<p>Deshaun Durham, 24, walked out of prison on Friday morning, Dec. 6, after more than 2.5 years incarcerated in a Kansas prison for possessing 2.4 pounds of cannabis. He is free because Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly granted him clemency. </p><p>Durham was only 19 when authorities raided his Manhattan apartment and found pot. He took a plea deal, and pleaded guilty to one count of possession with an intent to sell, expecting 36 months in prison. Instead, he was sentenced to 92 months, nearly 8 years, by District Court Judge John Bosch and was serving out the sentence at Hutchinson Correctional Facility.</p><p>According to the Kansas Sentencing Commission, Kansas courts typically give probation for people with no criminal history. It was a rare occurrence for a first-time offender such as Deshaun to receive a sentence, and even rarer to receive such a harsh sentence for cannabis.</p><aside> <div class="newspack-popup-container newspack-popup hidden newspack-inline-popup newspack-lightbox-large-border" data-frequency="0,0,0,month" data-segments="" id="id_30656" role="button" style="background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#000" tabindex="0">
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</aside><p>A strong team of supporters worked endlessly to free Durham: His mother, Brandy Wishard; his attorney, Bary Grissom; Kansas City Star reporter Toriano Porter; musician and advocate Melissa Etheridge; and Last Prisoner Project activist Donte West. West spent nearly four years in a Kansas prison for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute before being exonerated in 2021.</p><aside class="scaip scaip-1"><style>@media ( min-width: 300px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 100px;}}@media ( min-width: 728px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 90px;}}</style> <div class="newspack_global_ad scaip-1 fixed-height">
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</aside><p>West works with the Last Prisoner Project to help other incarcerated cannabis offenders. He worked diligently to bring attention to Durham’s case along with filing the clemency with the assistance of Grissom.</p><p>“Kansas taxpayers spend an average of $30,100 annually per inmate. For a first-time cannabis offender such as Deshuan, with no criminal history and a release date in 2028, we have to ask ourselves: Does the time fit the crime, and is it worth the expense to keep him in prison?” wrote West in an editorial for the Kansas City Star.</p><p><strong>Kelly’s History of Commutations</strong></p><p>Gov. Kelly has a history of commuting sentences, particularly for non-violent offenders. In 2021, Kelly commuted the sentences of several nonviolent drug offenders, demonstrating her willingness to address such injustices. </p><aside class="scaip scaip-2"><style>@media ( min-width: 300px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-2{min-height: 100px;}}@media ( min-width: 728px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-2{min-height: 90px;}}</style> <div class="newspack_global_ad scaip-2 fixed-height">
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</aside><p>This time, Kelly cut short the prison sentences of Durham and one other person and pardoned five others. Clemency is reduction of punishment, while a pardon is a total forgiveness of a crime.</p><p>Kelly overrode a rejection from the Kansas Prison Review Board of Durham’s petition for clemency. </p><p>“Granting commutations and pardons is not something I take lightly,” Kelly said in a press release announcing only her second round of clemency since 2021. “By vetting numerous applications through a careful and thorough process, it was determined that these individuals have demonstrated their commitment to making amends and positively contributing to society.”</p><p>In 2018, Kelly said: “When we incarcerate those people for first-time drug offenses, we’re really separating them from work, separating them from family and doing great devastation to them individually, but also, I think, our economy.”</p><aside class="scaip scaip-3"><style>@media ( min-width: 300px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-3{min-height: 100px;}}@media ( min-width: 728px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-3{min-height: 90px;}}</style> <div class="newspack_global_ad scaip-3 fixed-height">
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</aside><p>Durham was an excellent prisoner with no disciplinary complaints. He stayed active in prison, working an off-site private industry job where he gained additional skills he can use to help reintegrate him into society. As a prisoner with an offsite job, he was also a taxpayer while incarcerated. </p><p>Kansas is one of 12 states in the U.S. that haven’t legalized marijuana in any form. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 54% of Americans live in states where recreational marijuana use is legal.</p>
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