When Mercy is Their Only Chance

By Rabiah Burks

When a person goes to prison, it is difficult to get their sentence reduced or changed. For most people in prison, unless a law that applies to them changes, it is almost impossible to gain their freedom. Unfortunately, because our judicial system regularly sentences people to long and harsh sentences, sometimes their only chance for relief is through the mercy of the president or governor.

It is important that the clemency process be reformed on all levels. It needs to be used more, and the process should not be one in which people need the help of well-connected organizations and people to be considered. We know so many people behind bars who deserve a second chance, and it is disheartening when the process seems unfair or biased. It is FAMM’s hope that the Biden administration will do the work of reforming the clemency process.

But on this day, I’d like to highlight the stories of a few individuals profiled by FAMM who received relief by President Trump in the last few hours of his administration. We’re excited and happy, because we know a commutation was the only recourse for many of them. It was an act of mercy, one that we encourage all presidents and governors to use and administer more frequently.

Chris Young — The judge at Chris Young’s trial described his life sentence as “way out of whack.” Chris’ story is captured in the FAMM/NACDL’s documentary, “The Vanishing Trial.” He received a life sentence for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Chris refused to plea, and as a result the federal prosecutors sought a mandatory life sentence. The judge at his trial retired in part because of this case.

Jodi Richter — Jodi Richter was sentenced to 15 years for her minor part in a drug conspiracy that involved more than 500 grams of methamphetamine distributed in North Dakota, Minnesota, and elsewhere. Her story — with its myriad threads of addiction and mental illness and the lengthy sentence that came at its end — is at once complicated yet all too common. Addicted and mentally ill, she committed a low-level crime in the process of feeding addiction and quieting demons. Yet in the end, she was locked away under a one-size-fits-all sentence that doesn’t allow sufficiently for treatment and rehabilitation.

John Knock — John was in prison for marijuana charges for a term of two life sentences plus 20 years. From day one, his sister Beth has been John’s strongest supporter. She never stopped telling his story and has worked every day to change the unfair laws that keep him and others behind bars.

We celebrate with all the folks coming home. We congratulate them and their families. And we will continue to fight to so that people are not languishing in prison under outdated and bad sentencing policies, and part of our work focuses on how clemency can help.

Rabiah Burks is FAMM’s vice president of communications.