"I was scared. I thought, ‘I'm never getting out of here,’" Sedale said, reflecting on his time at Hampden County Jail.
As he shared his story, he recalled advice he received while incarcerated.
"He told me, ‘You’re going to get out, and when you do, you're probably going to get an opportunity. But you need to do the right thing with that opportunity,’" Sedale recalled.
The advice came from a senior detainee who took the 23-year-old under his wing while he was at the Ludlow jail. It played a significant role in Sedale’s decision to join the Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH) program.
That opportunity came when Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni reviewed Sedale’s police report and spoke with those who knew him. Like all participants in the EACH program, Gulluni needed to be sure Sedale wouldn't squander this chance, should it be offered to him.
Sedale, who we will refer to by his first name due to the nature of the program, comes across as a passionate and creative individual. He has a strong interest in music and video production. He played several of his original compositions for me from his phone while in his studio apartment, where he records on weekends at a studio in Holyoke.
In August 2019, Sedale and another EACH program participant, Antonio, were arrested by Springfield police after breaking into a house on Maple Street in search of marijuana.
“Where’s the stuff? Where’s the weed?” the resident reported them saying as they stormed into the home, one of them holding a sword.
“I’ve got this gun with five bullets in it,” one of them reportedly said, though the police report did not specify which of the two was quoted.
According to the police report, Sedale and Antonio fled before the police arrived, but a neighbor tipped off officers that they were hiding in the brush behind nearby buildings.
Black clothing, a gun, and a 2-foot sword were recovered, and both men were taken into custody at the Springfield Police Department.
Looking back, Sedale recognizes the foolishness of his actions. However, at the time, he said it didn’t seem out of the ordinary. “Acts like this were normalized in the community I was in,” he said.
At the time, Sedale had a good job at Friendly Ice Cream Corporation in Wilbraham, owned a car, and was in a relationship. On the outside, he saw no need to steal, except for trying to live up to a version of success. He admitted that seeing music artists on social media with their flashy cars, clothes, and seemingly perfect lives had a significant impact on him.
"It's all fabricated," Sedale said.
He described a world where "bad is good and good is bad," and anyone who disagrees is considered "lame" or "just old."
It took his arrest and time in jail for Sedale to realize the path he was on would only lead to one destination. “I might look cool to my friends, but I’m really failing in life,” Sedale admitted.
Lisa, a licensed practical nurse and Sedale’s mother, sensed something wasn’t right in her son's life. Despite his full-time job, she had an uneasy feeling that he was mixing with the wrong crowd.
“He was working full time. He was doing what he should do, but something in me felt like something wasn’t right,” Lisa said.
The family had just moved into a new apartment in Chicopee. One morning, Lisa left for work while Sedale was just returning home from a night shift at Friendly’s. At work, Lisa’s intuition kicked in when she noticed missed calls from a Springfield number.
“My mom called me and said, ‘Have you spoken to your son?’” Lisa recalled. She looked at her phone and saw the missed calls. “He got arrested,” her mother told her.
Lisa began to shake, feeling the blood drain from her face. She immediately went to the Springfield Police Department Headquarters on Pearl Street.
She couldn’t understand why Sedale would make such a choice. At the time, he was making more money than she was.
When the police mugshot and the report surfaced in the news, Lisa hadn't set up the TV yet, but friends soon called, asking if the reports were true and if the accused in the home invasion was her son.
“I felt humiliated,” Lisa said, tears filling her eyes as she recalled the experience. “When people see that, they think, ‘Oh, good, they got those guys,’ but they don’t know my son the way I do.”
At the Hampden County District Court hearing, Lisa had not yet spoken with Sedale. She saw him enter the courtroom, his head hung low in shame.
“It broke my heart,” Lisa said. “He had his head down, and he just looked over at me.”
When the bail was set, Sedale hung his head again, realizing it was unaffordable for them. Lisa, with no other option, took half of her paycheck to court in the hopes of posting bail, but the amount was set at $5,000, an impossible sum.
“It was hard. It was hard to leave,” Lisa said, her voice trembling. “It felt like I was leaving my baby there.”
Sedale later told MassLive that he had made peace with serving time. What hurt him most, however, was seeing how deeply his mother was affected.
“I feel like if he had more of a father figure involved, maybe things would have been different,” Lisa said, after pausing to compose herself. “But I know I did the best I could.”
Sedale’s biological father lives in New York, and Sedale only saw him once a year during the summers. For a time, a stepfather was in the picture. Sedale spoke highly of his stepdad.
