James Comer's long-awaited homecoming and reentry support

When I met James Comer in 2011, he was serving a 75-year sentence for his role participating in a robbery that resulted in a person's death when James was 17. The prosecutors never alleged that James shot the victim, just that he participated in the robbery. In the years that followed, James was the named litigant in two cases that brought historic reforms to how New Jersey treats people who committed serious crimes as children. In the first case, the New Jersey Supreme Court held the State Constitution forbids long mandatory sentences that amount to the functional equivalent of life sentences for children. In the second case, known as State v. Comer, the Court held that kids sentenced to really long terms of imprisonment can, after 20 years, ask a court to consider whether they have matured and grown and, therefore, deserve a lesser sentence.

Because of these two cases, James will be coming home -- after 25.5 years -- in October. And, even more impressive, more than 100 kids once condemned to die in prison now have a chance at release, and dozens have already been released. James is smart, kind, humble, and hardworking, but like anyone who has been locked away for so long, will face many challenges upon his release.

His cases helped so many people in New Jersey, and served as a national model, please help make his homecoming and reentry as successful as possible.