Change.org - Juvenile Justice: Clemency for Chaka, Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison as a Teen

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Juvenile Justice: Clemency for Chaka, Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison as a Teen

Yasmine S. started this petition to J​.​B. Pritzker, Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Kim Foxx and it now has 2,191 signatures

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At the age of 15 years old, Chaka Richblood was sentenced to 24 years in prison. He has now served almost 14 years and there has since been zero opportunity to prove his good behavior and rehabilitation due to the Truth in Sentencing laws in Illinois.  During Chaka’s time in prison, he has tirelessly put forth effort to better himself and those around him. He’s immersed himself into numerous academic, restorative justice, and mentorship programs. He’s a Certified Tutor in the Secretary of State Adult Literacy Program, a participant and soon-to-be facilitator in U of I’s Community Anti-Violence Education program(C.A.V.E.) and Education Justice Project(EJP). He pursued a degree through Danville Community College in Engineering Science before the program was discontinued, with only two credits away from completion. Furthermore, Chaka has learned to code in Python & ‘R’ programming languages. He’s also an avid reader, a talented poet, and is currently self teaching himself a third verbal language.  Chaka is a selfless, good-hearted soul that is truly deserving of a chance to rejoin society. Many people, both young and old, respect and admire him. He has grown wise beyond his years and is a man of unwavering faith and conviction. Above all else, he is deeply remorseful for the crime that he’s convicted of and in turn intends to dedicate his life to helping guide troubled youth avoid making the same mistakes he did.  This petition is not only to aid in Chaka’s early release, but to bring awareness to the Truth in Sentencing Laws that condemn our youth to spending the majority or the rest of their lives in prison while not allowing them the opportunity to show rehabilitation and the possibility of shortening their sentence. The United State’s Supreme Court concludes that “children are constitutionally different from adults for purposes of sentencing.” The Court recognized three significant characteristics of juvenile offenders. First, juveniles lack maturity and a fully developed sense of responsibility, which leads to dangerous behavior that is careless, impulsive, and reckless. Second, juveniles are more vulnerable to negative influences and outside pressures, they have limited control over their own environment, and they lack the ability to extricate themselves from crime-producing settings. Third, juveniles are more capable of change than adults, and their actions are less likely to be evidence of irretrievable depravity. Further, none of this analysis regarding “children—about their distinctive (and transitory) mental traits and environmental vulnerabilities—is crime-specific.   (https://courts.illinois.gov/Opinions/SupremeCourt/2019/122327.pdf  pg. 4-5). It would be a great justice for Illinois laws to mirror this stance but, unfortunately, it doesn’t and is varied state by state. It’s Chaka’s and our hope that he is granted clemency and is able to be a catalyst for reform in the juvenile justice system. We know he would be a tremendous asset to society. Please help show support for Chaka and countless other youth that have made mistakes but are capable of change and deserve the right to show it. *Note: Donations given here aid in increasing this petition’s exposure. If you’d like to contribute to Chaka, directly, click the GoFundMe link below. https://gofund.me/a9c52db3

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