The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose

Wilson speaks to a diverse audience at the University of Baltimore law school. He shares the story of one of Mr. Edwards’s visits to Patuxent. On this visit, the normally upbeat Mr. Edwards looked serious. Mr. Edwards told Wilson and Steve that he received a vision from God and that one day they both would be free. Meanwhile, a Columbia University study shows that the attack Steve suffered at age 14 caused him serious brain trauma, but the state fights to keep him in prison. Wilson attends Steve’s hearing on June 20, 2014. A three-judge panel concludes that Steve does not belong in prison. On June 23, Wilson arrives at Patuxent in his Corvette to pick up his newly freed friend, and they drive away from the prison together.

As returning citizens, Wilson and Steve take different paths. Steve has no interest in the socially-focused projects Wilson undertakes. Nor does Steve feel a connection to Baltimore. Wilson feels worn down but also filled with purpose. One day, Wilson gets his revenge when his old caseworker sees him wearing a suit and leaning against his Corvette.

In 2015, murders and drug overdoses continue to spike in Baltimore. Wilson supports a bill requiring a mandatory parole hearing for all teens sentenced to life in prison but gets nowhere with Maryland politicians. Wilson reluctantly attends Grandma’s 90th birthday party, where he is reminded that no one in his family ever believed in him. At the invitation of a prison therapist, Wilson returns to Patuxent to speak with inmates about his successes. Wilson is both excited and saddened to see Tooky, now in his mid-40s and denied parole. Wilson feels encouraged by his reception from the inmates at Patuxent but discouraged by events in the world and especially in Baltimore.

Baltimore descends into chaos and violence following the death of Freddie Gray from abuse while in police custody. After the buses stop running on April 27, the day of Gray’s funeral, Wilson walks a mile through burning cars and blaring alarms to retrieve a friend’s sister from elementary school. He says the situation is “post-apocalyptic” (356). Civilian authorities and police do nothing, leaving citizens to defend themselves, their homes, and their business. Wilson denounces the violence and destruction but also views the uprising as an inevitable consequence of mistreatment spanning decades.

Baltimore garners national attention, but it fades by the end of summer, and very little changes. Wilson cannot get a line of credit for his business. He quits his job at GHCC, takes a semester off school, and gives up his Corvette after being pulled over 26 times in two years—all so he can focus on improving life in Baltimore.

Darico leaves prison near the end of 2015. Wilson gives his son a job and makes him the foreman of a five-man labor crew. Darico is pulled over for driving without a license. Wilson bails him out and then insists that Darico stays with him in Bolton Hill. Wilson learns about the abuse Darico suffered—from Mom, Derrick, and foster parents. During a record snowfall in January 2016, Wilson puts his crews to work on a multi-day snow removal job. On the second day, Darico takes charge of the operation. Weeks later, Darico punches his girlfriend during an argument. Wilson tells him to take responsibility, turn himself in, serve his time, and learn from it, but Darico runs to Washington, D.C.

Wilson receives the President’s Volunteer Service Award and visits the White House. Secret Service agents will not allow him through the gate because of his murder conviction; they relent only when threatened with media exposure. While in Washington, Wilson speaks first at a Lincoln Heights church near Division Avenue and then at the Newseum. He notes the difference between his two audiences. In Lincoln Heights, he meets desperate mothers who have lost their sons to violence. At the Newseum, he mingles with powerful people served by tuxedo-wearing waiters.

Darico’s flight from the law leaves Wilson depressed and “crippled financially” (379). Among other things, Darico purchased a motorcycle after borrowing money from unsavory characters using his father’s name. Those unsavory characters now threaten to kill Wilson unless he pays them $20,000. Jane Brown and other friends come forward to help Wilson, but he feels like a failure, wonders if he is doing any good, and even considers moving to New York, where other successful friends offer him new opportunities. Darico comes home after six months in prison at Patuxent. On January 6, 2017, Darico is shot in Baltimore. After a lengthy recovery, he moves back with his girlfriend. Wilson promises to be there whenever Darico needs him.

At Judge Serrette’s invitation, Wilson speaks to inmates at the women’s prison across from Patuxent, where the majority are mothers incarcerated on drug charges. Afterward, Wilson asks Judge Serrette why she decided to reduce his sentence. She replies that after reading everything in his file and then meeting him in person, she had faith in him. Wilson considers ending the book on this hopeful note. Instead, he concludes by describing an incident in Baltimore a few years earlier when two young men accosted him, pulled guns, and threatened him. A few days after the incident, Wilson encounters one of the two young men outside a store, tells the man about his own experience with street violence and prison, and warns him that he needs to change his life. The young man, who had searched Wilson on the Internet, replies “I like what you’re doing” (394).