by Tyrone Walker

When a person spends decades in prison, many people assume they have nothing left to offer the world. But that isn’t true for everyone, and it is especially not true for someone like Efrén Paredes Jr., who has spent more than 37.5 years building a life focused on learning, healing, and helping others. His long list of accomplishments shows that he has used his time to grow into a thoughtful, educated, and community-minded leader. If he were released, he could bring enormous value to society in ways that support public safety, strengthen communities, and inspire young people.

Efrén’s accomplishments during his incarceration show a person who has refused to give up on himself or others. He has completed many educational programs, written dozens of articles, participated in social-justice work, and mentored countless incarcerated individuals. He has also helped people resolve conflicts peacefully and learn how to make a real difference in the world outside prison walls.

One of the most important things Efrén has done is mentor others. In prison, mentorship isn’t just about giving advice, it is about helping people understand their emotions, make better decisions, and avoid actions that could harm themselves or others. Efrén has spent years guiding younger incarcerated individuals who were struggling with anger, fear, or hopelessness. He has helped them think about their futures, learn new skills, and believe they can change. This kind of mentorship reduces violence inside prison and prepares people to return to society with a healthier mindset.

If Efrén were released, he could continue this work in the community. Many young people today face serious challenges, including poverty, trauma, and exposure to violence. They need mentors who understand their struggles and can speak to them with honesty and compassion. Efrén has lived through hardship, learned from it, and used it to help others grow. That makes him uniquely qualified to support youth who feel lost or disconnected. He could serve as a youth mentor, helping young people build confidence, develop leadership skills, and avoid choices that could lead them into the criminal legal system.

Efrén could also play a powerful role in Community Violence Intervention (CVI) work. CVI programs focus on preventing violence before it happens by building trust, interrupting conflicts, and offering support to people who are at the highest risk of being harmed or harming others. These programs rely on credible messengers — people who have real-life experience and can connect with individuals who may not trust traditional institutions. Efrén has spent decades practicing conflict resolution and de-escalation. He has helped people calm down during heated moments, think through their actions, and choose peaceful solutions. These are exactly the skills CVI programs need.

As a violence disruptor, Efrén could help reduce gun violence and create safer neighborhoods. He understands how quickly conflicts can escalate and how important it is to intervene early. His experience mentoring others in prison shows that he knows how to listen, how to guide, and how to help people see their own value. These strengths could save lives in the community.

Another important contribution Efrén could make is helping promote the creation of Youth Development Boards. These boards give young people a voice in shaping programs, policies, and opportunities in their communities. They help youth feel heard, respected, and involved in decisions that affect their lives. Efrén’s background in leadership, writing, and advocacy makes him well-suited to support this kind of work. He could help design youth-centered spaces where young people learn to lead, solve problems, and build stronger communities.

Efrén’s educational accomplishments also show that he values learning and personal growth. He has earned 80 college credits towards a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, through the Western Michigan University Higher Education for the Justice-Involved (HEJI) program, where he is majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies. He has also completed a variety of programs that focus on communication, leadership, mental health and wellness, impulse control, and conflict resolution.

These skills are essential for building healthier communities. If released, Efrén could share what he has learned with schools, community groups, and organizations working to reduce violence and support youth. His lived experience gives him credibility, and his education gives him the tools to teach others.

Another important part of Efrén’s value is his ability humanize the conversation about incarceration. Many people in society have never met someone who has spent almost four decades in prison. They may have stereotypes or misunderstandings about who incarcerated people are and what they are capable of. Efrén’s story challenges those assumptions. He shows that people can grow, change, and contribute in meaningful ways. His voice could help shift public attitudes toward rehabilitation, second chances, and collaborative justice.

