Law Commons^™

Life Without Parole Is Replacing The Death Penalty -- But For Those Who Don’T Have The Possibility Of Parole, Their Future Is Bleak., Jessica Lerner

Capstones

Across the country, life sentences are increasingly being used to replace the death penalty, according to a recent study by The Sentencing Project. Nearly 162,000 people are serving life sentences – one out of every nine in prison, the study found – and for those like Darrell Powell, who don’t have the possibility of parole, their future is bleak.

https://jlerner.exposure.co/life-without-parole-is-replacing-the-death-penalty?source=share-jlerner

When Clemency Is A Lifeline, Shehzil Zahid

Capstones

In 1982, Yohannes Johnson was convicted for the murder of Errol Blackwood. He has spent the last 40 years behind bars and today, he is seeking clemency. This is a profile on potential clemency recipient Yohannes Johnson.

In New York’S Prison System, Who Is Eligible For A Second Chance?, Jackie Harris

Capstones

Robert "Bobby" Ehrenberg is 61 years old, and he is serving a 50 years to life sentence at Sullivan Correctional Facility for murdering Silvio Goldberg, a jewelry store owner, in 1992. After decades of "self-examination, education, and rehabilitative programs," Ehrenberg applied for clemency in 2020. In the audio portion, we hear who he was before incarceration and what factors led up to the murder he committed. The other multimedia display the clemency application components, incarceration population data and upcoming state legislation that could impact Ehrenberg’s sentence.

Getting Out: Bruce Bryant’S Climb To Redemption Inside Prison, Rachel M. Rippetoe, Sean Sanders-Mills

Capstones

Bruce Bryant, 50, was convicted of the murder of 11-year-old Travis Lilley in June 1996. Bryant maintains he never fired a weapon that day in 1993. But he recognizes that his lifestyle as a young person — he started dealing drugs when he was 14 — contributed to an environment in which a stray bullet could take a young life. And for that reason, he’s spent most of his 25 years in prison working to help young people.

With at least 12 more years on his sentence, Bryant is now asking the governor for early release, with the hope that …

After 31 Years In Prison, Lee Chalk Asks For Forgiveness., Jeffery Harrell, Brenda Leon

Capstones

Lee Chalk has spent more than three decades in state prison, and is now applying for executive clemency to have his sentence ended early. He is guilty of a crime, being involved in an armed robbery turned deadly which killed two people. Our project explores the potential for transformation and rehabilitation inside prison, and the personal and political ramification of mass incarceration and extreme sentencing.

https://medium.com/p/738d1cb28532/edit

A shorter version of the capstone was also published with Gothamist here: https://gothamist.com/news/ny-prison-clemency-parole-cuomo

Commuting Life Without Parole Sentences: The Need For Reason And Justice Over Politics, Jing Cao

SJD Dissertations

In the last thirty years, life without parole (LWOP) sentences have flourished in the United States. Of course the very reason for a LWOP sentencing scheme is to incarcerate the convicted defendant until death. But under the Pardon Clause of the Constitution, as well as under state laws granting the Governor the pardoning power, inmates serving LWOP sentences might be eligible for early release by commutations. On the one hand, the possibility of clemency could be regarded as an impermissible loophole that could be used on a case-by-case basis to undermine the certainty of a LWOP sentencing system. On the …