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Coming out of prison after nearly 20 years was like waking up from a nightmare. I was sentenced to life in prison for a first-time non-violent drug offense. My two brothers were also locked up, and while we were serving our terms, our parents died. This loss hurts more than the sentence.
We were not there to support them in their final days. We couldn’t console them or each other. We couldn’t say goodbye. And knowing that when it mattered most, we were locked behind bars…it crushed us.
So, when I finally returned home — thanks to President Donald Trump granting me clemency from what would have been a harsh life sentence — all I wanted was to stand with my siblings, the only family I had left, and scatter our parents’ ashes together. It wasn’t just about honoring them. It was about closing one of the most painful chapters of our lives. It was about being a family again.
But even after we were released, we couldn’t grieve together.
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Here’s the problem. We were placed under federal probation. This means that we need permission to see each other, even though our cases were non-violent, and we did not commit any other violations. The government has deprived us of the opportunity to mourn our parents as families should.
(L-R) Agriculture Secretary Brock Rollins, Charles Tanner Jr. (Duke’s son), President Donald Trump, Charles “Duke” Tanner, and legendary college football coach Lou Holtz. (Courtesy of Charles “Duke” Tanner)
That moment opened my eyes to how broken supervised release is. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. The system is supposed to help people rebuild their lives, find work, reconnect with family safely, re-enter society with support and stay out of crime (as my brothers and I did). Instead, in many cases, it becomes another punitive sentence. It hinders rehabilitation rather than supports it.
But there is hope. Members of Congress introduced the Safer Oversight Act, a bill designed to fix what’s broken. Because a system that doesn’t allow my siblings and me to grieve our parents together is not a system that promotes safety or rehabilitation.
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The supervised release often feels like a trap. The rules are so strict and unforgiving that even people who do the right things constantly run the risk of being left off the track, despite years of progress. Prohibiting travel across state or county lines without permission. Requires frequent meetings with probation officers, ignoring work or family obligations. A blanket ban on being around anyone else with a criminal record, even your siblings.
I challenge you to find how any of this keeps the community safer or helps someone rebuild. It prolongs punishment, undermines redemption, and prevents true second chances. At the same time, it distracts law enforcement from focusing on people who pose a real danger. This doesn’t make any sense.
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It doesn’t have to be this way. If the Safer Stewardship Act becomes law, it will restore fairness and balance. People who meet strict safety standards will be allowed to make their way outside supervision, so authorities can focus on the real threats, as they should.
Former boxer Charles “Duke” Tanner and his son Charles Tanner Jr. (Courtesy of Charles “Duke” Tanner)
Although Trump was known for being tough on crime, he also understood this: that people who paid their debts deserve a chance to rebuild. That’s why I’m so grateful to him. His decision not only restored my freedom; You have given me my hope back.
It brought me home to my son, my family, my siblings, and my community. He saw humanity in someone who was often ignored by the system. I stand with the President in supporting others like me, and his compassionate actions will be remembered by our families for decades.
If we build on his example and pass the Safer Supervision Act, we can ensure that our federal supervision system truly supports second chances.
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I share my story not out of bitterness, but out of gratitude for a president who believes in redemption, and for the opportunity to speak as a free man.
My family still carries the weight of the years we lost. But we also hold hope – the hope that America will learn from stories like mine, and ensure that no other family has to go through what my family did.