In Jason’s Own Words

"My name is Jason Mills.

In the summer of 1992, when I was 19 years old, I committed a terrible and tragic crime that took the life of an innocent man.

At the time, I had fallen on hard times and made a series of decisions that led me to commit a residential burglary at a home I believed was unoccupied. I was wrong.

I was unexpectedly confronted by the victim, and in that moment, everything escalated. What followed was a senseless and irreversible act of violence that ended in the loss of a man’s life.

There is no justification for what I did.

I have spent the last 34 consecutive years in prison serving a sentence of life without parole. Every day, I live with the knowledge of what I took—not just a life, but a person who was loved, and a family who continues to carry that loss.

The weight of that has never left me. It is something I carry with me every day, and it is something I will carry for the rest of my life.

No words I can write will ever be enough to fully express the guilt and shame I feel for my actions.

All I can do is continue to take responsibility for what I have done and live in a way that reflects how deeply I regret it."

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Jason has now spent more than three decades in prison for that act.

The years he has served are a direct consequence of his actions, and he does not ask for sympathy for that. What he has done instead is use that time to confront the reality of what he did and to change.

This petition is not based on who Jason was at 19 years old.

It is based on who he has chosen to become over the last 34 years.

His record reflects that transformation:

Zero violent disciplinary infractions over decades

Completion of over 1,000 hours of structured learning and rehabilitation programming

92 completed courses and certifications focused on behavioral change, decision-making, conflict resolution, and career development

Continued engagement in self-directed learning, including hundreds of additional educational modules, readings, and training materials

This level of sustained effort over decades reflects not compliance—but a deep, consistent commitment to change.

Not for recognition. Not for reward. But because it was necessary.

Jason does not claim to be entitled to release.

He does not claim to deserve it.

Clemency is not about entitlement—it is about mercy.

It is about recognizing that a person is more than the worst thing they have ever done, and that change, when proven over time, has meaning.

If granted clemency, Jason has a stable and structured path forward:

A confirmed residence with family support

Verified employment secured upon release 

A strong family support system committed to helping him live responsibly and productively

He is prepared to return to society not as the man he once was, but as someone who understands the weight of his actions and is committed to living the rest of his life with accountability and purpose.

We respectfully ask:

J.B. Pritzker

Illinois Prisoner Review Board

To consider Jason’s case not as an excuse for the past, but as evidence of transformation over time.

Clemency does not undo harm.

It does not erase loss.

But it can recognize change.

And it can allow a life, once defined by a terrible act, to be lived differently moving forward.

Jason is not asking to be excused.

Only for the chance to prove, in the free world, who he has become.

Please consider granting mercy.