YSRP Celebrates 5th Anniversary of Montgomery Decision

YSRP Reentry Coordinator John Pace

In commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the landmark Montgomery v. Louisiana US Supreme Court decision, former Juvenile Lifers, advocates, movement leaders and loved ones gathered with the YSRP team to celebrate freedom on January 28, 2021 via Zoom.

YSRP Reentry Coordinator John Pace emceed the event, which brought together over 80 individuals to honor and celebrate the community of former Juvenile Lifers.

In his opening remarks, John stated:

For many of us condemned to die in prison, it was our rejection of being labelled ‘incorrigible’ that often fueled us to debunk the myth [that we be defined by our worst mistake]. This passion carried us through many dark moments while incarcerated, and how we tapped into our ability to be resilient while incarcerated and in our transition back home.

It is not only the wisdom of the US Supreme Court, but the resiliency of many of these men and women that we should focus on as we look to honor a few of the men and women this evening for being ‘unsung heroes’.

Mr. Fetterman continued:

The State should not be in the vengeance business. The State should be in the [business of] redemption and forgiveness, and it should be in what really enhances public safety and justice. And that is what is obviously not meant when you are condemning children to die in prison.

The [Montgomery] ruling has been an outstanding ruling. The results have borne out the wisdom of that ruling – with the recidivism rate so low, it just demonstrates the unnecessary number of inmates that we have in our prisons all across Pennsylvania and in this country.