- I was doing such harshcrimes at such an early age

they sent me to the tougher institutions.

Kids got raped, kids got killed

just like you hear about in adult prisons.

- [Narrator] Tony Cash'scycle of incarceration

began at only 11-years-oldwith his first stint in juvie,

after being arrested for aseries of armed robberies.

He grew up with a toughtruck driver father,

rough criminal oldersiblings, and little hope.

- Growing up listeningto tough guy stories

coming from my father and his friends

set us on a journey of being tough kids.

I ended up becoming thetop three worst juveniles

in the entire state of Ohio.

- [Narrator] At 17 he wassent to his first prison,

and as his rap sheetgrew, so did his anger.

- I blamed and hated the world.

I seen a lot of injustice inthe criminal justice system,

but it justified why I was who I was,

and it caused me to hate even more.

- [Narrator] Tony spent the next 15 years

bouncing from prison to prison,

earning a reputation as someoneto be feared and respected.

Anger, violence, and hatred fueled him.

- I was respected becauseI could hurt people.

I was respected because I did hurt people.

I took on a warrior mindset early on.

Survival of the fittest is human nature.

If I have to put my handson you, you deserve to die.

- [Narrator] Tony was inand out of incarceration,

and despite taking pridein being an outlaw,

he felt his anger growing out of control.

- I would black out andwake up with blood on me,

and bruises, and not know what I did.

I began fearing what Iwould do when I got angry.

I'd been seeking peace.

I got this tornado going on inside of me,

this constant rage.

What I had on my walls was pictures of--

Sceneries of beautiful sceneries,

landscapes and oceans, and rivers,

and bodies of water,

and I'd just sit there and escape.

- [Narrator] In 2000, while back in jail

for parole violation,

Tony felt lasting peace was unattainable.

It was then he decidedhe would attempt suicide

by guard killing, but beforehe could carry out his plan,

something stopped him in his tracks.

- I was gonna fake a seizure.

When the guard come in,attempt to take his life.

I looked up in the shower, and there was

a light in the shower,you know, a regular light.

When I looked up, it was asif God was looking at me,

saying don't.

My response to that was then do something

because I can't.

Right as soon as I said that,

somebody out in the cellsaid who wants this Bible?

- [Narrator] Tony spentthe remaining two years

of his sentence studying theBible and praying to God,

but never addressing his anger.

Upon his release in 2002,

Tony tried to live a better life.

Instead, he began aneight-year binge-purge cycle

where he would fall backinto a life of crime,

then try and seek God again.

- Each time I'd comeback digging God's word,

but I wasn't growing spiritually.

I wasn't dealing with convictions,

I was concealing them.

You got this rage in you,

and you got this bitternessin you, this hate,

and you don't deal withit, you just hide it,

it don't go away.

I began hating my life.

- [Narrator] By 2010, Tonyhad lost his family's care,

50 pounds from drug use, and respect.

Three years into a 21-year sentence,

Tony reached his lowest point.

- They put me in solitary.

That rage came.

That death by suicide, bycop killing come back alive.

And God just let my mind flash back

to that day in that shower,

and he said I saved you from that.

Is that what you want?

It was like he just grabbed my shoulders

and he pinned me down in that bed.

He said is that what you want?

Looked up and said I don'tcare what you take from me.

I'm not letting you go.

You didn't save me for me to keep falling.

I said it in my heart thatI wasn't letting him go.

- [Narrator] There in that prison cell,

Tony began to finally let go of his anger

as he held onto Christ.

- Through all my years ofcoming to God and falling,

coming to God and falling,

I didn't truly have arelationship with him.

I would learn of him, Iwould learn Scripture.

I could quote Scripture, Icould teach the Scripture,

but I wasn't walking the Scripture.

Now with Christ, he gave me something

I could do about the anger.

- [Narrator] Tony spent the next few years

experiencing a transformationof his heart and mind.

He received early parolein January of 2017,

and kept true to his promise to God

and didn't let go.

Tony got married that year,

and he and his wife do full-time ministry

for those incarcerated.

He's no longer proud to be an outlaw,

but instead, proud to beliving fully for Christ.

- If you seek him with everything you got,

if you surrender everything to him,

and remember he wants all of you,

there is freedom in Christ.

I was lost in darkness and hate.

I met Christ, and he set me free.