I am no longer a Juvenile Lifer

Sunday July 21, 2024 | 11:15am – 12:1pm | Heritage Room

I am no longer a Juvenile Lifer by Juan Gonzalez.

This is Juan’s story:

On April 9, 2019, Juan walked out of prison after 29 years.  He calls that the end of chapter one of his life. It started when he was incarcerated at 17 years old.  Sentenced to die in prison as a child, his deep faith sustained him.

Then the Philadelphia based Youth Sentencing and Reentry Program stepped in to help Juan prepare for his resentencing hearing following the Supreme Court decisions that made his automatic juvenile life without parole sentence unconstitutional.

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).  Ultimately, the Philadelphia District Attorney recommended to the Court Juan’s receive “time served.”

Juan’s parents were there as he walked out of prison into his life’s second chapter,  the transition to his new life of freedom.  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.”

And now onto chapter three.