Supporting Clemency for James Trent After 20-Plus Years of incarceration

Me with Jasmine Trent, Alfred Clayborne, and Carrie Trent.

Taking this year to pursue my writing has given me the opportunity to advocate for those like James Trent, my pen pal at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mt. Sterling, Illinois. He is serving a sentence of 94 years and 10 months in prison, what is effectively death by incarceration.

By supporting Sentences, you are allowing me support James who I testified on behalf of at his clemency hearing this past Wednesday in downtown Chicago. I appeared in front of the prisoner review board with his daughter Jasmine, his uncle Al, and sister Carrie (pictured above).

Western prison was recently in the news as being the prison where three guards were convicted for the killing of Larry Earvin, just four months before he was set to be released. James has been my “source” at Western. We have corresponded regularly for the last five years. He has told me about the brutality and callousness of the guards there, despite his fear of retaliation.

James was convicted of killing a four-year-old girl, Christian Nickels, in 1996 while living in Peoria, Illinois. It is a sad story of how corporal punishment against children is fundamentally wrong.

In preparation for the hearing, James told me over the phone:

“Christian Nickels was a sweet and lovable girl. She didn't deserve the horrible treatment that she received by me that day. I live in constant sorrow, regret, and shame for the actions that I committed against her. I am so sorry for her death, and all the harm that I have caused. Now my life is dedicated to positive change, character development, and trying to influence others to make positive decisions.”

Open the Floodgates

In telling James’s story, I’m interested in sharing the experiences of the thousands of people in Illinois who are serving long-term sentences. The growth of mass incarceration has been blamed on the War on Drugs, or the numbers of people who are in prison due to wrongful convictions. Illinois has brought reforms to address these issues—dropping the prison population from 49,000 in 2011, to 29,000 today—yet there are still too many people in prison. We have yet to talk about what to do with people like James who are convicted of heinous crimes, and still do not deserve to die in prison.

Jasmine, Carrie, Al, and I all made statements in front of the prisoner review board for why we believe James should be released: he is deeply remorseful; he been through numerous educational programs, such as a writing class by Northwestern’s Jennifer Lackey, and with the help of bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz, his writings have been published in the New Yorker; and in more than 20 years of incarceration, James has never once received a disciplinary ticket, a rare accomplishment.

An assistant from the state’s attorney’s office in Peoria appeared unannounced at the hearing. It was a bit of a surprise. Typically, a response is submitted ahead of time, but the Peoria state’s attorney showed up in person to deliver his statement. He made the argument that if everyone who were remorseful, who had no infractions, and who took classes was released it would “open the floodgates.”

This is exactly what I am asking for, and what Parole Illinois, the organization I have been working with, is advocating. If people have served their debt to society—in James’s case 21 years in prison—and proven themselves worthy of release, they should be set free.

The Peoria state’s attorney took issue with a claim in the petition (thanks to Valerie Sherman for writing the 130-page petition) of racial disparities in sentencing leading to longer sentences for African Americans. James was sentenced in 2001, at the height of mass incarceration, years before Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, or the George Floyd protests. He is African American, and stands six foot, seven inches tall. In contrast, a 19 year old man in Waukegan, who appears to be white, was recently in the news for killing a four-year-old girl for spilling juice on his Xbox. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

A confidential recommendation from the prisoner review board will be sent to Governor J.B. Pritzker for consideration of James’s possible release. It may be several months before we hear the results. Clemency is likely the last chance for James to ever see freedom.

Come to My Birthday Party!

James sent me this Simpson’s artwork last year for my 50^th birthday. Join me this year as I celebrate my 51^st birthday on Saturday, July 15, at 7 p.m. [My actual birthday is Tuesday, July 18.] I am hoping to have the party in my backyard, 303 W. Locust, Urbana, just north of Strawberry Fields. It may rain, in which case the party will be moved to Urbana Dance Company, 122 W. Main, Urbana, thanks to Kate Insolia!