Efrén’s release would also show young people that transformation is possible. Many youth who struggle with trauma or difficult environments feel like their mistakes define them. Efrén’s journey shows that people can rise above their circumstances and create a positive impact. He could speak to schools, youth programs, and community groups about resilience, responsibility, and hope. His message could inspire young people to believe in themselves and make choices that lead to brighter futures. Finally, Efrén’s return to society would allow him to continue his work as a writer and advocate. His writing has already reached many people globally and encouraged them to think about justice, fairness, and humanity. Outside prison, he could expand this work, collaborate with community organizations, and help shape conversations about public safety and social change.

Efrén Paredes Jr. has spent nearly four decades preparing himself to be a positive force in the world. His well-documented evidence of accomplishments, personal growth, and professional evaluations from scores of individuals who have interacted with Efrén directly, would add value to any community. His release would be a public-safety asset, not a risk. It would also support youth, contribute to a more just and compassionate society, and be a return on decades of hard work, healing, and transformation.

Michigan residents who wish to express their support for Efrén’s commutation of sentence can do so by sending the Honorable Governor Gretchen Whitmer an email using a digital action created by Amnesty International USA. You can also share the AIUSA campaign link across every network you touch (social media, email listservs, community chats, and text networks) and invite others to sign the action and share it widely.

The action link can be accessed here: https://amnesty.quorum.us/campaign/158629/

by Necalli Ollin

Efrén Paredes Jr. is a 53-year-old Latino man from Berrien County, Michigan, currently serving a life-without-parole (LWOP) sentence for a March 8, 1989 crime. He was 15-years-old at the time of the offense and has now spent nearly four decades behind bars — 70% of his entire life. Despite spending two-and-a-half times as much time in prison than he spent as a free boy in society, Efrén has not let the walls of Michigan’s prison define his potential. Instead, he has continually chosen the path of relentless self-improvement and service.

Today, Efrén is a Western Michigan University undergraduate student in his senior year pursuing a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies; a journalist and social justice changemaker; and a dedicated advocate for conflict resolution, racial justice, and the empowerment of marginalized communities. A list of his continual growth and transformative change during his incarceration can be viewed here: https://EfrensWords.home.blog/Efrens-Accomplishments.

Efrén is currently seeking a commutation of sentence from the Honorable Governor Gretchen Whitmer after spending more than 37 years in prison. A commutation of sentence is a form of mercy granted by the Governor of Michigan. It doesn’t erase a conviction or harm; it reduces a person’s sentence so they can have a chance at release one day. The Michigan Constitution empowers the governor to grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons for all offenses except impeachment. It is an executive judgment meant for rare cases where the normal system cannot fully account for a person’s growth, change, or extraordinary circumstances.

It is about recognizing when continued punishment no longer serves the greater good. When an incarcerated person has spent decades in prison, has grown into a different human being, and no longer poses a danger to society, granting clemency becomes an act of wisdom, balance, and moral courage.

A commutation of sentence is important because it reflects the values of a civilized and evolving society. When Michigan first created life-in-prison sentencing many decades ago, public attitudes about crime and punishment were very different. Michiganders have also witnessed the consequences of mass incarceration and understand that justice must balance accountability with humanity.

Research shows that Americans” views on long-term incarceration have shifted significantly over time. A 2021 national survey found that over 60% of Americans support second chances for people who have served long sentences, including many conservatives who believe in redemption, fiscal responsibility, and limited government power. Faith communities, conservative leaders, and criminal justice reform advocates widely believe people can change and that mercy is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Michigan residents today are also more aware of brain science, trauma, and the fact that teenagers do not have fully developed decision-making abilities. The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized this, noting that youth are “constitutionally different” from adults because their brains are still developing and they have a greater capacity for change (Miller v. Alabama, 2012; Montgomery v. Louisiana, 2016).

A civilized society is built on two pillars: accountability and redemption. Accountability means people must face consequences for committing harm. Redemption means we believe human beings can grow, change, and become better than their worst moment. Clemency is the bridge between these two ideas. It allows a governor to look at a person’s entire life, not just the chapter that led them to prison.

