By Jamie Silvonek

At 14, I was sentenced to 35 years to life in an adult prison for my role in my mother’s murder. After exhausting all other options, I am seeking the commutation of my sentence to life on parole.

Commutations are extraordinarily rare, especially for incarcerated women. From 1990-2017, no women’s sentences were commuted in Pennsylvania. In 2018, Tina Brosius was the first woman whose sentence was commuted in 28 years. Since 2018, only 10 women have had their sentences commuted.

Despite such daunting statistics, I believe in commutation because I believe that every human being is more than the worst decisions they’ve ever made. I believe in the human capacity for positive change and redemption.

I know firsthand how devastating the consequences of my decisions have been: I’ve lost my mom, the person who took care of me and loved me unconditionally. It is impossible for me to describe what it is like to know that I am responsible for my mom’s death and to live with it every single day.

My mother’s death, and my responsibility for it, have been devastating for my family. My father lost his wife of over 30 years; my brother lost his mother; and my grandparents had to bury their only daughter. Even 10 years later, my family continues to grapple with this devastation. The irreparable harms that result from such a tragedy are never isolated: They ripple outward, altering the trajectory of everyone’s lives. The loss of my mom has affected our entire community.

I will never be able to bring my mom back, atone for what I’ve done or repair the harms for which I am responsible. This knowledge has filled me with all-consuming guilt and self-hatred for many years. I didn’t believe that there was a point in continuing to live after causing such irreparable harm to my mom, my family and community. Though I still carry the same guilt, I am immensely grateful that I now cherish my life.

Today, I know that the purpose of my life is to honor my mom and her love for me by becoming a person that she can be proud of.

I believe in commutation because I believe in the transformative power of forgiveness and community. The unconditional love and forgiveness that my family and community have given me is what has saved my life and inspired me to change. Because other people were able to see goodness in me — even in the aftermath of my worst decisions — I have been able to believe in it as well.

I believe in commutation because I have gotten to know the women I am serving time with, and I believe that they are worthy of a second chance. I know their stories, their remorse and their positive change. The women inside that I am grateful to know and love are infinitely more than their worst decisions, and they have so much to contribute to our communities.

I believe in commutation because I know how much I have changed from the broken girl I once was. I will never be able to make up for what I’ve done, but I believe that I have incurred a lifelong obligation to my family and community, an obligation that informs every aspect of my life today and the future I am fighting for.

If my sentence is commuted, I plan to be reunited with my family: my father, my grandmother and my extended family who have supported me for the years I have been incarcerated. It would mean everything to me to have the opportunity to care for them the way they’ve cared for me.

I also plan to work with other vulnerable young people upon my release with hopes of preventing future harms from occurring. It is important to me to prove through my actions that young people who’ve made bad decisions can change and be a credit to society beyond prison walls.

According to reason, having faith in the commutation process is like having faith in the lottery. But mercy transcends what reason dictates. The most beautiful thing about us, as humans, is our capacity for radical compassion. I’ve witnessed it over and over again, even from within the bowels of a maximum security prison. I believe in our capacity for mercy — and I believe that every human being is worthy of receiving it.

This is a contributed opinion column. Jamie Silvonek is in Muncy State Prison after pleading guilty to murdering her mother, Cheryl Silvonek, in Upper Macungie Township in 2015, when Jamie was 14. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author(s), and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication. Do you have a perspective to share? Learn more about how we handle guest opinion submissions at themorningcall.com/opinions.

https://www.mcall.com/2025/09/02/opinion-jamie-silvonek-i-deserve-commutation/