OKLAHOMA

Project Commutation: Kayla Jo Jeffries

OKLAHOMA

Project Commutation: Kayla Jo Jeffries

Kayla started her 20-year sentence when she was just 23 years old. She is a mother of two young children and now has a cosmetology license.

#ProjectCommutation

UPDATE

On December 5th, 2018, Gov. Mary Fallin granted commutations to 21 applicants that reached her desk through a campaign led by Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR). This action will lead to the immediate release of these 21 individuals — including Kayla — who were serving excessive prison sentences for low-level offenses.

Kayla Jo Jeffries was 23 years old when she first started her sentence.” Now 26, she has barely made a dent in her 20-year sentence for drug offenses.

“When I first heard about my sentence I was heartbroken,” she recalls. “When I pled into drug court, I knew the terms, so I knew ahead of time that I was signing on for 20 years. What I didn’t know when I agreed to that is that I would fail. I really wanted a better life. I wanted to get sober. I wanted to do it not only for my family and my children but for myself. And I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get sober.”

In prison, Kayla earned her GED and became a licensed cosmetologist. “I have jobs waiting on me. So I have a means to support my family, and a career to go home to.”

“Having my sentence commuted would mean the world to me.”

“Having my sentence commuted would mean the world to me,” she says. “It would mean I get to be with my children again. It would mean I get to start my career. It would mean that I get a brand new start. A second chance. And I’d be so grateful for that chance. And I think if given that chance, whoever gives me that chance, they won’t be disappointed.”

Give Kayla her chance. Commute her sentence and bring her home. Please share her story.

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