Arthur Jackson has been incarcerated for over 32 years for a crime he committed when he was 21 years old. At the time of his arrest, Arthur had a fifth grade education, no employment skills, and was suffering the effects of compounded trauma. Today, at 53 years old, Arthur is a changed man. He takes full responsibility for his actions and has committed himself to making amends by improving the lives of those around him.

Arthur’s trial in 1994 was a turning point in his life. Upon hearing his victim testify about the suffering he experienced, Arthur made a commitment to nonviolence, one that he has maintained to this day. In over three decades of incarceration, Arthur has not engaged in a single act of violence, despite being held in some of California’s most violent prisons, contracting Valley Fever, and living through the deadly COVID-19 pandemic at San Quentin. Instead, Arthur has advocated for healing among fellow incarcerated people and consistently worked to change violent prison culture. When there were no healing programs in California’s maximum security prisons, Arthur helped start one of the first support groups for lifers at Folsom State Prison. Since then, he has participated in and facilitated numerous self-help groups such as Guiding Rage Into Power (GRIP) and trauma informed yoga. He earned his GED early in his prison term and graduated with AA degrees in General Business and Social and Behavioral Science from Coastline Community College in 2022. 

Arthur has incorporated everything he has learned through his challenges in prison into his efforts to improve the lives of incarcerated people and their communities. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped found the San Quentin chapter of Mourning Our Losses (MOL), a group of incarcerated people who hold an annual memorial to honor and grieve those who passed away while living, working, or volunteering at the prison. In 2023, Arthur co-founded The People in Blue (TPIB), a committee of incarcerated people who draw on their lived experiences to help others heal, create safer environments, and promote public safety. Arthur has collaborated to organize townhall conversations to improve relations between prison staff and incarcerated people, reentry fairs for the incarcerated population, San Quentin’s first family communication workshop and parenting prom, and the creation of a healing garden inside San Quentin to honor victims of crime. Arthur was also one of the lead authors of an in-depth report that analyzes the shortcomings of the prison system from the perspective of the incarcerated and provides recommendations for transformation. Many of these recommendations were incorporated into the report created by Governor Newsom’s Re-Imagine San Quentin Advisory Council. 

Arthur has lost many family members while in prison, and his aging mother, sisters, brother, nieces, nephews, and friends have endured separation from him for over 32 years. Arthur is a changed man who has much to offer his community if released. We respectfully ask Governor Gavin Newsom to commute his sentence and allow Arthur to finally come home to his friends and family. We urge Governor Newsom to recognize Arthur's reformation and grant him the clemency he has earned. Every day, Arthur remains behind bars is a missed opportunity for him to contribute positively to society.  Please sign this petition to help bring Arthur Jackson back to his family and community, where he can live out his life with dignity and purpose.