Sorry folks, no turkeys • New Jersey Monitor

By Rev. Amos Caley

Every Thanksgiving, a photo op positions a governor or president next to a turkey or two to issue a “pardon” as millions of Americans sit down to devour their turkey brethren.

Pardoning a turkey may be staged as a lighthearted whim, but when more turkeys are pardoned than people, the exercise becomes a cruel joke for the many New Jerseyans who are or have been incarcerated.

Executive pardons have a long history and allow presidents and governors to pardon people for sentences they have received. This power is imbued with the value of mercy and forgiveness, recognizing that people can change over time and that actions previously considered criminal can become socially acceptable.

Beyond the executive power of pardon, the values ​​of redemption and mercy are deeply embedded in the fabric of society. Rabbinic sages maintain that repentance existed before the creation of the world because the possibility of overcoming transgressions preceded the transgressions themselves. Every Sunday, Christians pray the Lord’s Prayer, reminding them to “unconditionally forgive those who trespass against us.” In other words, pardon is an appeal to our highest moral aspirations. Forgiveness is part of what makes us human. And this is where the turkey pardon photo op goes from funny joke to cruel farce.

As a nation and state, we have fallen far short of our values. In the face of mass incarceration, pardon rates have actually declined rather than keeping pace with the growth in the number of citizens behind bars. In recent years, presidents have underused their pardonswhile using their power to settle scores or protect political allies. Here in New Jersey, the governor’s clemency power – through commutation or pardon – has been used sparingly and over-used politically insidious reasons. In New Jersey, only 105 pardons have been issued in the last 30 years, and there has not been a single pardon in the last 8 years. To put this into greater perspective, as of 2018, we have given more second chances to turkeys than to incarcerated New Jersey residents. Apparently, our thirst for retribution has replaced our belief in redemption.

To his credit, Governor Murphy has spearheaded a new clemency initiative to boost New Jersey’s pardon process and help many whose applications are pending find a second chance. I hope these changes will bring relief to the thousands of New Jersey residents who have served their sentences and returned to their communities. However, the fact remains that our state still has little to no legal process for reviewing applications and is among the worst in the country when it comes to pardon grants. And the arduous process of waiting for pardons, which may or may not come, is cruel.

This Thanksgiving, I pray that our state’s legislators and administrators will express not only gratitude but also remorse. Ultimately, the state should seek a pardon for its complicity in mass incarceration. On his summit New Jersey kept nearly 1 in 200 of its own residents in cages, often for minor and non-violent crimes. Although the number of people incarcerated has declined sharply since the late 1990s, the long shadow of mass incarceration weighs on public policy and the economic opportunities of those who have suffered its consequences.

Out of remorse, Governor Murphy must make good on his promises to grant pardons and commutations, and soon. But while we wait, New Jersey lawmakers should think about it Rehabilitative Release Act (S2338/A4463)which provides for sentencing reviews and early release for incarcerated seniors who have spent more than 20 years in prison. This legislation was recently passed listed by the Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission as one of his four policy recommendations.

The turkeys on stage did nothing wrong; The pardon they are granted is merely a contrived reprieve. We forgive those who have wronged us, our friends and neighbors And families, is much more difficult. But we elect political leaders to make difficult decisions, live the values ​​of our society and Yesto believe that justice and mercy are linked.

This Thanksgiving, let us practice mercy—not in a purely ceremonial way, but in our daily lives. Let’s build and promote practices Rituals And Policies that preserve the enduring value of human life. Let us commit ourselves to living compassionately as a state, and may our laws and statutes reflect our shared belief that forgiveness is more transformative than revenge.

Rev. Amos Caley is pastor of Highland Park Reformed Church and organizer of the Second Look NJ Coalition.