Lifer James Taylor deserves clemency
To the Editor,
A criminal justice webinar on June 16 will address the economic impact of incarceration and of having a criminal record on prisoners, parolees, and their families. The panel will include Maurice Q. Jones, general manager of People Advancing Reintegration (PAR).
PAR is a thriving recycling business that has helped over 60 returning citizens not only remain free but prosper. It was built by, among others, James Taylor (prisoner number AF-4120), a lifer whose plea for clemency first came before the Board of Pardons 30 years ago. I was there when the board told him that, after 18 years in prison — having started PAR and other self-help programs — he was doing good things but needed to put in two more years. Over the subsequent 30 years (a period of time during which Mother Teresa couldn’t have gotten a pardon from this board), and despite support from Department of Corrections officials, government officers, and the many people his guidance and support have helped as they moved toward sustainable reentry and freedom, Taylor was repeatedly denied a hearing.
Why, with hundreds of prisoners now getting hearings, can James Taylor still not get one? Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, who chairs the Board of Pardons, claims the board is dysfunctional, and in this case it certainly seems to be. Did someone else’s file get mixed up with Taylor’s, as is rumored? This man has given 50 years of service to the Department of Corrections. They even made his work a paying job — at 19 cents an hour, the prison rate. This man is an inspiring visionary whose work has helped thousands. He wants to have some freedom before he dies — and he deserves to.
If you agree that this is a case of egregious injustice, check out Taylor’s website, jamesmuhammedtaylor.com, write a letter in his support, and send it to the Board of Pardons at 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126. (Make sure you include his prisoner number: AF-4120.) You will have done a small thing to try to get this man the mercy he deserves.
Pennsylvania is one of only five states in which a sentence of life without parole means never being given a chance at redemption — except by the politicized Board of Pardons. Pennsylvania has over 5,000 lifers. Taxpayers pay an average of $100,000 a year for older prisoners, making an annual total of $500 million a year with a very low rate of recidivism. Is this how you want your tax dollars spent?
Knowing James Taylor and working with PAR got me working to support prisoners 30 years ago. These efforts have exposed the racism and inequality of our criminal justice system. Do the right thing: take a few minutes to help free this remarkable man.
Judith Trustone
Swarthmore
