Thaisan Nguon
California
Thaisan and his family are survivors of the Cambodian genocide (1975-79) that saw over 3 million lives lost. He grew up in Long Beach, CA and is the second oldest of 10 siblings. He was serving Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP) until his sentence was commuted in December 2018 and subsequently found suitable for parole in 2021.
Kent Mendoza
California
Kent Mendoza was born in Mexico and came to the US at six years old. He grew up in Los Angeles where at an early age he was exposed to gangs, drugs, and violence. He joined a gang at 14 and was incarcerated at 15 and served time in a probation camp.