Matthew Charles

Matthew Charles was sentenced in 1996 to a thirty-five year federal sentence for nonviolent offenses. His sentence length was the result of an unjust disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. After serving twenty-two years on that sentence, he became the first beneficiary of the First Step Act signed into law in 2018. Matthew has been an advocate for criminal justice reform since his release, speaking with the president and nationally with legislators, governors, and college students about the need for sentencing and prison reforms and the harms of mass incarceration in America.  Matthew has testified several times before the U.S. Senate and several state congress. Matthew received the Excellency in Advocacy Award from the Coalition for Public Safety.