Opinion ID: 3179278
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Masters’s Future

Text: Masters testified that he had matured and no longer wanted to participate in violence or criminal activities. Masters testified that his mother‘s death made him realize that life was precious. He claimed to have withdrawn from the BGF, even though doing so meant he might be attacked. According to Masters, he had intervened in several potentially violent situations and helped to resolve them peacefully. Dr. Haney testified that he believed Masters had recently undergone significant changes that included self-improvement, openness, critical thinking, and the ability to have a perspective apart from an institutional setting. Dr. Haney trusted Masters‘s statement that he had withdrawn from the BGF and noted that he 21 had received only three minor disciplinary infractions since 1986. Dr. Irwin similarly testified that it is common for inmates to phase out of gangs as they age. A correctional officer testified in rebuttal, however, that he had recently observed Masters appearing to lead BGF classes on the exercise yard. Dr. Haney testified that Masters would adapt well if he were to be confined under a life sentence in a highly structured prison environment.