Justice-Impacted Voices: Freedom to be Sincere

Sincere was sentenced to 45 years in prison shortly after his 18th birthday. He was pardoned by Gov. Northam following years of hard work, perseverance, and transformation while he was incarcerated.

Between his release in 2022 and his death in 2026, Sincere worked relentlessly to advocate for criminal legal reform and bridge the gap between legislators and people who are incarcerated

Throughout his life, Sincere was a man of integrity and service.

He mentored young men while he was incarcerated. He finished his G.E.D and participated in several prison programs, earning certifications in mental health and recovery. He created his own program, entitled “Personal Growth,” which taught goal setting, leadership building, and action planning for younger men who entered the system.

Sincere and several others co-authored the Second Look legislation, which would allow people who have already spent a long time in prison to petition for reconsideration of their sentences. Sincere went on to become one of the bill’s most dedicated advocates upon his release in 2022.

After Sincere came home from prison, he never took his freedom for granted and worked tirelessly to help bring more people home from prison.

He joined the Reform Alliance in 2023 as its Virginia State Organizer, helping pass major probation reform legislation with bipartisan support. He served on the strategic planning team for the Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison and on the advisory council for Rise for Youth Coalition, mentoring youth and preventing them from going down the path he did. Sincere was also a co-facilitator, co-owner and mentor with Creating a Safer Environment (CASE), helping train returned citizens to become mentors and support other people returning from incarceration.

He was a fixture at community events, participating as a speaker, organizer, or volunteer. Even after decades behind bars, Sincere often returned to prisons to support rehabilitation programs and initiatives.

Sincere was a shining light to his friends and families, as well as to lawmakers, colleagues, and advocates in the justice-impacted community. He left a mark on the lives of many people and embodied what a second chance looks like. Through his actions, he showed us that Virginia can foster safer, healthier communities by investing in people – not prisons.

We remember Sincere through reflections and tributes from advocates and loved ones in his second chance community.

Sincere and I were like father and son. Our bond started when he was incarcerated as a young man. I always reached out to the young guys because I never wanted them to be in the position that I went through, so Sincere and I developed a close bond. Even after we got out in society, we still stayed in touch. Sincere would visit me and we would sit in the car and talk, the way father and son do.

Sincere was very humble. He was very patient. And he was willing to listen to people. That was what drew me closer to him – just seeing the quality of his character. We have a saying, “leave no man behind,” and Sincere has always struggled for the next person.

I’ve known Sincere for more than 21 years. We met when we were doing time. Sincere and I were both a part of an awareness group at Buckingham (Correctional Center). That’s where we came together to forge ideas, talk about different plans and strategies, not only about criminal justice reform but about reform for ourselves. Sincere had always been present.

I met Sincere when he was only 15, and we have been friends ever since. He got locked up in 1998. I got locked up the year after. He was a brother of mine, a peer, a colleague.

Sincere taught me about humility. He did so much with so little fanfare. He was never bragging about it. He just did it because he cared.

His greatest accomplishment was the fact that all that stuff he did while he was in prison, he did it without knowing he would ever make it home. He did it because he loved people.

Sincere played many roles in my life. We were both co-authors of the Second Look bill for Virginia. We worked together on a lot of policy and advocacy efforts. We travelled all over the country in the name of justice. Sincere was my closest friend, confidante, co-host, and co-facilitator.

We are the co-owners of a program called CASE that trains individuals who are formerly incarcerated to be mentors. Most of all, Sincere considered us family. We’ve been connected every day since March 2023.

Sincere never met a stranger. He treated everybody with respect and dignity. Sincere advocated for those who needed hope the most.

Sincere was a person who never said no. He always showed up for everybody. Sincere was there to support me in all of my most pivotal moments. He was co-host for our inaugural Virginia Justice Conference in 2025.

Sincere never complained about the weight that he was carrying. His life and loss taught us that we need to focus on mental wellness in reentry and that people need to lean on their community and their loved ones. We’ll keep his legacy alive, but he deserves to be here.

Sincere was a mentor. He was someone who advised me on what was right, what was wrong. He was always there for me whenever I needed him. Sincere was community. Sincere was someone who showed me, a mentee in his 20s, how to navigate this life – sharing with me some of his trials and tribulations.

Each and everything that Sincere devoted himself to, his heart was in it.

Thank you, Sincere, for being you, for being great, for being phenomenal, and for being someone I can look up to.

Your high-quality mentorship, your life, your mission, and your story will now live through us.