From my prison cell to my desk at CFSY
Reflecting on a court case that gave us hope thirteen years ago.
Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (EIN 27-3761788) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Thirteen years ago today, I sat in a cell in USP Beaumont, a federal prison. I was serving a life sentence for my involvement in a crime when I was 15, a crime for which a court had deemed me ‘incorrigible.’
But on that same day, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Miller v. Alabama that “incorrigibility is inconsistent with youth.” Reading that decision from behind bars was the first glimmer of hope I’d had in years.
That glimmer became a lifeline because of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. When I wrote to them from prison, they sent back encouragement and resources. They showed up for me – including at my resentencing hearing, pictured below, in response to one my letters.
Today, I’m not writing to you from a cell. I’m at my desk, as the newly promoted Co-Director of Development for CFSY after five years on staff. I work alongside a team where nearly half of us are former extreme-sentenced youth, many of whom also heard the news of Miller from behind bars.
The Miller decision gave me a path home. CFSY walked it with me. Today, on the 13th anniversary of that decision, we are fighting to make its promise a reality for everyone still waiting for their second chance, among them Evan Miller. Despite being the petitioner in this groundbreaking decision that paved the way for so many to come home, he remains incarcerated.
For those who have come home like me, we’re working to provide support and community to fulfill the potential of each of us and the promise of freedom.
Letter to CFSY: “Who would have thought that two years ago, my circumstances would be so drastically different? Today is July 3rd, 2014 I am housed at the same institution, USP Beaumont, the same unit, same cell, work in the same factory, and still suffer through the sweltering summer Texas heat. The change in me is not a physical one, although I’m told it’s written all over my face. The weight of my sentence is no longer soul-crushing. After years of prayer, dead-end motions, and denials at all levels, liberty isn’t just a statute anymore. Sixteen years of wandering in darkness, there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
This is the final week of our fundraising campaign. Your gift today—whether $2, $5, $25, or $2,500—is a lifeline. It powers the work that gives extreme-sentenced children hope, helps them return home, and fulfills the promise that no child is born bad.
Thank you for being part of this work.
In solidarity,
Angel Alejandro
Co-Director of Development, CFSY
