My name is Toby R. Davis, currently incarcerated here at Thumb Correctional Facility. At the age of 20, I along with my best friend, entered prison after being wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder and assault in two different trials, in Saginaw County. Our convictions were solely based on faulty ballistic evidence and conflicting trial testimony provided by two of our childhood friends, who both later admitted in sworn affidavits that they were coerced and pressured to falsely testify. In 2005, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request revealed a police report that revealed a more viable suspect who had motive, means and opportunity.
I knew my fight to overturn my wrongful conviction would be an uphill battle. It doesn’t matter how strong and cogent the newly discovered evidence is, the system itself was designed to secure convictions; it wasn’t necessarily designed to correct its own flaws. Even still, I vowed to keep hope alive by embracing an attitude of optimism.
Finding Hope
Despite my challenging circumstances, I immersed myself in spoken-word poetry and acquired an awakened interest in reading various books. I assimilated wisdom from great minds such as Earnest Holmes, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Maya Angelou, and the legendary Bruce Lee; to name a few. Bruce once said that “it’s wise to be like water.” Water is fluent and takes the shape of any container you put it in, but when you pour it out, it flows like water. Therefore, we should learn to adjust to our circumstances, but never conform to them. So ultimately, I came to terms with being in prison, but I personally refused to conform to the prison environment and fall into toxic activities. I may be physically in prison, but my mind is not confined, and I continue to desire growth. I had a spiritual awakening about my traumatic childhood that led me to have a mentality that was less than how I should have been living my life as a teenager. Through this awakening a new, refined man was born. I decided that I wanted to be a law-abiding citizen, man of integrity and a man who positively contributes to his community.
Change Begins with Intentionality
While confined, I became intentional about my life, my words, my actions, and my future. I achieved my G.E.D., obtained a certification in Custodial Maintenance Technology, obtained another certification from the Keryx Program, and took a course in Introduction to Computers and Tech Math. Unfortunately, due to having a lengthy prison sentence I wasn’t allowed to pursue a college degree. I did however maintained employment as a unit porter, unit laundry man and worked nearly eight (8) consecutive years as a 5-rate worker inside Michigan State Institute at TCF until it closed pre-pandemic. With roughly six years remaining in my sentence, I’ve now been added to the waiting list to enroll into college for small business & entrepreneurship.
Currently, I’m employed as a devoted caregiver for a disabled inmate who’s confined to a wheelchair with an advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease. Over the years I’ve also written and published several self-help books, including my latest title “Confronting The Hood Mentality,” that’s geared towards helping at-risk youth avoid cultural pitfalls and being a statistic of mass incarceration. In the words of Malcolm X “To be a fool is nothing, but to remain a fool is a disgrace!”
My Fight Continues & My Faith Remains Strong
Having already served 28 years in prison and now at the age of 48, my fight for justice continues. On July 16, 2023, my attorney, Laurel K. Young, filed my Successive 6.500 Motion in the Court of Appeals bolstered by newly discovered evidence. I remain hopeful and prayerful that I will be granted relief from judgement and exit the courtroom a free man.
In the meantime, as a mentee under the leadership of Michael G. Santos and Prison Professors, I’m determined to emerge from prison with my dignity intact and poised for GREAT SUCCESS!
I Believe
“A man isn’t great because he never failed, a man is great because failure has never stopped him”-Confucious.
