Teen Convict Turns Life Around & Becomes Correctional Officer

Source: EvgeniyShkolenko / Getty

He was once a young man enticed by the life of crime, but now Michael Berrian Jr. has turned his life around and is dedicated to helping young men do the same.

Berrian currently works in the prison system in Georgia, but he was first an inmate in that same system. He was incarcerated at the Macon Regional Youth Detention Center as a teen. At the age of 16 he was smoking marijuana, selling drugs and involved in gang activities.

“When I was a teen, I dealt with a lot of peer pressure and had issues with wanting to be accepted by all the wrong people to the point that I was willing to do almost whatever for people to like me”, he said in an interview with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. “That put me in a position to do things I wouldn’t normally do, just so that my peers wouldn’t think I was afraid. Honestly, I was afraid. I was afraid to be a leader, so I followed the crowd and got myself in a lot of trouble doing so.”

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a robbery spree, but spent only three years of that behind bars. During that time, he had a spiritual awakening and accepted Jesus into his life. He also sought out the help of others to strengthen his walk with the Lord.

“There were specific individuals that helped me to see my path, but they weren’t officers,” he said. “They were inmates and volunteers. My mom played a big part too, she prayed for me and sent me scriptures through the mail. I used to read those scriptures almost daily. My mom taught me about God when I was younger and when I got older, she continued.”

Berrian became motivated to share his experiences with others in the system. He wrote a book in 2017 called “From A Convict To A Convert” and started proclaiming the truth of Jesus through music. In 2018, he was hired to work at the same correctional facility he was jailed in as a teen. He rose through the ranks to become a sergeant at the Cadwell Regional Youth Detention Center. 

Today, Berrian serves as a music teacher inside of multiple prison facilities in Georgia.

“I’m a leader at heart, but more than that I am a server, and I plan to serve DJJ until God comes for me,” he said. “Whether you know it or not, the youth in our care are impacted by your presence. We will save many, just keep hanging in here and ‘be the change you want to see’. You never know who they may turn out to be. Inmate one day, officer the next.”

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