Joel Castón
Joel Castón is an American politician and convicted murderer who is a member of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) in Washington, D.C., and is the first incarcerated person to win an election in the city. Early life and incarceration
Castón was raised in Ward 8 of Washington, D.C. His parents separated when he was a child due to his dad's alcoholism. At age 12, Castón began dealing drugs with his cousins. When he was fifteen, his house was destroyed in a fire and his family was left homeless. In November 1994, Castón was charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Rafiq Washington which occurred on August 14, 1994. In 1996, he was sentenced to 35 years to life. Castón was incarcerated a federal prisons until he was transferred to the D.C. Jail in 2016. While incarcerated, Castón earned a GED and took courses hosted by Georgetown University. Castón also led a jail newspaper and wrote papers on criminal justice reform. He was a Christian worship music leader, a financial literacy officer, and started a mentorship program called the Young Men Emerging Program. Kim Kardashian filed a motion for Castón's release. He was granted parole in April 2021, and released from prison in November 2021. Political career
In November, 2020, Castón sought to run for a vacant Advisory Neighborhood Commission seat in Ward 7, but was disqualified due to his voter registration showing his old address in Ward 8. On June 15, 2021, while still residing in the D.C. Jail, Castón was elected to fill the ANC seat in Ward 7, winning about a third of the vote. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission seat was created in 2013, but Castón is the first person to hold the seat and the first incarcerated person elected to public office in Washington, D.C. In the election, Castón beat four other incarcerated candidates. Castón was sworn into office on June 29, 2021. While incarcerated, Castón was given a laptop or tablet, an email account, and a workspace within the D.C. Jail to work on his ANC duties. Personal life
Castón has one daughter. Castón is a Christian. He speaks Spanish, French, Arabic, and Mandarin. References

Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American people convicted of murder
American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
People convicted of murder by the District of Columbia
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the District of Columbia
People paroled from life sentence