Cefus Jenkins' Freedom Fund

Cefus Jenkins is an artist, a poet, a mentor, an ASL teacher, an Arabic speaker, a GED tutor, a reader, a carpenter, a father, and a grandfather. And today he is one more thing: free.

Mr. Jenkins was released last week after serving more than 16 years of a life sentence in prison for a drug conviction. He received that sentence when he was 26.

If Mr. Jenkins had been in federal prison, he might have been among those to whom President Biden’s granted clemency as he left office: people serving drug sentences wouldn't have been legal today. In Louisiana, people like Mr. Jenkins who have never committed a violent crime can no longer receive a life sentence. Thankfully, he was eligible for parole and IPNO’s Unjust Punishment attorneys represented him at his hearing. Because of his many achievements he received a unanimous recommendation for parole from the board.

People sentenced more recently--even those who receive life sentences for non-violent offenses--will not be eligible for parole because of changes to the law last year, which means that many remarkable people like Mr. Jenkins will remain in prison even when they could safely return home. We will not give up on fighting for those people's right to be free, but today we are so glad that Mr. Jenkins is home.

If you want to support him, please donate to his Freedom Fund and check out his Amazon wishlist.