I am a survivor of violent crime who supports HB 1042, which allows ‘earned credits’ toward early parole consideration

I am a survivor. I’m a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence. I have had to survive the death of my son, my sister, and my cousin due to domestic violence and gun violence. Through time and healing, I have learned to turn my pain into power — and power rests in the opportunity to stop violence before it happens again.

What those of us who have survived violent crime want most is safety. Supporting rehabilitation efforts for people in prison that help stop the cycle of violence before it reaches another family helps create that safety. Supporting their successful reentry into our communities helps ensure that safety. One of the most effective ways to do both is through what’s known as “earned credits.”

Most states already employ earned credit systems, which encourage incarcerated individuals to engage in deeply constructive rehabilitative programs in preparation for safe release — unfortunately, Pennsylvania isn’t yet one of them.

Research shows that equipping individuals in prison for successful reentry into the workforce is one of the most effective strategies for breaking cycles of crime. Earned vocational training and education credits establish a system by which people incarcerated can earn earlier release consideration for completing approved programs. This training provides them with the necessary tools to become productive, responsible, wage-earning members of our communities.

This month, Pennsylvania’s legislature is considering the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act (HB 1042) to establish an earned credit system designed to incentivize activities that reduce recidivism by allowing eligible participants to earn earlier parole consideration.

To be clear, not everyone who has committed a crime is eligible to participate in earned credits. Individuals incarcerated for murder, sex offenses, or other serious offenses cannot earn credits under this bill. Also, the bill wouldn’t grant anyone automatic release — just the opportunity for the parole board to decide whether or not they have demonstrated they are ready to come home.

Those who are eligible to earn credits by participating in education, job training, or therapy are not being given a free pass — they are being asked to do the hard work of change. When they return home, they come home changed. They come home equipped with tools to build a better life — for themselves, their families, and their communities.

For those who are trained and prepared for work but encounter waiting periods for licensing eligibility post-release due to a criminal record, credits will be counted toward this waiting period to ease their transition into the workforce. This approach will enable qualified individuals in Pennsylvania to begin working sooner, helping them support their families and decreasing the chances of reoffending in the future.

This is a smart, targeted way to stop the cycle of violence and reduce the number of families impacted by crime.

We can’t stop violence by locking people up and throwing away the key. That’s not justice — that’s just delay. True safety comes when we stop the cycle and create a system that values rehabilitation over vengeance. Most people in prison will come home, and how they come home affects all of us.

Earned credits can turn time spent in prison into a time of transformation. They give people a chance to do better — and to be better. And for families like mine, that’s not weakness. That’s wisdom. That’s justice that looks forward.

I support earned credits not in spite of what I have had to survive, but because of it.

Because I want fewer grieving mothers.

Fewer candles on sidewalks. Fewer names etched in heartbreak.

We owe it to those we’ve lost — and to those in Pennsylvania we can still save.

Yolanda Jennings is the Philadelphia chapter coordinator of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, the largest crime victim network in the U.S.