Clemency advocacy
Franklin's case was carried into the public conversation that surrounded his commutation.
Case result
Robert Franklin
Kansas City, Missouri
22-year state sentence. Commuted through executive clemency.
Clemency grantedResolved caseReentry & advocacy
Robert Franklin Jr.'s 22-year sentence was commuted through executive clemency, and he was released 11 years early.
The case
22 years without parole for less than one pound.
Robert Franklin Jr. was arrested in Missouri for less than one pound of marijuana. After a jury trial he received 22 years in prison without the possibility of parole — a punishment estimated to cost Missouri taxpayers $244,057 to enforce.
His trial took place in a small rural community where he recalls feeling immediately isolated inside the courtroom. When he was first arrested, his daughter was 15 months old.
The path to freedom
Executive clemency and sentence commutation.
Franklin's sentence became a widely cited example of the disproportionality at the center of cannabis sentencing in Missouri: decades in a maximum-security prison for a non-violent offense involving under a pound.
Governor Mike Parson granted a sentence commutation through executive clemency.
On July 1, 2021, Robert Franklin Jr. was released from prison — 11 years earlier than his projected release date — and reunited with his family after more than a decade behind bars.
Donte West and Nate Ruby's organization provided Franklin with a reentry grant to help him transition back into society.
Original sentence
22 years
Result
Clemency granted
Timeline
From sentence to freedom
- 2007
Enters state custody
Franklin begins a 22-year sentence without parole after a jury trial in Missouri.
- 2007–2021
More than a decade incarcerated
He serves the majority of his sentence in a maximum-security prison for a non-violent cannabis offense.
- 2021
Clemency granted
Governor Mike Parson commutes Franklin's sentence through executive clemency.
- July 1, 2021
Released 11 years early
Franklin walks out 11 years before his projected release date and reunites with his family.
- Today
Advocating in Kansas City
Franklin shares his story at industry events with The Forgotten Prisoner.
The work behind the result
How advocacy helped
Public awareness
He now advocates with The Forgotten Prisoner at industry events, using his story to raise awareness.
Reentry support
A reentry grant helped fund his transition after more than a decade of incarceration.
Freedom & reentry
Robert Franklin today
Robert Franklin resides in Kansas City, Missouri, attending church with his family and spending time with his daughter.
He advocates with The Forgotten Prisoner at industry events to raise awareness through his story.
He is candid that release is not the end of the sentence: he has faced challenges adjusting to everyday life, including employment and social reintegration.
“I've been free since July 2021 but I'm still on edge. I'm always watching people and their movements. I don't really do social things anymore.”
“Think before you act. Don't move off your emotions. Don't keep your mind cloudy. And keep you a good lawyer.”
Why this result matters
A non-violent marijuana offense cost more than a decade in a maximum-security prison.
Franklin's case represents the human cost of the war on drugs — and the fact that clemency remains one of the few tools capable of correcting a sentence the law itself has outgrown. It is why the work of pursuing justice reform, clemency, and second chances continues for people still serving excessive cannabis sentences.
Documents, sources & coverage
The public record
Help create the next result
Every successful case begins with someone refusing to let another person be forgotten.
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People still serving disproportionate cannabis sentences today.
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Last updated September 2026.
