Where Justice Meets Mercy

Who We Are! Our Mission:

The Clemency Project of Nevada is dedicated to securing freedom, dignity, and second chances for incarcerated individuals through grassroots advocacy,  organizing, participatory community defense, and community mobilization.


Our Vision:

Big Ideas, Real Impact.

We envision a Nevada where clemency is a transparent, accessible, and transformative process that reflects the values of justice, redemption, and community care. We work to transform the clemency process into a tool of justice and repair by uplifting the voices of those most impacted, challenging systemic injustice, and building pathways home rooted in accountability, healing, and hope.  We aim to ensure that no one is forgotten behind the walls and that every person has the opportunity to be seen, heard, and free.


Hope, Community, Healing

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Hope, Community, Healing 〰️

Our Purpose:

The Clemency Project of Nevada: exists to advocate for the fair and equitable use of clemency as a means to correct unjust sentences, reunite families, and restore hope. We empower impacted individuals and their communities through education, organizing, legal strategy, and storytelling. Our purpose is to challenge the culture of permanent punishment and create pathways to liberation that center humanity, accountability, and transformation.


Our ultimate goal is to dismantle the barriers to freedom and create a future where every person impacted by incarceration has the opportunity to return home, rebuild their lives, and contribute to a safer, more compassionate society. Through collective action and deep-rooted solidarity, we strive to end excessive punishment and foster a system that prioritizes healing over harm.


We use Participatory Strategies in our work because justice should never be passive, it is always collective, informed, and community driven. It is mutual aid!

Our Unifying Principles

Justice rooted in mercy, led by community. We believe that people are much more than their worst decision, and that justice must include mercy, transformation, accountability and healing.

If Rehabilitation is the goal, then Freedom should be the reward!

Meet the Founder

Theresa Yancy-Benson is a community-based justice advocate and participatory defense strategist. Her work is rooted in lived experience and shaped by years of organizing alongside families navigating Nevada’s post-conviction, clemency and parole systems. Theresa understands firsthand the emotional, legal and systemic barriers families face when advocating for their loved ones. She has built frameworks that transform the frustration into focused strategic action.

Meet the Board of Directors

Nasha Myart

Akiko Cooks

Secretary
President

Anthony Bagley

Treasurer

Upcoming Events

  • Pardons Board Hearing

    March 17, 2026 9:00 AM

    Calling on our community to show up in full solidarity for our incarcerated comrades who are seeking mercy, fairness and a second chance through the pardon process.

    @Nevada Supreme Court

  • Bi-weekly Community Meeting

    Mondays 6-8 PM

    Join us bi-weekly, on Mondays for our virtual participatory strategy meetings. Sign up below for your 1:1

    RSVP

  • Coming Soon

    Look for our upcoming Community Pardons Application Workshop.

    RSVP

Testimonials

“Without the hard work of Theresa and The Clemency Project, I would still be incarcerated. On December 16, 2025, I was released from the department of corrections after 43 years. I am finally free and able to live my life outside those prison walls. Theresa fought diligently alongside me and my family since 2020.”

-Michael Gravely

“The Clemency Project helped me get my life sentence commuted to allow for parole. The pardons board was the only hope I had at ever returning home to my family. The Clemency Project made that happen for me. They understood that I’m not the same person I was 43 years ago, and I am fully rehabilitated.”

-Bobby Thomas

“After exhausting all appeals, the only way I would be free was by the grace and mercy of the pardons board. Theresa made that happen for me. She was diligent over the course of 2 long years, but finally got me sponsored on an agenda. I came home in April of 2022, after 39 long years of incarceration. I am thankful for my second chance.”

-Rickie Cooper

Get in Touch

Whether you have a question, an idea, or just want to say hello, feel free to reach out—we’re here to help.