Anthony Gomez

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Anthony Gomez is 1 of 1,000. At 17 years old, he was condemned to die in prison. After serving 24 years in Virginia, Anthony is one of the 1,000 individuals sentenced to juvenile life without parole who are now FREE! He was the first person granted parole in Virginia when the law changed in 2020. Upon release, Anthony did not forget about those who remained in prison and was central to petitioning the Governor of Virginia to commute the sentence of Angel DeJesus, with whom he formed a bond as two Puerto Ricans from NYC serving juvenile life without parole in Virginia. Since coming home, Anthony started working at a multinational corporation as a legal support analyst. He has extensive experience as a paralegal, assisting in all aspects of complex cases. Anthony serves his community by visiting the local juvenile detention centers, jails, public schools, churches, and community centers to share his story and inspire the youth to pursue their dreams no matter what they’ve been through in life. He enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his family. He loves to go on long bike rides, hiking, kayaking, getting on extreme roller coasters, and has a special appreciation for traveling around the country!

Learn more about how you can support those who have come home: https://cfsy.org/get-involved/1000-releases/

Angel DeJesus

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Angel DeJesus is 1 of 1,000. At 17 years old, he was condemned to die in prison. After serving 27 years in Virginia, Angel is one of the 1,000 individuals sentenced to juvenile life without parole who are now FREE! And of the 1,000 released, Angel is one of only 8 whose sentence was commuted, receiving a pardon from Governor Northrup in January 2022. Since coming home, Angel feels called to give back to the men still serving time in prison, by creating meaningful and impactful programming options, such as those that helped in his own personal growth. He developed a program called Creating a Safer Environment (CASE) – for men who are incarcerated in Virginia and struggling with mental health issues, based on peer mentoring and informal counseling. He is a skilled networker and connector of people, and is working with policy makers and reentry pioneers to make this program widely available. He says, “I want to be a part of something that makes me feel like I matter. I want children to feel appreciated and like they matter… that’s the message I hope to promote.” Angel enjoys exercising, fishing, and being in wide open spaces. He loves to drive and see new places.
Learn more about how you can support those who have come home: https://cfsy.org/get-involved/1000-releases/

Laura Nicks

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Laura Nicks is 1 of 1,000. Pregnant and facing the death penalty at age 17, Laura was condemned to die in prison. After serving 32 years in Arkansas, Laura is one of the 1,000 individuals sentenced to juvenile life without parole who are now FREE! Since coming home, Laura got married and started a support group called the 539ers to connect returning citizens with resources. She works for a non profit in Criminal Justice Reform, holds a job in a large corporation, volunteers at a non profit Animal Rescue, and annually raises money to provide gifts and meals to families in her community. A highlight this past year was delivering these gifts by Fire Trucks by partnering with the local Fire Department! Laura enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, grandchildren, her pups, and just enjoying the little things in life. These days, she is busy making the new log home she and her husband bought their very own in the middle of nature.
Learn more about how you can support those who have come home: https://cfsy.org/get-involved/1000-releases/

Stacey Torrance

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Stacey Torrance is 1 of 1,000. At 14 years old in Philadelphia, he was condemned to die in prison. After serving 30 years, Stacey is one of the 1,000 individuals sentenced to juvenile life without parole who are now FREE! Since coming home, he has been driven by a passion to assist those who are transitioning back into society to become financially stable and empowered, working on various entrepreneurship and employment programs that connect those who are formerly incarcerated with entrepreneurial and employment opportunities. Stacey founded the Free Mind Entrepreneur Network – a website that promotes and highlights start up business owners who were formerly incarcerated and STEP (Skillz and Trade’s Employment Pipeline), an employment directory for those who are formerly incarcerated. Stacey is also a proud member of the speakers bureau, a program constructed by the Youth Sentencing Reentry Project (YSRP) to change the narrative of those once sentenced to JLWOP via story sharing. He enjoys spending time with his wife, running, exercising, writing poetry, learning history, and problem solving.
Learn more about how you can support those who have come home: https://cfsy.org/get-involved/1000-releases/