Convicted Murderer Wins D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner’s Race from Jail Cell
MURDERER JOEL CASTON
By Melanie Arter | June 18, 2021
A convicted murderer won the race for D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner of a district east of Capitol Hill from his jail cell this week.
Joel Caston was convicted of first-degree murder for killing someone when he was 18 years old.
As CNSNews.com previously reported, he was one of five incarcerated candidates who were vying for the seat.
Now at 44 years old, he will represent the D.C. neighborhood that includes the D.C. Jail, Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter, and new luxury apartments near the Stadium-Armory Metro station,” WUSA reports.
As ANC commissioner, Caston will receive a tablet to attend upcoming meetings and use email to keep in touch with constituents.
“I’ve been saying this, I feel presidential,” Caston told WUSA from inside the jail on Wednesday. “I feel like the president, a public servant who can deliver.”
When asked what the public isn’t hearing on the outside that needs to be heard inside the ANC meetings, Caston said, “I think the main thing missing from these conversations is our humanity. Often times when we are incarcerated, we can lose the sense of a person’s identity, but that individual is still a human being.”
“I can’t live my life in the shadow, I can’t live my life in reverse, I have to be forward-thinking,” Caston said. “And moving forward allows me to keep my eye on what’s important – that’s being the best person I can possibly be.”
Caston expects to be released from custody in the next few months. If so, and if he no longer lives in his district, he won’t be allowed to represent the areas as commissioner.
He submitted a “Second Look” petition, which gives those who are incarcerated the chance to be released from jail or to receive a new sentence after serving 15 years. It also offers resentencing to those convicted of a criminal offense before turning 25.
