For nearly two years, The Clemency Project has dedicated itself to reducing incarceration in New Jersey while centering racial and social justice. Nineteen of our clients have been granted clemency so far, many of whom are now reunited with their families.
We have witnessed numerous successful re-entry stories following our clients’ releases, demonstrating their transformation and work toward rehabilitation.
The Clemency Project is dedicated to working with people who have been unjustly punished by the criminal legal system, including survivors of domestic violence. When faced with a system that is overly punitive and dangerously deficient in assessing instances of trauma, survivors are often arrested for actions without context of their lived experience.
For example, meet Myrna Diaz. She is a survivor of domestic violence whose abuse, like many other survivors, was not considered when she faced charges. She independently submitted her petition to the Governor’s office and was later represented by the ACLU-NJ. She was granted clemency on December 16, 2024.
“My life changed when I was granted a commutation in 2024 by Governor Murphy, and I do not take it lightly,” said Myrna Diaz, when asked about clemency’s impact on her life. “Clemency to me represents more than forgiveness – it restores the right to be seen as trustworthy, employable, and a community member. Every person who returns home deserves the chance to rebuild without being defined by the past. There is hope when together we build opportunity instead of destruction.”
Our approach to decarceration also includes people facing extreme trial penalties – a reference to people who are serving significantly longer sentences because they opted to exercise their constitutional right to a trial rather than agreeing to the prosecutor’s plea offers.
That is what happened to Rashon Barkley. Rashon was arrested when he was 18 years old and offered a plea deal to serve a 10-year mandatory minimum. After exercising his right to a fair trial where he was found guilty, he received an aggregate sentence of life in prison with a 50-year mandatory minimum. Rashon was granted clemency on April 8, 2025.
“After spending over 30 years in prison, when I finally got the chance to regain my freedom, I didn’t know what to expect,” said Rashon Barkley, when asked about clemency’s impact on his life. “So far, so good. I recently booked a flight to visit my 98-year-old grandmother for the first time since my release. I haven’t seen her since I was 12 years old and can’t wait to finally hug her again. What I really want to do is practice law and help people with their criminal matters, especially the younger generation. I want to help them not become a commodity for the prison industrial system.”
Myrna and Rashon’s stories represent the undeniably positive transformation we have seen in our clients’ lives. Yet while The Clemency Project has been able to help many people, systemic injustices remain. By sharing our clients’ real stories, we hope to inspire change and permanent resolutions to the harmful inequities in the criminal legal system.
New Jersey has the mechanisms to continue this lifesaving work, and we hope future governors will continue to expand their use of categorical clemency to mitigate injustice and prioritize people over punishment.
