A MEMOIR BY DEL CRAWFORD
LIVING PROOF
365 days wrongfully incarcerated. Two knife fights bare-handed. One hurricane in the dark. Zero questions asked. I wrote it all down.
THIS IS NOT FICTION
In 2022, a woman hit me in a bar bathroom in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The police didn't ask a single question. They arrested me.
I spent the next 365 days inside the Alexander Farrelly Criminal Justice Complex - a facility that federal courts had already ruled unconstitutional. I survived two knife fights with my bare hands. I lived through a hurricane with no power, no water, and no guards for four days. I watched a man die because they threw away his medication.
I was offered a 25-year plea deal for a crime I didn't commit. I told them to go to trial.
Then I was released. No explanation. No apology. No acknowledgment.
This book is the explanation they never gave me.
A LIFE ON THE EDGE
01
Three-time state champion. National wrestler. Then heroin took it all.
02
Held hostage for 12 hours by five men with a machete in Pompano Beach, Florida.
03
365 days wrongfully incarcerated in the most dangerous jail in the US Virgin Islands.
I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED
DARKNESS LIKE THAT
BEFORE OR SINCE. NOT JUST THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT - THE PRESENCE OF DARK.
— LIVING PROOF, CHAPTER 9
A BUILDING FULL OF BROKEN MEN SANG A PRAYER IN THE DARK, AND THE LIGHTS CAME ON.
— LIVING PROOF, CHAPTER 9
THE SYSTEM DIDN'T CARE ABOUT ME. NOT IN A MALICIOUS WAY - IN A MECHANICAL WAY. I WAS A FILE IN A STACK.
— LIVING PROOF, CHAPTER 9
11 CHAPTERS.
ZERO SUGARCOATING.
The night five men broke into the house and told him how he was going to die
Four overdoses. Five shots of Narcan. A mother saving for her son's casket.
One year in a Caribbean prison where a guard choked an inmate over a cockroach and a woman gave birth on her cell floor
How a man with no degree, no diploma, and a felony record taught himself to code and became an AI Solutions Architect
The people who opened their doors when the world closed its
THIS BOOK IS ALSO ABOUT
CRAIG VANAUSDAL
Craig Vanausdal was 36 years old. A hemophiliac. Arrested at King Airport on an 18-year-old marijuana warrant from Pennsylvania. The facility's Medical Director threw away his injectable blood-clotting medication upon booking. He went 12 days without it. A scheduled doctor's appointment was cancelled because they didn't have enough staff.
Craig screamed for help for four hours. He died on May 16, 2022, on his cell floor. I slept in that cell after.
Living Proof documents what happened to Craig from the inside — the details the press release left out.
If you are connected to Craig's family or legal team, contact me:
[email protected]
ABOUT DEL CRAWFORD
Del Crawford is a tech entrepreneur, AI Solutions Architect, and the founder of XautomateX. He is a three-time state wrestling champion, a survivor of wrongful incarceration in the US Virgin Islands, and living proof that getting up is always an option. Living Proof is his first book.
Instagram: @livingproof_xax
LinkedIn: Del Crawford
Contact: [email protected]
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WHAT EARLY READERS ARE SAYING
Released with no explanation after all of that — that line hit harder than anything else in the post. Most people who survive something like that spend years trying to make it make sense in their head. Writing it all down instead, every name, every detail, every failure — that's a different kind of discipline entirely.
- D. K., SEATTLE, WA
READ CHAPTER 1 FREE
Download 'Are You Del?' - the first chapter of Living Proof. No spam. Just the story.
EVERY QUESTION ANSWERED
This is a raw, honest memoir about addiction, violence, and incarceration. It contains strong language and descriptions of traumatic events. It is not suitable for young readers.
If you need clarity before proceeding, read the answers here. Still have questions? Email [email protected].
Is this a true story?
Every word. Names have been changed where necessary to protect identities, but every event in this book happened.
What format is the ebook?
PDF, compatible with any device. Kindle version coming soon.
Is there explicit content?
This is a raw, honest memoir about addiction, violence, and incarceration. It contains strong language and descriptions of traumatic events. It is not suitable for young readers.
How do I get my copy after purchase?
Ebook: Instant download link delivered to your email within 60 seconds. Paperback: Redirected to Amazon for shipping.
Can I buy copies in bulk?
Yes. Email [email protected] for bulk pricing for rehab centers, schools, churches, and nonprofits.
