Free Stanley Howard

Stanley Howard is an innocent man who has spent 25 of his 46 years incarcerated, 16 of those on death row based on a conviction that was tortured out of him by detectives under Chicago police Commander Jon Burge. In 2003, former Governor Ryan pardoned him, yet he still remains incarcerated, fighting another charge. Here is a petition calling for him to have his sentence commuted to time considered served.

    We the undersigned are  requesting mercy on behalf of Stanley Howard. We would like you to utilize the authority invested in you to reconsider his sentence and grant him clemency.
    We understand that Stanley is one of the men pardoned by outgoing Governor Ryan, having spent 16 horrifying years facing execution on Illinois Death Row for a conviction determined to have been obtained by a single unsure witness and a false confession obtained by brutal torture by officers working nder fired commander Jon Burge. 
    We are fully informed of the charges he remains accused and convicted of and is appealing, and pray you will consider his mitigating factors, pursuit of an education (receiving a GED and self taught paralegal & writing skills), and that he has spent the last 16 of his 46 years of life incarcerated and becoming a loving person. 16 of those years were spent suffering while facing the ultimate nightmare, being executed for a crime he did not commit. This unthinkable mental and physical hardship is no doubt the equivalent of serving double the time he was expected to complete, if not more, had he not been on death row doing time for the crime he stands accused and convicted. 
   Stanley appealed his hardship claims to the courts asking for mercy by having his sentenced reduced to time considered served. The Appellate Court ruled, "while we do not disagree that Stanley may have unjustly suffered for 16 years..... Clemency is the historic remedy employed to prevent a miscarriage of justice where the judicial process has been exhausted."
   We pray that you will consider these factors and mercifully agree that it will not negate nor undermine the seriousness of the charges to have his sentence reduced to time served, acknowledging that, as the saying goes, the doors to justice swing both ways.
 Stanley will be released into a stable environment complete with residence and employment. The conditions of his release will be those of any parolee in his situation. He will be subject to continuous monitoring of his transition back into society to ensure that he is being a positive and productive member of the community. 
  We hope that you will honor his request for mercy to reflect the horrifying and unthinkable years he spent unjustly on death row and to allow him to be with his family, friends and loved ones.  ( For more information on his case please visit http://www.freestanleyhoward.com)