Meet Jessica Roberts…our Writers Weekend Keynote Speaker
Jessica N. Roberts
Author | Advocate
Triumphant!: One Woman's Journey From Prison to Purpose
Jessica Roberts was raised in a two-parent home. She is the middle child of three (two sisters) and grew up in a middle-class household. Her mother and father both worked outside of the home, which afforded the family a comfortable lifestyle.
Her parents were committed to their children and instilled in
them the concepts of high morals, values, independence, responsibility and a
strong/firm work ethic.
Prior to October 2007 (the whole drug conspiracy ordeal),
the author’s life was happy. She was a proud and responsible first-time mom to
her beautiful little girl. She was also gainfully employed at a well-known
Company.
With only three weeks away from graduating with a Bachelor
of Science in Human Resource Management (she was unable to complete due to
being arrested and sentenced to prison), Jessica was on the fast track to
success having landed an interview for a higher salaried government contract
position due to take place once she returned from court (again, this didn’t
happen because of being sentenced to jail and prison).
The author cites her role in the drug conspiracy case and
subsequent indictment was due to her relationship with her daughter’s father
and the people with whom he associated.
The criminal case that Jessica was part of consisted of a
38-person indictment with her being number 38. According to her hired attorney,
she wasn’t granted an evidentiary hearing because there was no evidence against
her. Her entire involvement in the case hinged on the DEA thinking she knew
something but wasn’t telling it.
Having had no prior criminal record, the entire ordeal was
emotionally and physically traumatic. Jessica’s life took a complete turn away from the direction in which she was headed. In short, a once promising life was now reduced to a ten-year federal prison sentence. Thankfully, after unimaginable judicial system torture and lies, she was actually sentenced to 27 months in a Federal Prison Camp, 5 years of probation and a $5,000 fine.
By God’s grace and her morally sound upbringing, the
experience made her better not bitter.
“I tried to live my life the way I’d been shown, and early
on, it wasn’t as hard to do. But as I got older, choices weren’t so black and
white. Love can make you do things that you otherwise would not do. Haven’t you ever done something that you really didn’t want to do, but it was for someone you really loved? I’ve come to understand that sometimes, the places we find ourselves and the experiences we encounter serve to prepare us for our purpose.Now that I have the benefit of age, experience, and wisdom, I can see how the
things I went through has shaped the woman I am now. The dreams and goals I
have now were not the dreams I started out with. My love and my choices left me facing a ten-year prison sentence! In spite of my choices and what I thought I wanted for my life, my dreams took a different turn. My new dreams have been
directly influenced by the direction my life took. Coincidence? Read my story
and then you can decide.”