D.C jail inmate elected to seat on City Council's advisory commission

A Washington, D.C., jail inmate has been elected to the City Council's advisory commission.

The inmate, Joel Caston, won the seat Tuesday for the city's Ward 7 Advisory Neighborhood Commission, according to The Washington Times. 

The seat as been unfilled for the past decade, likely because not many people were aware of its existence, the newspaper also reports. 

Caston will work as a commissioner and hold monthly meetings with residents to help solve neighborhood problems. He will advise government agencies on issues that impact their neighborhood.

"Imagine a single member district where every voice matters, every concern is heard and every person is valued," the 44-year-old Caston said.

Caston has been incarcerated for over 25 years, after having been convicted of first-degree murder when he was 18.