Come and Hear the Story of Juan Gonzalez
On April 9, 2019, Juan walked out of prison after 29 years. He calls that Chapter One. It started when he was incarcerated at age 17. Sentenced to die in prison as a child, his father’s deep faith sustained him.
Following the Supreme Court decisions that made his automatic juvenile life without parole sentence unconstitutional, the Philadelphia-based Youth Sentencing and Reentry Program (YSRP) stepped in to help Juan prepare for his resentencing hearing The mission of YSRP is to keep children out of adult jails and prisons, and to bring home people, like Juan, who were sentenced as children to life in prison without the possibility of parole (“
Juvenile Lifers“).
Finally, the Philadelphia District Attorney recommended to the Court time served. Juan’s freedom became a real possibility. Juan’s parents were there as he walked out into his life’s second chapter. He soon found work, lived with his parents for his first two years at home, and bought a new car and his own home. Chapter Two, the transition, went well. Juan made his life about “showing people who I am, not what I’ve been through.”
As Juan grows older, he knows there is a lot of life ahead: “I did 30 years, but they didn’t do me.” On to Chapter Three.
