William J. Allen has transformed his life behind bars since he was charged with murder in 1994.
“He is a person of amazingly wonderful character. Any of us would be privileged to have him as a friend or neighbor,” Kristine McDonald, one of Allen’s attorneys, said.
In 1994 when he was 20 years old, William Allen was charged with first degree murder under the theory of joint venture during an armed robbery he participated in. He refused to accept a plea deal and went to trial. He was ultimately convicted and given the mandatory sentence of life without parole.
“If this crime occurred today William could likely not even be charged with first degree murder nor could he be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole,” McDonald said.
McDonald is a member of the organization Second Chance Justice. Today, this community organization is trying to bring Allen home through the often untapped power of commutation.
“Unfortunately, here in Massachusetts, this extraordinary remedy has rarely, if ever, been granted,” Rahsaan Hall, director of the racial justice program for the ACLU Of Massachusetts, said.
Allen made it to the first step in the commutation process and the organization is hoping to convince Governor Baker to approve it. The organization hopes that Baker will show compassion for Allen and other reformed prisoners in the future. There is still worry, though. The power of commutation has rarely been used in the state.
“Since the 1990s, commutation has flatlined while life without parole sentences have increased,” McDonald said.
“It just underscores the trouble with this entire system,” Hall said.
Brockton Police Chief Emanuel Gomes who was a detective at the time of Allen’s arrest, said that votes drive many political decisions and that could play a role in granting things such as commutations.
“Politicians sometimes give it a lot of fancy words and then move on,” he said.
Gomes said that a sense of understanding is crucial when considering cases like Allen’s and others similar.
“There’s an empathy thing here,” he said.
He called Second Chance Justice a “group of compassion” and said these types of groups have an important role in the justice system.
“People change and people evolve,” Gomes said.
Change and evolution are two words Allen’s supporters say describe his transformation in prison well.
Allen is now in his 40s. During his time in state prison, Allen has become heavily involved in prison programs. He is a eucharistic minister, altar server, and mentor for other prisoners. He was also chosen to be a part of a program at Bridgewater State Hospital, where he works with mentally ill patients. His supporters note that his disciplinary record is clean and he has attended classes to become a licensed master barber, among other programs offered to inmates. His current life looks nothing like the one he shed in the 1990s according to his supporters.
McDonald compares Allen’s changes in prison to “Phoenix rising”.
Devin McCourty, a New England Patriots player, has become involved with Allen’s case as well. He has been inspired by Allen’s change and took part in a recent press conference surrounding the case as well as a community meeting held via Zoom.
“I got to talk to William yesterday and I got to see just how good of a person he is. I got to see a guy who told us about his dreams of wanting to be a chef and an accountant someday, a guy who got to tell us when he was a teenager all he did was help people. He worked at the VA, he worked helping counseling kids,” McCourty said earlier.
McCourty said he feels Allen has not only changed his own life, but has helped to change the lives of others too.
“He brought a lot of light and a lot of inspiration to me,” McCourty said.
Allen has a clemency hearing with the parole board approaching. If this hearing is successful, he will be moved to the next step in the process which is approval from Governor Baker. Second Chance Justice and those working closely with Allen said they are hopeful that his sentence will be commuted eventually.
“We’re hopeful that the upcoming clemency hearing that he has will be favorable,” Hall said.
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