BACK TO PRISONERS
BACK TO PRISONERS
Back to prisoners
Part One

A Beautiful Childhood

"My father was in the military. I traveled around the world and saw so many beautiful places."
- Reflections of Jabar Akil Veals
Jabari Akil Veals

My name is Jabari Akil Veals and I was born on June 29, 1974. I was sentenced to die by suffocating imprisonment on May 15, 2008.

I wasn’t always an inmate, a defendant, or a case number. I can honestly say that I had a beautiful childhood! My father raised me for as long as he could until he and my mother separated. I was 4 years old. My dad was a devotee of Hare Krsna spiritual consciousness. My mother is a God-fearing Christian woman. I went to a Catholic elementary school. The neighborhood I grew up in was mostly Moorish American with members of the Nation of Islam. So I was open-minded about other peoples beliefs and lifestyles.

I grew up in a very diverse family. My father (a military man) married a strong, gorgeous German woman and adopted my brother, who is white. My dad and step-mother had seven more kids. We spent a lot of time with each other. My happiest memories are with my siblings, parents and our big extended family. I traveled around the world and saw so many places. Those memories keep me alive during my life sentence. They are all I have.

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Part Two

A dose of reality

"My first experience and exposure to crack came when a Chicago Police Officer planted drugs on me."
- Reflections of Jabari Akil Veals
Jabari with other community volunteers John (center) & Rene (right)

Growing up in the 80's and 90's on the south side of Chicago was a testament of survival, strength, and unity. I did not see the evidence of drugs until a year after I graduated from high school. My strong family foundation and religious grounding helped me avoid the many destructive forces in the community around me.

I enjoyed the good elements of High School. I enjoyed playing football as well as running for the school track team. I was focused on following my dad to the military and becoming a journalist. With perfect attendance I graduated from a school that the Chicago Public School system  categorized as one of the most dangerous schools in the 90's. However, I was consistent with pursuing my education in full. I made my family proud when I graduated.

My first experience and full exposure of cocaine and crack came when a Chicago Police Officer planted drugs on me. That happened shortly after I graduated from high school. It was a dose of reality that crushed me.

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Part Three

Life for a Fistful of Crack

“I do not take any pleasure in this at all, Mr. Veals. But I’m required to follow the law.”
- Federal Judge Michael P. McCuskey
Federal Judge Michael P. McCuskey (Ret.), President Clinton Appointee

I was sentenced to life in prison for a fistful of crack. It wasn’t a big drug case. My arrest didn’t even make the news. The police searched a house where I was and found 56 grams of crack. That handful of crack was  the end of my freedom.

The judge who sentenced me to life believed the punishment was unfair. When I stood in the courtroom for my sentencing, the judge looked at me and said: “I never look forward to sentencing anybody to mandatory life . . . I do not take any pleasure in this at all, Mr. Veals. But I’m required to follow the law.” I felt like the law had both of us in handcuffs that day.

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Part Four

Treated like a dog

"A life sentence is like a weapon that is aimed at me, my children, my family, relationships and communities. Everyone who ever loved me is punished."
- Relfections of Jabari Veals
Jabari's letter describing a life sentence

To survive a life sentence, you have to be prepared to suffer mentally and emotionally. Be prepared to be treated like a dog - inhumane. Be prepared to hear years of screams. Be prepared to hear your children cry. Be prepared to see your family pass away. Be prepared to be degraded and disrespected. Be prepared to deal with mentally unstable prisoners and staff. Be prepared to watch people go home who did worse crimes than you. And ALWAYS be prepared to protect yourself.

A life sentence is like a weapon that is aimed at me, my children, my family, relationships and communities. Everyone who ever loved me is punished. My life sentence destroyed me in ways that I have never experienced. I have cried tears of pain and questioned why am I going thru this. Why?