Store
by James Goudlock
Jason Goudlock, an inmate currently incarcerated at Toledo Correctional Institution, has been incarcerated for 29 years. He has been denied parole a total of six times over the course of his incarceration.
He is the victim of disparities caused by new sentencing guidelines that were established in the state of Ohio in July 1996. When Jason was originally convicted in 1994, he was given a sentence of six to 25 years for aggravated robbery and assault, with an additional mandatory nine-year sentence for a gun specification charge.
This meant that Jason would be required to do no less than 15 years, with a possibility of 34 years if he served his full sentence. Under the new law enacted in 1996, Ohio SB2, Jason’s convictions carry a sentence of only three to 11 years, depending on the number of offenses – a first time offender getting as little as three years, a third time offender getting a max of 11 years. (See
https://statelaws.findlaw.com/ohio-law/ohio-robbery-laws.html and https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/Boards/Sentencing/resources/general/SB2.pdf
As an “old law” prisoner, Jason has done more than TWICE the time the current laws allow. He and thousands like him are victims of this disparity. This is a real injustice. Not only has Jason served more time than his crime actually carries according to Ohio law, but because the new law was NOT enacted retroactively, Jason has been forced to remain a prisoner while watching other offenders who committed the SAME offenses as himself go free after only a few years of incarceration.
As covered in Jason’s documentary, “Invisible Chess: The Jason Goudlock Story,” available on YouTube, and his website, www.FreeJasonGoudlock.org, as an “old law” inmate under the parole system, Jason has to live on eggshells. If Jason commits ANY minor infraction, even if he is DEFENDING himself, Jason is subject to consequences when he faces the parole board.
New law versus old law gives new law inmates license to terrorize the old law inmates, as the new law inmates have no consequences.
The main reason he’s been incarcerated so long is because he’s been denied parole six times, citing his so called “infractions” as evidence for the denials. Meanwhile, the new law inmates have no such worries. They know the day they receive their sentence when they’re going home; they don’t have to even worry about confronting a parole board.
This disparity created by Ohio’s sentencing laws does two things: It creates two classes of inmates, new law versus old law, and it gives new law inmates license to terrorize the old law inmates, as the new law inmates have no consequences.
Jason discusses his hardships as an old law inmate during an exclusive interview on his new spoken word album, “216 TO MARCY: A Prisoner’s Plea to Jay Z,” available on all major streaming platforms: “216 to Marcy: A Prisoner’s Plea to Jay Z” by Jason Goudlock, https://music.apple.com/us/album/216-to-marcy-a-prisoners-plea-to-jay-z/1623553103 or https://open.spotify.com/album/5S8lhfsU9vuTZwlwm1pNah?si=jVqUEQUjTGax0tPJ2ew4Cw
The album also contains an audio version of Jason’s documentary, “Invisible Chess: The Jason Goudlock Story.” Jason is seeking support to get his story out to the masses as well as raise capital for his legal fund. He’s asking that supporters go and listen to his album in addition to researching his story. Jason also has a social media presence; he can be found on Facebook at Jason Goudlock, Instagram @freejasongoudlock, Twitter @FreeJasonG and TikTok @jasongoudlock.
Jason Goudlock has been wronged by the state of Ohio, along with thousands of other unfortunate inmates, due to the short sightedness of the state’s 1996 SB2 Sentencing Bill. It’s time for Jason and those other inmates to receive justice. It’s time for Jason Goudlock to regain his freedom. He has paid for his crimes many times over. It’s time to FREE JASON GOUDLOCK!
James Goudlock is the brother of Jason Goulock and a good role model for family members and close friends of other prisoners who want to give badly needed support to their loved ones. James can be reached at jimmy30296@gmail.com.
