David Morris Barren | CAN-DO
David Morris Barren | CAN-DO
David Morris Barren, a 55-year-old inmate who has served 12 years of a 30-year sentence for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances conviction, is seeking clemency from President Donald Trump.
Barren's original sentence was life in prison, but President Barack Obama reduced it to 30 years in January 2017.
Barren has never had ties to criminal organizations, including gangs and drug cartels, he says.
If he has to serve the remaining years, he says he will no longer have a second chance at life. He also expressed concerns that his parents will pass away before he is finally released.
“My parents were and are an integral part of my life and as you read my petition, you’ll see their positive influence on my life," says Barren. "To this day, they support me and my rehabilitation by visiting every Sunday, weather permitting. I am very grateful of their support, and I would love to be given another opportunity to pay it forward to them before it is too late.”
He is the father of four children. Before his arrest, he worked for an architectural firm and a family-owned graphic design company. He also received a Pennsylvania Department of Banking license before his conviction and incarceration, and worked as a mortgage broker.
He earned a paralegal certificate from Adams State University of Colorado with a 4.0 grade point average while incarcerated.
Barren has the support of Valena Beety, professor at West Virginia University College of Law and Director of the West Virginia Innocence Project. He also has the support of Erin Collins, assistant professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, who learned of Barren from the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law, in their report “The Mercy Lottery: A Review of the Obama Administration’s Clemency Initiative.”
In her letter, Collins wrote: “There is no question that David deserves clemency. Having supervised a number of strong petitions for clemency that President Obama ultimately denied, I know how stringent and searching the clemency review process was.”
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