Michelle Yvette Lee

Clemency for Michelle Yvette Lee

More than a decade ago, mother of three, Michelle Yvette Lee was sentenced to a 30-year sentence, after being offered a sentence to a reduced charge that would have likely resulted in a sentence close to the time she has already served. Ms. Yvette Lee is a 40-year-old woman and mother of three children who has been incarcerated over a decade for a non-violent drug distribution offense, which was driven at the time by her own debilitating addiction.

She went to trial with her co-defendant husband and was sentenced to over three times the sentence she would likely have received upon a guilty plea. She has had an exemplary prison history, including taking college accounting classes and completing an office management apprenticeship. Sober and remorseful, she remains close with her children and immediate family and is eager to return to a productive life in society where she plans to find gainful employment using the skills she perfected while in custody, and complete her college education.