. He went on to be a founder of the Crips gang, he was involved in many acts of violence with rival gang members and innocent people, involved in robbery, drug crimes and murders. As we can see, Stanley Williams grew up in bad conditions and continued to be a bad person. In contrast, in the story “Retrieved Reformation” we are introduced to Jimmy Valentine, who was pardoned by the governor after serving nearly ten months of a four year sentence. The warden tells Jimmy to live a straight life and stop cracking safes and how he ended up in prison for something he did in Springfield. However, Jimmy acts like an innocent person and he doesn’t understand what the warden is talking about. Both men undergo significant transformations in their lives. “In 1979 Willams was convicted of four counts of murder and sentenced to death”. His transformation happened in 1993 when he changed his behavior and became a nonviolent, anti-gang activist. He wrote nine books warning children and teenagers about gang violence and the dangers of gang