Onan Ford was born in 1964 in Indianapolis in conditions of extreme abuse and neglect. He experienced what no child should experience including continual physical and emotional abuse, poor and lacking nutrition, and exposure to scenes of violence and sexual activity from the adults with whom he lived. He left home at the age of 10 and lived on the streets, until at the age of 18 he went to prison for the first time. Since that time he has been in prison almost continually with only three short periods outside of prison.

Onan was released from prison the last time in 2000, and in early 2001 while living in Utah he was extremely depressed, unemployed, and had been thrown out of the place he lived by his girlfriend. In effect he was in the same position that he had been in since he was 10 except for when he was in prison. He was taking drugs to self-medicate, and told his parole officer about this drug use together with his depression and other problems, hoping to receive some help. His parole officer offered no help, and Onan was in desperation as to how to deal with his problems without any support and without the skills necessary to deal with his problems by himself.

At this point in his desperate situation and not thinking clearly he committed a crime in order to go back to prison where he could find the structure he had become accustomed to as well as help for his situation. He robbed a daycare center that his girlfriend’s daughter (who he treated as his own) attended, brandishing a knife and taking the money that was available. He also asked for the daycare worker’s car keys, but when she refused to give him the keys, he drove his own car from the scene. After three blocks Onan crashed into another car, and after informing the other driver that his insurance information was in the glove compartment, he ran down the street to a Taco Bell, leaving the money and the knife in the car. At the Taco Bell he called his brother to let him know that he was going back to prison, and then he went outside and sat on the lawn to wait for the police to arrive.

Obvious concerns about releasing Onan on parole at this time would be that he is a repeat offender and that his latest crime was committed at a daycare center. These factors, however, are understandable within the context of his history. He had never received anything in the way of nurturing or support to allow him to develop into a responsible citizen, and he was crying out for help. Of the three settings he had lived in prison was the preferred setting because he had food, clothing, shelter, and others to solve problems he did not know how to solve himself. His desire to return to prison coupled with the behavior he exhibited when he arrived in prison, including breaking light bulbs and eating the glass from the bulbs show that he did not know where to turn or how to deal with his problems. At times he was suicidal and at times searching for help and answers that he did not know how to find.

In 2002 Onan met a woman volunteering in the prison, and instinctively felt that she might be able to help him. He approached her, and she recognized his needs and was able to help him and to teach him many important lessons about life. Since that time Onan has made a complete change in his life. His attitude and understanding of what he can do in life is completely different from what it was. He has graduated from high school, is taking college credit courses, and he has completed a difficult program called Conquest. He is a model inmate receiving no citations for rule infraction and has received more and more responsibility within the prison requiring capability and trustworthiness. He performs an intake orientation, does tutoring, and helps inmates learn to read. Members of the prison staff scratch their heads wondering why he is still incarcerated. In addition to this remarkable change he also married the woman volunteer two years ago while in prison, and has a supportive home to return to as well as a couple of employment options. Onan has served his current sentence beyond the matrix guidelines of 60 months that have been recommended, and awaits a parole hearing that is scheduled for April of 2009. He recently applied for an earlier hearing but was denied. He continues to live in an exemplary way and is fighting some chronic health problems that could be addressed and resolved easily upon his release.

Onan was recently featured in a documentary The Traps produced by Majorscale Productions - CLICK HERE TO READ MORE. This DVD and the video clip that is available on this web site show as well as anything that can be said about him who he is now and what he has to offer to society.

If Onan’s story moves you as it is presented here and you feel that if it has been presented accurately he should be granted a hearing to be considered for parole, please email us with your comments of support. For your convenience the main menu of this web site provides you with a sample email that you can modify or send as it is. We will forward your message together with a large group of other messages to Governor Huntsman of the State of Utah and/or others who might have influence to affect Onan’s status. We will ask the Governor or other recipients to let us know if there are any considerations or different perspectives that we have not included in this story about Onan that should be considered, and if there are other considerations we will include them as an addendum to this story.