A man once sentenced to 65 years in prison for leading a ring that burglarized dozens of apartments and condominiums in Dallas stood before inmates at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center this week with a different kind of message: your crimes do not define you. Damon West spoke to 29 inmates, urging them to understand that the power to change their lives rests in the choices they make going forward.
West's visit to Columbus came at the request of Amy Bogue, CEO and founder of Allegro Family Clinics, which organized the speaking engagement, according to The Commercial Dispatch. Bogue said West's speeches had inspired her to invite him to speak with inmates and community members in the area. Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said West's purpose was straightforward: to encourage better behavior, decisions and choices among the people in his custody, and he said the message appeared to land, with inmates engaged throughout the sessions.
From Dallas Quarterback to Convicted Ringleader
West's path to that jailhouse podium started in Port Arthur, Texas, where he grew up before enrolling at the University of North Texas in 1996. He was eventually named the school's starting quarterback and graduated in 1999, according to People. He went on to work as a stockbroker with the United Bank of Switzerland in Dallas, a career that unraveled after a coworker introduced him to methamphetamine, according to the same account. West became addicted and eventually homeless in Dallas before authorities say he turned to crime.
Court records describe West as the ringleader of a group that burglarized dozens of apartments and condominiums in and around Dallas's Uptown area in 2007 and 2008, according to the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals. West later described being at a run-down Dallas apartment when SWAT entered and arrested him there. The Dallas Morning News reported that court records attributed more than $1 million worth of stolen cash and goods to 51 burglaries. On March 8, 2011, the appeals court affirmed West's conviction for engaging in organized criminal activity along with his 65-year sentence, rejecting six issues he raised on appeal, including challenges to the sufficiency of the evidence and the jury charge.
A Disputed Release Date, a Consistent Message
West was paroled in 2015. He has said his arrest ultimately diverted him away from drug addiction, and he has described transforming his life in prison by helping other inmates and rebuilding his character and integrity. After his release, he began sharing his story with other incarcerated people and became a motivational speaker, eventually addressing professional sports teams, companies and inmates across the country. By 2020, he estimated he had told his story roughly 600 times, per the Dallas outlet.
At the Lowndes County jail, West used an allegory comparing people in boiling water to a coffee bean that changes its own environment rather than being changed by it. Jamie Milliken, who attended the session, said he appreciated that West addressed the inmates without prejudice and said he planned to apply West's lessons both in prison and after his release. West has also carried his message beyond jails and prisons, including a stop at West Brook High School in Texas where he spoke to students about addiction, incarceration and parole, according to a report by Eleanor Skelton.
Jail Programming Behind the Visit
West's appearance fits into a broader rehabilitation push underway at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center. The sheriff's office launched its Pathway to Peace program aiming to curb recidivism, and Hawkins has said the ultimate goal is to cut down on repeat offenses and help people become productive citizens, according to WCBI. The program focuses on education, enforcement and rehabilitation, with its rehabilitation phase offering GED support and virtual workforce training in fields such as plumbing, diesel mechanics, electrical engineering and nursing. WCBI also reported that the jail's average daily population has dropped from 285 inmates to about 115.
The sheriff's office has backed that programming with investment, spending $18,000 on virtual-reality headsets and courses for inmates, the Dispatch reported in separate coverage. Bogue said she hoped West's visit would give inmates hope; West's message was that a person's crimes do not define them.
