Earnest Young, a conflict-free 76-year-old individual, has strenuously completed a considerable part of his life sentence. For the past 38 years, he has been serving a life sentence for armed robbery within Georgia Department of Corrections system. His part in the crime has been acknowledged and repented. Now, at an age where most are enjoying their twilight years surrounded by family, he continues to endure a harsh life behind bars.

According to the University of Michigan Law School's National Registry of Exonerations, since 1989, more than 2,400 individuals have been exonerated in the United States. Of these, 198 were serving life sentences. It is not unheard of to review and reassess the appropriateness of sentences, particularly when incarceration is associated with several profound implications for older inmates.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) emphasizes that the elderly prison population has outpaced the growth of the prison system as a whole by 500 percent. It is both a humanitarian and fiscal crisis for a nation that bases its tenets on justice and freedom. Inmates aged 50 and above are considered elderly in the criminal justice system due to the health deterioration that can happen in the unforgiving environment of prisons.

Continuing to keep Earnest incarcerated when he poses no significant threat to society due to his age is an undue hardship. We implore the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole to deem his continued imprisonment disproportionate and unnecessary and release him from prison.

Join our efforts in helping bring Earnest home. Please sign our petition and stand for justice that is fair and age-appropriate. Your signature can be a step towards the change we want to see.