Amnesty International
No More Children Locked Up For Life: Clemency for Christi Cheramie
Christi, now 33 years old, has spent more than half of her young life in prison after being sentenced to life without parole at the age of 16. She’s earned her high school equivalency diploma and an associate’s degree in Agriculture Studies, and teaches classes to her fellow inmates. A prison warden who oversaw Christi considers her a “model inmate” who has grown into a “remarkable young woman” deserving of “a second chance in society.” But if we don’t act, a mandatory sentence of life without parole means that Christi will die in prison.A victim of sexual abuse and depression, and caught in the web of an aggressive and controlling older fiancé, Christi found herself at the grisly murder scene of her fiancé’s great aunt. She was charged with murder just for being there — even though it was her fiancé who wielded the knife. The victim’s closest family members are sympathetic to Christi’s case. But Christi’s fate is now in the hands of Louisiana’s governor and Board of Pardons. Next week, the Board of Pardons will meet to decide whether or not to move forward with Christi’s clemency application—a decision that the governor can influence.
Send a message to the governor to move forward with Christi’s clemency application here!
