My name is Paul Robinson. I was incarcerated for 52 and a half years. It’s unimaginable. I was released on July 20, 2022 without notice. I was told the officer wanted to see me, so I went downstairs and looked at him and I could just feel it. I said ‘You have good news for me, don’t you?’ He told me to go pack up. My jaw dropped. Honestly, I kind of left everything behind. I didn’t need to take it with me. The feeling of leaving prison was completely overwhelming, of course. My head was spinning so fast at the time, it was almost surreal.
The first thing I wanted to do was get home to my family, my nieces and nephews. On the way, I talked to my sister in Connecticut on the phone. That was quite a moment, to speak with her as a free person after 52 years. She couldn’t believe it. It was overwhelming, but it was happiness. I was very happy to be out that door.
I was 22 years old when I went to prison. I just turned 76 in December. I recall waking up at home the morning of my first birthday in freedom. There was a cake, and a card, and hugs, and kisses and all that. It was good. It was very good. It was at home, it was with family – it was with the people I love.
Everything is a first for me now. I have a friend of mine who also did time in prison and has been home for about 18 years. He gets a kick out of driving me around and seeing my reaction to new things, like the Zakim Bridge, or TD Garden, or the city skyline. Everything is new to me and I’m happy to have friends who have been through it to share the experience with.
Support is absolutely vital
The gatherings I have attended with the Exoneree Network have been healing. Spending so many years behind the wall, the people there become like family. So, to see so many people I’ve known for many years and to be able to speak with them, it was very emotional. It’s so nice to have somebody you can sit down comfortably with and discuss things other people wouldn’t be able to comprehend. A support system is absolutely vital to people getting out.
It’s a big adjustment
When I came home, I rushed into doing things, but have since tried to slow down. I just felt there was a lot of time to make up for. I’m a barber by trade, and I’d like to start cutting some hair, whether I’m a volunteer at a shelter or whatever the case may be. I’m looking forward to the trip to Arizona to attend the Innocence Network conference in April. It will be my first time on a plane. I’m looking forward to that. And I just got my driver’s license and have been on the road ever since. It’s wonderful. It’s another addition to my freedom.
But it’s all a big adjustment. When I went to prison, technology was far from where it is today. Just walking into a store, you get overwhelmed by the amount of stuff they have on the shelves. It’s just so much to process and go through. And I’m still going through it. You have to start slow and take your time or you get overwhelmed. The anxious feelings that come with being free after long-term incarceration, it’s an ongoing process and I don’t think it will ever go away.
Seeing the bottom of the trees
The word “grateful” keeps coming to my mind. Like, there’s a local park I like to visit. It’s a peaceful place with a beautiful lake, and I just walk around and enjoy nature. In prison, you’re always surrounded by people, so I like having this quiet little getaway. And I get to see the bottom of the trees. Behind the wall, you can only see the tops of the trees, so it’s a little joke we have in prison. Now, I get to see the whole picture and I’m grateful. I’m very grateful to be home and to have a future ahead of me now.