Laquanda “Faye” Jacobs came to Journey to New Life in September 2018. She came as an incredibly afraid young woman. She’d just been released from prison after spending 26 years 7 months and 2 days for a capital murder crime that she and her advocates adamantly say she didn’t commit. At her sentencing, Faye became the first and only female in Arkansas sentenced as a juvenile to life in prison without parole, a sentence deemed unconstitutional in 2018 by the U.S. Supreme Court, leading to her release.

For Faye, getting out of prison and going to a place she’d never been before was overwhelming. She was originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, so to be in Kansas City was a whole new world. She was a mere 16 years old when she entered prison and 43 when she got out. Her parents in Arkansas had grown elderly during the time she was away, and beyond her attorneys, she didn’t have any connections in Kansas City.

One of her attorneys asked Faye if she was interested in Journey to New Life. Even though she was scared, she knew she didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. So she took the leap and entered Journey to New Life with the hope that she would learn new things. As a resident at Journey House, she was nervous at first. She didn’t know if the others knew her story. Much to her surprise, she says she found a very welcoming, loving and judgment-free environment — something she wasn’t used to in prison.

Reflections

It was at Journey House where Faye believes she began again. She had never been responsible for herself or lived independently. She’d never even ridden a bus. “Journey gave me the courage and motivation to do those things,” she said. “They told me, yes, you can do it. They were there to help and guide me. They carried me when I couldn’t carry myself, and they taught me that my past doesn’t define me.” When she thinks about what her life might have been without Journey to New Life, she says she truly believes she wouldn’t have been as successful as she is. She’s very thankful for the legal support she got, but once she was out, she needed something more to become a productive member of society. That’s what Journey to New Life is.

I feel like I owe my life to Journey to New Life.

While incarcerated, Faye says she became accustomed to a certain way of life — institutionalized. But, growing up a pastor’s daughter, she always believed in treating people the way you want to be treated. Forgiveness, she says, was something she worked on the whole time, and it wouldn’t allow her to have any bitterness, anger or hatred.

Embarking on the next journey

Recently, Faye started her own business, called Innocence Too. It’s a transportation business designed to transport individuals who are re-entering the community after prison to necessary activities like job interviews, doctor’s appointments and grocery stores. She wants to help others who’ve been incarcerated. Faye is also the primary caregiver for her aging mother.

Although Faye was released by the courts with time served, she continues to fight for exoneration. Her case remains under consideration in the Arkansas Governor’s office.

“They carried me when I couldn’t carry myself, and they taught me that my past doesn’t define me.”