Many people who committed crimes decades ago entered prison as teenagers or young adults. Science shows that the human brain continues developing well into the mid-20s, especially in areas related to judgment, impulse control, and decision-making. Over time, people mature, learn discipline, and develop empathy. Long-term studies show that individuals over age 50 have extremely low rates of reoffending — often below 5% — especially for violent crimes. In fact, national data shows that people released after serving long sentences have some of the lowest recidivism rates of any group. This means that keeping someone in prison for 20, 30, or even 40 years often does not make the public safer — it simply keeps a changed person behind bars long after they have aged out of crime.

Conservatives often emphasize responsibility, tradition, and public safety. Clemency aligns with these values. It respects responsibility because the person has already served decades — far more than most sentences in the world. It respects tradition because clemency is a constitutional power that has existed for generations since the founding of our state and nation. And it strengthens public safety by allowing the justice system to focus resources on people who actually pose a risk, not those who have grow into peaceful, stable adults.

Michigan has already embraced second chances in other areas. The state’s “Clean State” law automatically clears certain old convictions for people who have stayed crime-free, giving more than a million residents a fresh start. This shows that Michigan understands redemption and believes people can change.

Granting clemency is also an act of stewardship. Michigan taxpayers spend nearly $50,000 each year to incarcerate a single person, and costs rise sharply as people age and develop medical needs. When someone no longer poses a danger, continuing to imprison them becomes a financial burden with little public benefit. A governor who grants clemency in appropriate cases is choosing to use public resources wisely, focusing on rehabilitation and community investment rather than unnecessary incarceration.

There is also a moral argument. A society’s strength is measured not only by how it punishes wrongdoing but by how it recognizes transformation. Many incarcerated people spend decades working to better themselves. They earn college degrees, mentor younger incarcerated individuals, practice faith, and maintain peaceful records for years. They show empathy, insight, and emotional maturity. When a governor grants clemency to someone like this, it sends a message that Michigan believes in human dignity. It says that we do not define people solely by their worst act, especially when they have spent half a lifetime proving they are capable of good.

Some people argue that sentences should never be changed, and that judges’ decisions must stand forever, including life without parole. This view comes from a desire for stability and respect for the courts. But the Constitution gives governors clemency power precisely because judges cannot predict the future. A judge sees a person at one moment in time–often at their lowest, most chaotic, or most immature. A governor, decades later, can see the full picture: the growth, the discipline, the changed character. Clemency does not disrespect the courts or victims; it completes the justice system by adding a layer of mercy and long-term judgment.

Another argument is that clemency might weaken deterrence. But deterrence comes from the certainty of punishment, not the refusal to ever show mercy. People are not committing crimes because they hope for clemency decades later. Clemency encourages rehabilitation. It is rare, carefully reviewed, and granted only when the public is safe.

Granting clemency for someone who has transformed is also good for communities. Many people released after long sentences become mentors, volunteers, and advocates for youth. They carry hard-earned wisdom about consequences, choices, and responsibility. Their voices help prevent future crime. Their presence strengthens families and neighborhoods.

In the end, clemency is the courage to say that justice is not only about punishment — it is about recognizing when punishment has done all it can. It recognizes that justice is not frozen in time and is a way to correct sentences that no longer make sense in today’s world. When someone has spent most of their life in prison, grown into a mature adult, and shown they are no longer a threat, refusing them any chance at release becomes vengeance and cruelty.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has the constitutional authority to grant commutations to prevent such outcomes for the greater good: for safety, for fiscal responsibility, for moral integrity, and for the belief that people can change.

Michigan residents who wish to express their support for Efrén Paredes Jr.’s commutation of sentence can do so by sending the Honorable Governor Gretchen Whitmer an email using a digital action platform created by Amnesty International USA. You can also share the AIUSA campaign link across every network you touch (social media, email listservs, community chats, and text networks) and invite others to sign the action and share it widely. The action link can be accessed here: https://amnesty.quorum.us/campaign/158629/.