New York’s Second Look Act Could Save People Incarcerated When They Were Young—Like Me

On a recent winter evening, my neighbor stopped in front of my gate and slid me a tan folder. 

“Here you go,” he said before quickly taking off. 

When I opened the package, I was surprised to see five copies of my new associate’s degree. I glossed over the papers like they were the real thing. It was gratifying. I have been incarcerated for the last eight years, and  I was proud of myself for finally achieving one of my goals. 

Still, I felt a tinge of agony. I began questioning how this degree could help me in the long run. Would society view me in a different light now that I was college-educated? Do I and many others deserve second chances after taking proactive steps to rehabilitate ourselves? 

The​​ New York legislature reconvened this month. The Second Look Act is one of the most talked-about pieces of upcoming legislation. If enacted, the law will let incarcerated people apply for resentencing hearings after serving either 10 years or half of their respective sentences. If granted, a judge would then decide if someone received an excessive sentence and should be released. 

It’s time for the New York legislature to act on this bill and send it to the governor.

I hear the Second Look Act mentioned at least once daily in my facility. In 2016, I was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. I was 24 years old, but the charges stemmed from an incident that occurred in 2008 when I was just 16. That year, I got into a ridiculous argument with a friend. Instead of walking away, I acted in rage. I pulled out a knife and murdered my friend. The case went unsolved for eight years until DNA evidence connected me to the crime. After nearly a year-and-a-half in New York City jails, I pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 19 years to life. 

The earliest I can appear before a parole board is 2035. I’ve been in the custody of DOCCS—the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision—since 2018. My introduction to the state prison system was a three-and-a-half-year stint at Attica Correctional Facility, which sits between Buffalo and Rochester. I found myself stuck. Violence was routine, and the lack of productive things to do plagued me. 

That changed when I was transferred to Sullivan Correctional Facility in December 2021. Upon arrival, I wrote down the college program’s admissions information. In September 2022, I started my first classes through Hudson Link, an organization that brings colleges into select New York prisons. In July of 2024, I finished the last class for my associate’s degree. 

My journey wasn’t unfamiliar to so many other prisoners. More than 650 people have earned 1,000 different degrees through Hudson Link. Many of us entered prison with only high school diplomas—or nothing at all. If the Second Look Act becomes law, judges will undoubtedly scrutinize our journeys during our incarceration. Disciplinary history, mandatory programs, and voluntary programs like college may be the deciding factors. 

Many prisoners, including myself, are serving lengthy sentences for crimes committed when we were young. Numerous studies show the parts of the brain responsible for judgment and impulse control don’t finish developing until our mid-to-late twenties. Though we must take responsibility for our crimes, society should recognize that we didn’t have the cognitive ability to fully consider our actions’ consequences. 

The Second Look Act will also take this into consideration. People who were 25 years old or younger when they committed their offenses will get new opportunities to plead for more just sentences. Incarcerated people age 55 and over will also benefit. There is ample evidence that the chance of recidivism drastically lowers as people age. The carceral system is also less equipped to care for individuals as their health and cognition decline. 

New York wouldn’t be the first state to pass legislation similar to the Second Look Act. Four other states and the District of Columbia have already passed their own versions. In a bipartisan effort, the U.S. Congress and President Donald Trump enacted the First Step Act in his first term, giving thousands of federal prisoners the chance to reduce their sentences. In New York, local coalitions, including Communities Not Cages and Justice Roadmap, have been working to amplify incarcerated people’s voices.

This year, lawmakers must put aside their differences and get this bill to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk. So many people like me have worked hard to earn their second chances. It’s time we give it to them.

ICYMI—From The Appeal 

Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne are coming home after President Joe Biden granted them clemency. The pair spent decades in prison despite being found not guilty of the 1998 murder of a Virginia police officer.

Senior Reporter Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg went on the Public Defenseless Podcast to discuss her reporting on Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison.