PBMR: the New Creation
From left to right: Joey Rodriguez, Larod Styles, and Marshan Allan, who were recently released after the Supreme Court decision that mandatory life without the possibility of parole for juveniles was unconstitutional
Homecoming
by Julie Anderson, pbmr
When Joey Rodriguez walked into our meeting alongside his sister Cathy, I could not help but smile as tears sprang to my eyes. For the last 35 years Joey has been incarcerated, and for 10 of those years I have been meeting with his sister Cathy monthly at our criic( Community and Relatives of Illinois Incarcerated Children, a group of family and friends dedicated to seeing juvenile life without parole ended in the United States) meetings. We have cried together, laughed together, hugged each other, and offered each other encouragement and hope where there was none.
Joey is one of three men recently released from prison who attended our meeting this month. Larod Styles and Marshan Allan were also in attendance; both of
10 • The New Wine Press • March 2017 these men were incarcerated for over 24 years. Each of the three was under 18 years old when sentenced to life without parole; they were told they would die in prison. Yet here they were at our family meeting— enduring kisses, hugs, and well wishes from the entire criic Family.
For years the criic Family Group has met monthly. In our meetings we talked about our sons, nephews, brothers, and friends who were locked up. Our hopes were that one day they might be released. We shared stories of when they were young, how they were surviving in prison, and tales of their accomplishments and struggles. These were dark years, where there was no hope, only years and years of visiting