“He was like a chameleon,” Sedale said with admiration. “He could blend into any group. No matter the situation, he’d talk about rap or hip-hop all day.”
However, the relationship ended, and his stepfather moved to Florida when Sedale was 20.
“When he left, it certainly had an impact on me,” Sedale confided. “My mom had to struggle by herself.”
Sedale took it upon himself to get a job and help support the family. “I had to work to help my mom,” he said. “Not for my own enjoyment, but just to help her until she got back on her feet.”
Sedale was enrolled in the EACH program in February 2020, alongside Antonio, after making a positive impression on Gulluni and then-District Court Judge Maureen E. Walsh, who oversaw their regular check-ins.
Each Thursday, participants like David, Timothy, Antonio, Sedale, Jah, and Dyree attend court to report their progress. While Jah eventually dropped out in early 2021 after an incident with police, Sedale remained committed to the program.
Sedale quickly secured a job through United Personnel, working the night shift at Cartamundi in East Longmeadow, making products for Hasbro. However, his job was temporary, and when the factory shut down in December 2020, he was laid off but expected to return in January 2021.
The EACH program, which lasts at least 18 months, is divided into four phases: engagement and assessment, stability and accountability, individual service planning, and transition.
Roca, a partially taxpayer-funded non-profit, partners with the EACH program to steer young men away from violence using a cognitive-behavioral approach. The goal is not just to find a job but to build a career.
Sedale initially struggled with the program, particularly when it required early mornings and manual labor. The 45 days of work with Roca’s Transitional Employment Program (TEP) involved tough, often outdoor tasks, such as landscaping and property maintenance.
“I’m not meant for this work,” Sedale admitted.
Despite the challenges, Sedale slowly began to adapt and eventually completed the 45-day requirement. Mike Roper, a Roca supervisor who had spent time in federal prison, worked with Sedale and described him as a quick learner.
Roper, who knows firsthand the difficulty of rebuilding a life after prison, is grateful for the opportunity Roca gave him. He hopes to inspire those in the program to change their lives, as he did.
“Freedom is more important than quick money,” Roper said.
Now in phase three of the program, Sedale is exploring career options, including a recent interview at a factory in Ludlow. While factory work isn't his long-term goal, he’s confident that the support from Roca will help him find his path.
Music remains a key passion for Sedale. He and vocal artist Justin “Hippy J” Paulino have released an album and are working on a second. For Sedale, the work he’s put into the program has already started to pay off, and the advice he received in jail continues to guide him toward a better future.
The mistakes he and Antonio made are in the past, and both men are determined to keep them there.
Sedale goes up to his new apartment in Springfield where he is now able to start supporting himself. If not for the EACH program, he might have still been at Ludlow Jail for christmas.
Frustrated at the fact he has to work at Roca, Sedale calls his friend to collect him after his appaerance infrom of then-District Court Judge Maureen E. Walsh.
Sedale and his mom Lisa go to eat at a local restaurant in Springfield. Lisa was heart broken when she heard her son was arrested.
Sedale goes up to his new apartment in Springfield where he is now able to start supporting himself. If not for the EACH program, he might have still been at Ludlow Jail for christmas.
District Court Judge Maureen E. Walsh presides over the EACH court program each Thursday to hear about their progress.
District Court Judge Maureen E. Walsh presides over the EACH program and hears the progress of each participant in courtroom five.
Sedale goes up to his new apartment in Springfield where he is now able to start supporting himself. If not for the EACH program, he might have still been at Ludlow Jail for christmas.
Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni speaks to Sedale on his progress in the EACH program. There have been ups and downs for Sedale.
Sarah Roper and Mike Roper are supervisors at Roca. Mike leads the landscaping crews and is able to empathise with the young people he leads due to his past mistakes. He spent 10 years at the state's maximum security prison Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley.
Antonio works on the landscaping team with his Roca supervisor Mike Roper. He joined the program in September 2019 and will have to complete 45 days of work with Roca as part of the EACH program.
Antonio takes part in an exercise at Roca. A person can only speak when they have the feather.
Each day Sedale has to attend Roca as part of the EACH program. Due to working nights at Cartamundi, he is often tired when he arrives and drops off to sleep at points.
Each day Sedale has to attend Roca as part of the EACH program. Due to working nights at Cartamundi, he is often tired when he arrives and drops off to sleep at points.
Sedale goes up to his new apartment in Springfield where he is now able to start supporting himself. If not for the EACH program, he might have still been at Ludlow Jail for christmas.
EACH program participant, 24-year-old Sedale in his friends recording studio in Holyoke.