Meet Charles Smith
Charles Smith was serving a 64-year sentence for robbery when he discovered his love for chess.
“Chess saved my life,” he recalled, noting that chess kept him from feeling lost, giving up hope, or getting involved in violence.
Puzzling through complex chess games gave Charles tools to think about his own sentence and situation. He had moved to Denver as a teenager after becoming involved in the Inglewood Family Bloods gang at a young age in Los Angeles. Eventually, Smith became wrapped up in gang life in Denver. In 1998, he was charged with a drug-related robbery and home invasion. Because he had prior charges for drug convictions, the prosecutor charged him as a “habitual offender,” which required the judge to impose a 64-year sentence on a crime that would otherwise have measured only 16 years—a four-fold increase. Like a chess player, though, Charles thought of the options ahead. He maintained hope as he pursued his appeals and post-conviction relief from his sentence.
“I approach life like I approach chess,” he explained.
The response from those in power was a string of denials, however. Charles began to consider the possibility that he may have to spend the vast majority of his life in prison for a crime committed in his 20s.
“That can break the strongest person,” he said. “I went through some sobering moments, where I felt like all was lost and it just wasn’t worth it.”
While incarcerated, Smith had a spiritual awakening, and became deeply involved with both religion and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People training, both of which he said helped him persevere through difficult times.
“God saved my soul and Seven Habits gave me a sense of purpose and meaning,” he recalled.
He also became a self-described “voracious reader” and taught himself to read using the dictionary. While incarcerated, Charles worked to gain his GED and associates degrees in personal psychological development and theology.
“I was trying to find a way out and I knew it started with me,” he explained. “I knew I had to change.”
Over twenty years into his sentence, Charles finally gained release. Spero Justice Center assisted him with his community corrections application, which included support from Denver DA Beth McCann. In January 2022, he finally transitioned into the community
Since that time, Charles has become a leader at Colorado Springs Works, an organization that helps individuals overcome employment barriers, including those who are formerly incarcerated. Charles fundraises for the organization. His office is decorated with a large chess board and framed photos of Kings and Queens.
Charles reflects that he felt reduced to a number while in prison, and hopes that decision-makers and the public could view those similar to him with a greater degree of compassion.
“When you put people in prisons, you’re not investing in that person. Society needs to start seeing everyone as a human.”
He noted his frustration with a system that causes many others with disproportionate sentences like his to spend much of their lives in prison.
“These sentencing laws need to be changed but they also need to find a way for opportunities for people who have changed,” he said. “There needs to be a way to have a second chance.”
