RECIPIENTS OF EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY, FAMILIES OF INCARCERATED NEW YORKERS, LAWMAKERS & FORMER DOCCS SERGEANT RALLY & MARCH TO DEMAND GOV. HOCHUL GRANT CLEMENCIES

ADVOCATES URGE EXPANSIVE USE OF EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY AS A CONSTITUTIONAL TOOL TO CORRECT INJUSTICES

Contact:

Jared Chausow, jchausow@gmail.com, 650 814 0565

**PRESS RELEASE**

RECIPIENTS OF EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY, FAMILIES OF INCARCERATED NEW YORKERS, LAWMAKERS & FORMER DOCCS SERGEANT RALLY & MARCH TO DEMAND GOV. HOCHUL GRANT CLEMENCIES

ADVOCATES URGE EXPANSIVE USE OF EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY AS A CONSTITUTIONAL TOOL TO CORRECT INJUSTICES

(New York, NY) – Today, New Yorkers who have received executive clemency and families of incarcerated New Yorkers, along with lawmakers and a former DOCCS Sergeant, held a rally and march to demand Gov. Hochul fulfill her commitment to grant clemencies. Expansive use of this Constitutional power is the most immediate tool to correct injustices, including excessive sentences, wrongful convictions, and unfair immigration-related consequences. Participants also highlighted the urgency of this issue, with people dying in NY state prisons on average every other day, according to newly released information from NYSDOCCS. NYSDOCCS is on track to have 169 deaths this year, a projected 30% increase over the total in 2025. By comparison, there were 130 deaths in 2025, 144 in 2024, and 107 in 2023. This rally comes on the heels of a recent report by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli urging that “New York must confront the challenges of an older incarcerated population” and another report by New York State Senate Correction Committee Chair Julia Salazar finding racism and brutality are endemic to the state prison system. (Photos and videos of each speaker are available here; please credit Christian Colón of New Hour for Women & Children.)

Stanley “Jamel” Bellamy, recipient of clemency in 2022, a survivor of 37.5 years in prison, and the NYC Regional Organizer for the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign (RAPP), said: “Those of us who have received clemency did not just want to come home. We knew we had work to do. If you look at where we are and the work we’re doing, it’s about helping others. We learned these concepts from the elders on the inside, who guided our redemption and prepared us to be released. Governor Hochul, we call on you to extend this same leniency to deserving incarcerated people who no long pose a threat to the safety and security of the community.”

Mujahideen Muhammad, Co-Founder of Pillars of Promise and a survivor of 24 years in prison, said: “We call on Governor Kathy Hochul to grant more commutations to the many reformed incarcerated people in the New York State prison system. There are hundreds of clemency applications awaiting action on the Governor’s desk from people who have made incredible strides in their personal development and are worthy of a sentence reduction. The success rate of people whose sentences have been commutated over the last 10 years is phenomenal and a proof that many more people can be released back into society after a thorough vetting process. When you look at individuals who have been released under Governor Hochul, you see people who have returned to society’s great benefit. This includes individuals who are coming back after serious crimes. We are showing that our commitment to redemption is a powerful force in our communities. There are many individuals who have undergone the same transformation as these individuals and deserve to come back, too.”

State Senator Cordell Cleare, Chair of the Senate Aging Committee, stated: “The proactive use of Executive Clemency is the most effective tool that can be used to address the massive spectrum of inhumane and inequitable conditions in our correctional system. I urge the Governor to immediately review all pending applications and to provide swift action in those cases where justice requires it. In the interim, we will continue to build the movement that one day soon will ensure that Elder Paole is the law in New York State.”

Assembly Member Latrice Walker said: “We are having conversations all around this nation talking about keeping communities together. They have been tearing our families apart for generations. I believe in the power of redemption and the capacity for change. Justice requires granting clemency. We will be watching, and we will be waiting. But justice cannot wait. New Yorkers deserve a second look now. Don’t talk about it. Be about it.”

Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest said: “New York’s prisons are facing a serious crisis, and lives are at stake. Governor Hochul has a powerful constitutional tool available to her, executive clemency that can help correct excessive sentences, wrongful convictions, and the harsh immigration consequences too many New Yorkers face. This is a complex responsibility, and I’m hopeful the Governor will continue to explore every opportunity to use this power.”

Stefanie Harris, the Founder & Executive Director of the Jay Act Advocacy and sister to clemency seeker Jose “Jay” Rodriguez, said “This rally is more than a gathering—it is a declaration that silence is no longer an option. We are standing together for the people whose voices have been buried behind prison walls, for the families who have fought to be heard, and for every human being who deserves justice, dignity, redemption, and a meaningful second chance.”

Caroline Hansen, Long Island Regional Organizer with the RAPP Campaign, said: “My husband Kristian has been incarcerated for 30 years, serving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole he received for a crime he committed as teenager. He is not the young man who entered the system decades ago. Kris has worked to become a better man, devoting himself to his sobriety and his faith. He has become a husband, father, uncle, and mentor. My family isn’t asking to erase the past, just an opportunity to have a future together. Clemency may be the only meaningful chance he has. Accountability does not mean giving up on human beings for the rest of their life.”

