Kiko: From Life Without Parole to Life with Purpose

Kiko: From Life Without Parole to Life with Purpose

At just nineteen years old, David R. Carrillo was facing a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Thrown into some of Colorado’s most violent prisons, he survived gang politics, solitary confinement, and the crushing weight of a sentence that promised he would die behind bars. But inside the darkest places, he discovered an unexpected path: education, accountability, and transformation. Over the course of three decades, Carrillo earned multiple college degrees—including an MBA—while teaching others inside the walls. He made history as the first currently incarcerated person in the United States to be hired as a university professor. And against all odds, he was granted clemency, walking free after more than thirty years. Kiko: From Life Without Parole to Life with Purpose is more than a prison memoir—it’s a story of resilience, redemption, and the power of change. With raw honesty, Carrillo exposes the brutal realities of prison life, the lure of gangs and drugs, and the psychological battles of solitary confinement. But he also reveals how discipline, education, and hope can forge a new life—even in the face of impossible odds. This is the story of one man’s journey from the depths of despair to the heights of possibility—a story for anyone who believes in second chances, the resilience of the human spirit, and the power of transformation.