Give Antonio House the Opportunity to Come Home
Attorney General Kwame Raoul
When he was just 19 years old, Antonio House was condemned to die in prison. Since then, people who received life sentences before they were 18 have benefited greatly from Supreme Court cases that encouraged their resentencing. Many of these people are now home.
While an Illinois Appellate Court agrees Antonio should be resentenced based on the same science about youthful brain development and behavior used in the recent Supreme Court cases, Attorney General Kwame Raoul is appealing the case to the Illinois Supreme Court. His team is making the case that Antonio should stay behind bars simply due to his age at the time of the offense.
The science on brain development is clear, and Illinois officials have affirmed it in our state’s laws. The youthful brain does not reach full maturity at 18, or even at 21. It develops into a person’s mid 20s, and the part of the brain that assesses risk is the last to form. It is critical that we continue to make and preserve precedents that allow for consideration of brain development in sentencing.
It’s time for Antonio to be given the chance to be home with his family—and for others to have the same opportunity to rejoin their loved ones. Please follow the steps of this petition and ask AG Raoul to stop fighting this case.
Sponsored by
To:
Attorney General Kwame Raoul
From:
[Your Name]
Please give Antonio House the chance to be home with his family. The Appellate Court’s decision in People v. House fits the science and research about youthful brain development. We respectfully ask you to stop fighting this case.
Antonio was just 19 years old when he was condemned to die in prison. We now know the brain does not reach full maturity at 18, or even at 21. It develops into a person’s mid 20s, and the part of the brain that assesses risk is the last to form.
People who received life sentences before they were 18 have benefited greatly from Supreme Court cases that encouraged their resentencing. Many of these people, including Antonio’s co-defendant, are now home. The Illinois General Assembly and a series of governors have enshrined the science into law, creating parole opportunities for those under age 21.
It is critical that we continue to make and preserve precedents that allow for consideration of brain development in sentencing. Antonio and other men and women who were 18, 19, and 20 when they were sentenced to life in prison have spent decades behind bars. They’ve grown up. We know many of them are different people today than they were at the time of the crimes.
Antonio’s daughter is ready for him to rejoin their family. Please let them, and other families, have the chance to reunite.