Patrick Stephens, Director of Restorative Justice at the Center for Community Alternatives and a survivor of nearly 25 years in prison, said: “Clemency is not about individual exceptionalism. It’s the community support that enables people to build and grow. Communities should be able to expect their Governor to follow up with action. If we want our people to come home better, we need clemency.”

Maria Johnson, whose loved one is seeking clemency from Gov. Hochul, said: “I’m standing here for men and women that despite what challenges they may face, they are going to college, being mentors, and doing everything they possibly can to show they are not the same person they were years and decades ago. Governor Hochul you have the power to make things right and grant clemencies now.”

Judith Clark, Director of the Survivors Justice Project, a survivor of 38 years in prison, and a clemency recipient, said: “When I left Bedford Hills, I knew I was not an exception. I was leaving behind many others who had done great work deserving of clemency. The Governor tries to say that she supports survivors of domestic violence but this support seems to stop at the jailhouse doors. Look at the women, and you’ll see a community that has struggled and healed each other from lifetimes of trauma. For many of them, clemency is their only hope to one day be free.”

Sherllay Castro said “My husband is more than his conviction. I have been a witness to his amazing transformation. My son needs his father. Clemency can heal our families and our communities. Many are ready to come home and serve communities they once hurt. Redemption is possible.”

Shcree Lewis, who retired as a sergeant at NYSDOCCS in 2025, said: “I grew up in Brownsville BK and then worked behind the prison walls for 20 years. I’ve seen young kids come in immature and develop into men. I’ve seen gangbangers grow into mature men, and religious men. I appreciated all you’re doing. Just keep going. Seconds determine their whole lives.That’s unfair.”

Steve Zeidman, a leading clemency attorney and professor with CUNY School of Law’s Second Look Project, said: “There are 1,040 commutation applications currently on the Governor’s desk. Only three have been granted in the past 24 months. The rest of them have reviewed and vetted. They have served 20, 30, or even 40 years. The Governor’s clemency website says applicants should exhibit significant self-development and self-growth. If anyone doesn’t think that hundreds of these applications meet the criteria, they have not met these individuals. The problem is not that there aren’t enough applications with merit. The problem is the Governor’s unwillingness to use the power she has. We maintain high hopes that the Governor will be guided by compassion and dignity and reunite these people with their families and communities.”

Dennis Woodbine, received clemency in 2019, said: “After serving 22 years of incarceration, I was granted clemency and I hit the ground running. I built a nonprofit and supported hundreds of kids with academic and emotional supports. I now work for the state in a juvenile detention center guiding youth who are incarcerated. I am not the exception. There are men and women I left behind just as deserving as me. Show them the compassion that I have been shown.”

Bruce Bryan, who received clemency in 2022 after nearly 30 years in prison, said: “About two weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak to Governor Hochul one on one. I told her that I know personally so many men and women in prison have not just expressed remorse, but also taken great strides in self-development. There are people that deserve just what you gave to me. We are the men and women that get involved in making our communities better. We are the ones marginalized communities follow and listen to. When you talk about public safety, there is no greater tool to improve safety than those who have committed themselves to build up the places they once helped destroy, and heal others. We are asking you to bring our people home!”

Linette Townsley said: “We have some amazing people that are locked up right now that deserve to be home with their families and communities. My brother has been there for over 30 years and he was not the same person he was when he was 19. He has received a bachelor’s degree and become a paralegal, He supports young people with mental health challenges. My brothers clemency package he has the full support of his community. Governor, we ask that you please take a harder look at all of these clemency applications.”

Robert Ehrenberg, who received clemency in 2021 and works as a Queens Community Leader for the RAPP Campaign, said: “I saw the Governor entering this building this morning and I told her about this rally. I also asked her to please Who could knew we could be here today? I came out early and she showed up this morning, I said good morning we are here for the clemency rally she said good. She is aware we are here, you are considering more real clemencies make it real. Don’t play with your communities , recent news is that you’re considering opening up a new prison you shut two down. Bring our brothers and sisters home, especially those that are impacted and of color. Let us love you more by hearing our voices and bringing them to loved ones who love them and communities who need them.

Richard “Lee” Chalk, who received clemency in 2021 after serving 33 years, said: “The Governor is not taking into consideration what those that have received clemency have achieved. We are examples of the success of clemency. It is time for her to let Lance Sessoms go and grant far more clemencies.”

BACKGROUND: Since taking office in 2021, Governor Hochul has granted 145 clemencies, including 20 commutations to people incarcerated in the New York State prison system and 125 pardons for people living in the community. In contrast, California Governor Gavin Newsom has granted a total of 276 pardons, 169 commutations, and 43 reprieves while in office. Gov. Hochul long ago committed to granting clemencies on an ongoing basis; however, she has failed to live up to this commitment. She has also committed to a transparent clemency process so that people know where their applications are at any given time. There are 1,175 pending commutation applications and 608 pending pardon applications awaiting action by the Governor.

The average age of death in state prisons is only 53.

The Release Aging People in Prison Campaign helps lead the #HochulBringThemHome Campaign, which calls on Governor Hochul to grant clemencies year-round, inclusively, and transparently. More info is available at newyorkersforclemency.com.