David Belton

David Belton was born on September 30, 1944, in South Carolina as the middle child in a family of three. At the age of four, he suffered a stroke leaving him partially paralyzed on his left side. Shortly thereafter, his parent's relationship became turbulent, and eventually he left the family after the birth of his younger brother. His adolescent years were spent in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was there when he dropped out of 9th grade and began a life of petty crime, which landed him a two-year term in a federal training school in Washington, DC (in 1960) for car theft.
David was arrested for several crimes and spent time in three prisons in Lorton, VA. Then, drugs invaded the inner city, and that changed everything. He became a drug dealer and later became addicted in '68, and five years later was arrested for murder in the state of Maryland and was sentenced to life in prison. Prison can be a living hell, but it can also be what one makes it. There, he earned his GED and went on to receive two college degrees. Until his release in 2013, he was the long-term Director of a youth program broadcast on the A&E Network, Beyond Scared Straight, and over the years had the privilege to talk to more than 10,000 youth and young adults.
In addition to his book being published in 1992, he has several published articles to his credit. He is a writer, counselor, youth mentor, and involved in prison ministry. He refused to allow his past to determine his future, and when he was released through the court in 2013, he left better, not bitter.