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FAMILIES UNITED TO END LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE
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FUEL Organizers & Actions:
Billy Kornafel
I am in great hope that Senate Bill 94 will pass. This is my first time ever being in prison. But the sad part of it is that I've been locked up sine 1985 at the age of 25.1 am now 63. 64 in May. Please know in no way am I using excuses for anyone losing their life....
Open Letter from Delfino Muniz
~To the young kid who made the painful choice of ending the life of 12 year of Rodrigo Emiliano Martinez on May 9, 2025 in Compton California~ This letter comes from someone who has walked the path like yours. I know what it’s like to carry the weight of a decision...
A Testament to Redemption and Generosity
A Testament to Redemption and Generosity: Incarcerated Men at Lancaster State Prison donate to FA-MLI, Inc. to Support Fire Victims FUEL Inside Organizer Laurence Perry - Lancaster Fundraiser [PDF]
Welcome to FUEL (Families United to End Life Without Parole): a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for justice and reform in the criminal justice system. Join us in our fight for justice, compassion, and a more equitable future.
Our Work:
FUEL participates in a wide variety of actions that include rallies, caravans, meetings, picnic, webinars, LWOP strategy workshops, and additional activities and events that increase awareness and advocacy to end LWOP. Check out our calendar to be a part of future events!
Our Mission:
To end all forms of the death penalty – death by incarceration as well as death by injection. Further, we support incarcerated persons with LWOP sentences and assist families in gaining the skills and knowledge to advocate for the end of LWOP.
Our Background:
We began as a small group making a concerted effort to grow through social media and word of mouth, both inside prison and in the community. In just a few months, the core group expanded their numbers and took on a name that reflected our purpose. The group became known as Families United to End LWOP – FUEL.
Through broad outreach within the criminal justice community, and inside the prisons, within a short period, the group became a source of hope for both women and men serving the “other death penalty”, and an organizing tool for their loved ones in the communities. FUEL partnered with other organizations and joined coalitions which were also engaged in the movement to end LWOP, most significantly, the Drop LWOP coalition.
As the group organized in the community, men and women on the inside began to form Inside FUEL chapters within their facilities, which helped to generate pro-social activity and inspire hope while developing ideas toward ending LWOP. We believe that no one should be defined by their worst decision in life. These motivated men and women raised money for FUEL, as well as funds for charities dedicated to crime survivors. In addition to money, they have donated beautiful handicraft and high valued art that they created. Inside FUEL have also invited coalition members into prisons to create a sense of unity while vigorously organizing.
FUEL members have launched petitions telling their loved one’s story and appealing to the Governor for clemency. The group also launched a petition on behalf of all serving LWOP and delivered it to Governor Brown in November of 2018 during their Seeking Redemption Rally. Material from men and women in prisons throughout the state were part of the packet given to the Governor. Constantly seeking ways to share the humanity of people serving the “other death penalty” has been the motivation to create individual brochures for the men and women. These have given those serving LWOP and their family members a way to tell their story.
FUEL holds rallies in Sacramento and has directed caravans around prison facilities experiencing high incidents of needless covid deaths. The group has participated in numerous panels, led seminars, co-sponsored Town Halls and held workshops on commutations in the communities and within the prison facilities. We are proud to be co-sponsors, with other powerful groups in the state, of SB 300 a piece of legislation challenging the LWOP sentence.
Among our happiest moments was welcoming the husbands of two of our core members home from serving the unforgiving sentence of LWOP. We fight for that to repeat itself until everyone serving the other death penalty is given the opportunity to come hope. The fight continues!
PRISON POLICY NEWS
Prison Policy Initiative What's new on all of the Prison Policy Initiative websites
- Advocates warn Census Bureau of impending test failure, inaccurate counts of incarcerated people
by Prison Policy Initiative on March 7, 2026Added Advocates warn Census Bureau of impending test failure, inaccurate counts of incarcerated people to the Prisoners of the Census Blog. Without testing […]
- Bad Omens: Reform rollbacks in Washington D.C. are a warning sign for state-level advocatesby Prison Policy Initiative on March 7, 2026
Added Bad Omens: Reform rollbacks in Washington D.C. are a warning sign for state-level advocates to the Prison Policy Blog. Bills in Congress that repeal bail […]
- Hunger as punishment: How states restrict SNAP benefits for people on probationby Prison Policy Initiative on March 7, 2026
Added Hunger as punishment: How states restrict SNAP benefits for people on probation to the Prison Policy Blog. A patchwork of statutes and administrative […]
- Is your local government collaborating with ICE? Here’s how to find out — and push backby Prison Policy Initiative on March 7, 2026
Added Is your local government collaborating with ICE? Here’s how to find out — and push back to the Prison Policy Blog. From the deputization of local […]
INSIDE FUEL
Norman Williams
I made a tragic decision in 1995, involving a drug deal negotiation gone wrong. It ended in a tragic incident and a human being losing his life. I was blind to see how my poor decisions would not only cost someone his life; those decisions would severely affect his...
Lester Polk
My name is Lester La Mount Polk I am serving Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP). I have now been incarcerated for 26 years. I was arrested 2 days after my high school graduation for a senseless crime motivated by greed, anger and my reckless impulsivity....
Kajuana Irving
My name is Kajuana Irving. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. During my early years my father was incarcerated and my parents eventually divorced. I lived with my mother, my eldest sister, and my two younger brothers. Life got rough because by the age...
Julian Gonzalez
My name is Julian Gonzalez. I was born and raised in Visalia and am 27 years old, I have been incarcerated since I was 18 years old. I am serving a LWOP sentence for my part in a gang related murder. Although my bullets were not the ones that killed the victim, I was...
Malinda Jones
I am Malinda Jones, a 65-year-old Grandmother with an LWOP Sentence. I live with a mountain of regrets and a heart full of remorse, but I can’t change the fact that a young man lost his life. What I can do is explain the “WHY” of that horrible night. None of what I am...
Virgil Clarke III
My name is Virgil Clarke III. I’m serving a sentence of life with no possibility of parole plus 6 years for aiding and abetting in the murder of Mrs. Catherine Tucker. Even before this, I felt so guilty for my actions leading up to this senseless act. I’ll be the...