No 50: Clemency for poet Spoon Jackson before he hits 50 years in prison.
No 50: Clemency for poet Spoon Jackson before he hits 50 years in prison.
The Issue
It's time for California Governor Gavin Newsom to consider clemency for Spoon Jackson.
In 2027, the year Mr. Newsom's term ends, Spoon will have spent 50 years in prison.
In 1977, Mr. Jackson committed a first-time offense murder. It was a horrible choice, something he has felt deep remorse about for decades, and has spent the better part of his life behind bars for.
Spoon was 20 in 1977. He will turn 68 in August 2025.
In the 1980s, Spoon found an Arts in Corrections poetry class, where he met his mentor Judith Tannenbaum who helped ignite his love for writing and poetry. Decades later, the two published a co-memoir which Gloria Steinem called "a book that will anger you, give you hope, and break your heart."
Since finding his calling as a writer, Spoon has extended his talents to as many on the inside as he can. As a teacher's aide, he's taught creative writing to fellow prisoners for over 15 years, always looking to inspire the next generation. As a podcast producer with Uncuffed, he has brought fellow prisoner's stories and humanity to the outside world.
But Spoon's reach goes beyond prison walls. Over the years, Spoon's writing has inspired artists around the world, including filmmaker Michael Mann, who wrote in Spoon's poem "Realness" to his Oscar-nominated film "Ali" in a dialogue scene between Jamie Foxx and Will Smith.
In his clemency letter to Governor Newsom, Michael Mann writes, "there has been a sea change in [Spoon's] character. He has a vast body of work [which] testifies to who he is as a man."
The prolific songwriter Ani DiFranco, whose song "Nowhere But Barstow & Prison" was inspired by Spoon, has this to say about his release: "Spoon has done his time and then some! Mercy for this tender soul!"
In 2024, FREER Records released Spoon Jackson's No Moon, a spoken word album that RTRFM Australia called "a profound musical journey that recalls the works of fiery prophetic poets and musicians throughout history.”
In 2025, the No Moon visual album was released in conjunction as a collaboration between Spoon and 18 filmmakers around the world.
Despite his decades in prison, Spoon has inspired and will continue to inspire so many. But it's time for him to come home so he can do that in the free world, to even greater impact.
He has a strong home and work plan, has not received any infractions in over 15 years, and poses zero risk for reentering society.
NO 50 FOR SPOON JACKSON.
1,929
The Issue
It's time for California Governor Gavin Newsom to consider clemency for Spoon Jackson.
In 2027, the year Mr. Newsom's term ends, Spoon will have spent 50 years in prison.
In 1977, Mr. Jackson committed a first-time offense murder. It was a horrible choice, something he has felt deep remorse about for decades, and has spent the better part of his life behind bars for.
Spoon was 20 in 1977. He will turn 68 in August 2025.
In the 1980s, Spoon found an Arts in Corrections poetry class, where he met his mentor Judith Tannenbaum who helped ignite his love for writing and poetry. Decades later, the two published a co-memoir which Gloria Steinem called "a book that will anger you, give you hope, and break your heart."
Since finding his calling as a writer, Spoon has extended his talents to as many on the inside as he can. As a teacher's aide, he's taught creative writing to fellow prisoners for over 15 years, always looking to inspire the next generation. As a podcast producer with Uncuffed, he has brought fellow prisoner's stories and humanity to the outside world.
But Spoon's reach goes beyond prison walls. Over the years, Spoon's writing has inspired artists around the world, including filmmaker Michael Mann, who wrote in Spoon's poem "Realness" to his Oscar-nominated film "Ali" in a dialogue scene between Jamie Foxx and Will Smith.
In his clemency letter to Governor Newsom, Michael Mann writes, "there has been a sea change in [Spoon's] character. He has a vast body of work [which] testifies to who he is as a man."
The prolific songwriter Ani DiFranco, whose song "Nowhere But Barstow & Prison" was inspired by Spoon, has this to say about his release: "Spoon has done his time and then some! Mercy for this tender soul!"
In 2024, FREER Records released Spoon Jackson's No Moon, a spoken word album that RTRFM Australia called "a profound musical journey that recalls the works of fiery prophetic poets and musicians throughout history.”
In 2025, the No Moon visual album was released in conjunction as a collaboration between Spoon and 18 filmmakers around the world.
Despite his decades in prison, Spoon has inspired and will continue to inspire so many. But it's time for him to come home so he can do that in the free world, to even greater impact.
He has a strong home and work plan, has not received any infractions in over 15 years, and poses zero risk for reentering society.
NO 50 FOR SPOON JACKSON.
1,929
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Petition created on March 24, 2025