New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced 48 pardons and commutations as part of his clemency initiative at a press conference in Whig Hall on Monday.
This is the fourth round of clemencies issued under Murphy, who established the state’s first ever Clemency Advisory Board in 2024. The board grants pardons, reprieves, and commutations to correct injustices and temper prison sentences they believe are disproportionate to the crime. To date, Murphy’s administration has granted 217 individuals some form of clemency.
“[Whig-Clio] is an incredibly fitting venue for us to gather today as we, in a similar spirit, uphold one of our nation’s oldest and most fundamental principles: justice for all,” Murphy said.
Brenda Thompson was formerly incarcerated for drug and minor property crimes, among other offenses, and was pardoned at Monday’s press conference. “This clemency represents more than an opportunity,” she said before receiving her official pardon. “It represents restoration, redemption and renewed purpose. I am committed to using this second chance to serve others.”
Jamal Muhammed, whose sentence was commuted by Murphy in April, spoke about his new chance at life because of the clemency grant. ”Just to be in the mall, at the movies […] just to take a walk to Wawa is a miracle,” he said.
Murphy also thanked the over 50 Princeton student volunteers who helped 32 inmates file petitions for clemency as part of SPIA in NJ, the School of Public and International Affairs’s (SPIA) local service initiative. The students were supervised by Joe Krakora ’76, a former New Jersey public defender who is now a faculty fellow for the initiative.
Krakora told The Daily Princetonian that the press conference was “a big highlight for students.”
He also outlined the process that students used to file compelling clemency petitions for clients, which included reading the client’s prison records, letters of reference, studying mitigating factors in their case, and completing several interviews with the client.
Julia Heinzel GS and Svyatolslav Karnasevy GS ’25, for example, worked on a client history memorandum for Charles Johnson, who was sentenced to a 52-year term in 2003 for offenses including murder and robbery. Johnson was granted a commutation on Monday. Their memorandum outlined Johnson’s childhood and family background, which they described as “leading up to [Johnson’s] underlying offenses.” The memorandum also highlighted Johnson’s efforts to rehabilitate himself, including obtaining his GED, volunteering at an adult literacy program, and starting his own business.
Raghav Pradhan ‘28 first heard about the project through Princeton’s Students for Prison Education, Abolition and Reform (SPEAR) organization, which he joined as a first-year. While he found it “really exciting” to hear the announcements made at Monday’s press conference, his own client is still waiting for news.
“We’re still hoping, and we know, based on our experiences working with these clients, that every single one of them is deserving of that freedom and has truly redeemed themselves,” he told the ‘Prince.’
Murphy announced this round of pardons following New Jersey’s recent gubernatorial election. Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill has not spoken about her plans for the future of the clemency project, but Krakora says he and his students are petitioning for the work to continue.
“Right now, it’s really contingent on the governor’s discretion. We’re really hoping Mikie Sherrill continues that initiative or potentially gets it codified into legislation,” Pradhan said.
Krakora told the ‘Prince’ that he informed his students they could “put a letter together for [Sherrill’s] transition team, talking about how the initiative has really been a means to get justice for people who are deserving.”
Currently, Krakora is working with 60 students on the Second Chance Project, which aims to discharge sex offenders from parole supervision and the sex offender registry.
Megan Cameron is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince’ from New Windsor, N.Y. She typically covers town news and student group activity on campus. She can be reached at mc1563[at]princeton.edu.
Maya Mukherjee is a staff News writer and head Podcast editor for the ‘Prince.’ She is from New York City.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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