Join the ACLU's Redemption Campaign and help liberate 50,000 people.

Friend –

I will never forget when the judge handed down my sentence: "Life without parole plus 320 years." It was 1998, I had just turned 21, and I was going to spend the rest of my life in prison for nonviolent drug-related offenses committed mostly in my teens.

Sixteen years later, another unforgettable thing happened to me. I was given a second chance. President Obama corrected the injustice of my sentence. He granted me clemency.

The compassion I received is rare: Despite the clemency powers of our government's chief executives, the U.S. still incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. And more than half of those we incarcerate – 1.3 million – are trapped in state prisons.

This is where governors are key. Like President Obama did for me, they can employ their executive powers of clemency now. That is why the ACLU has just launched The Redemption Campaign – Embracing Clemency, a nationwide effort aimed at liberating 50,000 people in five years through the explicit authority of governors. Your voice will be critical in this work, so please take action now: Sign the petition urging governors to grant clemency for tens of thousands of people in state prisons with unjust sentences. <[link removed]>

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ACLU Supporter, when I wrote President Obama for my clemency, I asked him for mercy. I asked for understanding that I wasn't a bad kid, just a kid who made a bad decision. Fortunately, he believed in my redemption. That's why I continue to fight for the redemption of others as well – and why I hope you'll join me by signing this petition today. <[link removed]>

Because the errors of the past – 'tough-on-crime' policies such as the War on Drugs and mandatory minimum sentencing – mean too many people are serving sentences that would be unthinkable today. Life sentences like mine.

And the racial disparities are glaring. Black and Latinx people make up 57% of the state prison populations. Out of the 37 people that were indicted in my case, only three individuals were white – all of whom received probation or a year or under.

A global pandemic and the growing calls for justice in our streets have only made it clearer: We must confront the flaws of mass incarceration. And while the current president may only be pardoning friends, governors have it within their power to make a real difference in our country by embracing clemency in new and transformational ways – offering our communities a meaningful opportunity at hope and healing.

Together, we can push these governors to replace the architecture of mass punishment with a roadmap to redemption for people unjustly incarcerated and for our entire criminal legal system at large. Sign the petition today. <[link removed]>

Thank you,

Jason Hernandez for the ACLU
Advocate for criminal justice and clemency

P.S. The goal of the Redemption Campaign is urgent and necessary. To mark its official launch, the ACLU will be hosting a virtual town hall tonight, and we hope you can join. I'll be discussing the critical importance of this work with my fellow speakers, including Cyntoia Brown Long and District Attorney Chesa Boudin. So please join us by following this link at 7PM EST. <[link removed]>

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