Joe D. Martin, Jr.:
A Case for Clemency
A Case for Clemency
Joe has spent 30 years in prison serving a 90-year sentence and he is innocent.
In 1996, Joe was convicted of murder and two attempted murders, even though he had no connection to the victims or the people charged alongside him. When he learned police wanted to speak with him, he voluntarily went to them, trusting that the truth would vindicate him. It did not.
“I thought things like this only happened in movies,” Joe says. “Until it happened to me.” His story is not just about one man’s fight for justice—it also highlights the broader crisis of mass incarceration and the deep flaws in our criminal justice system.
Despite everything, Joe has become a powerful example of transformation and redemption. He earned his paralegal diploma, maintained a 4.0 GPA in Divinity Studies, and now serves as a mentor and instructor in Tennessee’s ECHO program, teaching life skills and rehabilitation tools to fellow inmates. He has also volunteered as a victim awareness facilitator.
Joe has exceeded every rehabilitative benchmark our system could hope for. He is ready to return home—not just as a free man, but as a mentor, advocate, and symbol of hope. Joe D. Martin, Jr. deserves clemency—and a second chance.
In 1996, Joe was convicted of murder and two attempted murders, even though he had no connection to the victims or the people charged alongside him. When he learned police wanted to speak with him, he voluntarily went to them, trusting that the truth would vindicate him. It did not.
“I thought things like this only happened in movies,” Joe says. “Until it happened to me.” His story is not just about one man’s fight for justice—it also highlights the broader crisis of mass incarceration and the deep flaws in our criminal justice system.
Despite everything, Joe has become a powerful example of transformation and redemption. He earned his paralegal diploma, maintained a 4.0 GPA in Divinity Studies, and now serves as a mentor and instructor in Tennessee’s ECHO program, teaching life skills and rehabilitation tools to fellow inmates. He has also volunteered as a victim awareness facilitator.
Joe has exceeded every rehabilitative benchmark our system could hope for. He is ready to return home—not just as a free man, but as a mentor, advocate, and symbol of hope. Joe D. Martin, Jr. deserves clemency—and a second chance.
"It’s insane how the rules of law can be contorted by the administrators of so-called justice.”
— Joe D. Martin, Jr.
— Joe D. Martin, Jr.