The following is an open letter and reflects the authors’ views alone. For information on how to submit a piece to the Opinion section, click here.
Dear Governor Sherrill,
In your final speech on the House floor, you said you built your campaign on a promise to “build opportunity for everyone.”
We heard that promise, and it resonated with us. Student organizations from Ewing to Hoboken went door-to-door and dorm-to-dorm to support your promise for a brighter future for those who call New Jersey home.
Now, we ask that you follow through. Since June 2024, Governor Murphy has granted nearly 500 people clemency. These pardons and commutations give justice-impacted individuals the opportunity to enjoy the everyday tasks that many of us take for granted. In the words of Jamal Muhammad, who received a commutation this April: “Just to be in a mall, at Great Adventure, at the movies, at a bodega, just to take a walk to Wawa is a miracle. I appreciate each heartbeat, each footstep, every breath.”
From walks to Wawa to reunions with loved ones, Executive Order 362 has been a cornerstone of opportunity for 455 New Jerseyans. With a single signature, Governor Murphy transformed the lives of many who are tasting freedom after decades of confinement.
Clemency carries political risks, but those are outweighed by its potential rewards — rewards we’ve seen firsthand. At Princeton, through the SPIA in NJ Clemency Project, we’ve worked with the ACLU of NJ to secure justice-impacted individuals the freedom they deserve. Under the supervision of former NJ public defender Joe Krakora, over 50 students volunteered to file 32 petitions on behalf of eligible incarcerated individuals under the Governor’s order.
We’ve listened to their backgrounds and personal stories. We’ve listened to their journeys of redemption and pursuit of therapy, professional training, and associate degrees. And we’ve come to learn the extent to which we unnecessarily incarcerate and warehouse individuals for their crimes despite them demonstrating real rehabilitation. The clemency program counteracts this injustice, reuniting families with their loved ones and strengthening the greater New Jersey community. As members of this community, we recognize our personal stake in the continuation of clemency by supporting this program.
We ask that you recognize your stake, too. Clemency is a gubernatorial power, and the ultimate discretion lies with you and your engagement with the Clemency Advisory Board. Executive Order 362 carries into the new administration; the opportunity to keep building opportunities for New Jerseyans lies in your hands. The undersigned request that you do the following within the first 100 days of taking office:
1. Pledge to sustain the same rate of clemency review practiced since the establishment of Executive Order 362.
2. Following precedent in NJ law (§45:1-2.5), compensate the members of the Board for their invaluable work at a cap of $100 per diem.
3. Appoint two additional board members to represent community advocacy organizations that work with justice-impacted individuals.
Raghav Pradhan and Vaishnavi Murthy are committee chairs of SPEAR. They can be reached at raghavpradhan[at]princeton.edu and vm6088[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Signed,
The Clemency Project, Princeton University
Students for Prison Education, Abolition and Reform, Princeton University
Young Democratic Socialists of America, Princeton University
Sunrise Princeton, Princeton University
Association of Black Law Students, Rutgers Law School
Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Rowan University
Shades Of Unified Love, Rowan University
History Club, Rutgers University—Newark
Progressive Law Society, Princeton University
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